Bivy Advice

“Ya gonna use a tarp with that Dude? If so, what Tarp?”

“If I may put a 2 cents worth. I usually use a micro mesh Bivy and a Tarp for camping.
Yes I have gone with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever and a hiking partner. And I have slept in the pouring rain with no problems.”

“Actually The rainfly for my old Slumberjack bivy works perfect with it. That's all I'm using.”

“Lt. Dan, that is the set up I am looking at (MH micro mesh is on my gift list). Glad to hear it works good.”

“buame, I have really been happy with the set up. I put a space blanket under us for water control. I am looking at a different tarp so I can have a bit more privacy. That is the only drawback. Having to change in the wide open of a tarp. You learn to position your tarp.”

“I do the Micro Mesh/Siltarp thing too. Love the combo zipper feature on the MH.MM. Great for mild weather situations.”

“Baume (or others) would you be interested in buying a new MH micromesh bivy? Only used once, on a groundcloth, in the backyard.

Immediatley after buying the MH bivy I got a chance to get the OR bivy cheap, and did so. I don't really need both.”

“Le Subtil, check your e-mail.”

“Okay, I looked through all the bivy threads and really didn't find what I was looking for. My question: Will a bivy if used inside a tent in cold weather add warmth to your sleeping bag?

I have heard of people doing this instead of buying a warmer sleeping bag if they already own a bivy. But will it add more warmth than say a silk sleeping bag liner? The added warmth would probably depend on the bivy and its materials, but I would assume that a closed bivy made out of goretex or another material would add more warmth than a silk liner...maybe I'm wrong, anyone know?”

“In "theroy" Yes! yo dub!”

“That's what I thought. Anyone have any idea on the degrees F of typical warmth added by a bivy or a certain bivy model? yo bear!”

“I've heard about 15 degrees for a typical bivy and 10 degrees max out of a silk liner. If you go this route I'd suggest getting a bivy made of Dryloft instead of Gore-Tex, especially if you're using it inside a tent. Dryloft is not waterPROOF, but it breathes alot better than Gore-Tex. Breathability is something you'll need in a bivy since you shed alot of water while you sleep. Since both are windproof, I wouldn't expect much if any difference in degree rating additions to your bag.”

“Thanks for the info guys. I was just curious. I was trying to figure out how to make myself warmer without buying anything new and my roommate has some kind of bivy. Then I got to thinking about bivy/tarp camping...yes, I'm a gearaholic.”

“I've always heard 11 degrees is what a Bivy adds. I have an OR Advanced Bivy and an OR dry-sack which uses the dry-loft material MileMonster refers to. The DryLoft product is A LOT cheaper than a Gore-Tex Bivy (and lighter), so if that's all you're going to use it for (extending your sleepy bag temp) consider the dryloft product.”