bivy sack advice

[whitingja]

Hey, I'm looking for a lightweight bivy for camping where the elk are unexpectedly. Any advice on be best one. I dont want to take the time breaking down a tent

 

[RosinBag]

It depends, are you running it with a tarp or stand alone. If with a tarp, I would go with a Ti Goat as they are the lightest out there. If a stand alone, I would go with an eVent bivy like the Big Agnes Three Wire. Without a tarp you have to make sure the material is waterproof and breathable, which eVent is. Unless you have a lot of experience with a bivy, I would go with a one man tent. The breaking down part is the difference of 3 to 5 minutes verse a tent, which is not a big deal.

 

[whitingja]

I wont have a tarp. I would prefer a tent, but it is so noisey breaking down

 

[Matt Cashell]

+1 to Doug's advice.

Integral Designs makes a nice eVent bivy. Goretex bivy's don't breathe, so your bag will likely get wet.

I have a TiGoat Raven Omni I will be running w/ tarp this year, and it packs down to almost nothing.

I have a Tarptent Contrail also, and it is a great lightweight solo shelter with a bit of room inside.

 

[RosinBag]

Noise isn't any issue with elk hunting, they are loud animals when together. If your that close your scent will give you away before your noise.

I would take a tarp if really going bivy. If not you have nothing to ride a storm under, cook under, protect gear, etc.

I have done dozens of bivy hunts and they suck now when I look back at them. A one man tent with a vestibule to take care of your gear, cook, ride out storms, etc. is how I am running these days. If you have a mega tarp totally different, as they are like a tent.

 

[Lawnboi]

i snapped and picked up an rei minimalist bivy this last week for the hell of it. Probably better options out there but it was a last minute buy. Its farily light for a completely waterproof bivy with a bug net, and was definetly cheaper than the big dogs. Should bring the temp down with my kifaru doobie to well below freezing. Being 100% waterproof it will also be nice to be able to roll my pad and bag right up in the thing instead of having to deal with stuff sacs.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

i snapped and picked up an rei minimalist bivy this last week for the hell of it. Probably better options out there but it was a last minute buy. Its farily light for a completely waterproof bivy with a bug net, and was definetly cheaper than the big dogs. Should bring the temp down with my kifaru doobie to well below freezing. Being 100% waterproof it will also be nice to be able to roll my pad and bag right up in the thing instead of having to deal with stuff sacs.

I'm sporting one too lawnboi, I have only spent a handful of nights in it but I like it. Simple, cheap,and light.

 

[muleman]

I know the OP was looking for a stand alone bivy but I too side with RosinBag about having a tarp or in my case a floorless shelter. I currently run a couple of different tipis / pyramids for my shelters. After having the wettest hunt last year that I ever remember. I decided to get a bivy to go with my tipis. Unless it is an emergency I will be under some sort of SilNi. Be it a GoLITE SL3, SL5, Poncho Tarp, or now I'm going to try a Mountain Hardwear Hoopla 4.

Knowing I'm going to have have some SilNi over me. I wanted to get a good breathable DWR upper and waterproof bottom. My first choice was a Titanium Goat Raven. TiGoat is local for me and I really wanted to support them. However I found the Raven to be small. I don't sleep well on a 20" pad, so I pay the weight and price penalty to get a Long Wide (LW) pad. I have been using a LW Big Agnes Insulated Air Core for several years. It has served me well and is still going strong. This week I upgraded from the BA IAC to a LW Exped Downmat UL. This increase my R-value and decrease my pad weight by 10 ounces. I also ordered a 9 ounce Katabatic Gear 6' 6" Wide Bristlecone bivy to round out my shelter / sleep system. I have never even seen the Bristlecone but I have spoken with the owner a couple of times. This bivy seems like the best compromise for me. After a couple of hunts I will try and do a review of my new system.

While it sounds romantic to just have a 4 season bivy and nothing else. I find that I am much more comfortable and enjoy the experience more with SilNi over my head. When the skies open up and don't stop I just don't see how you can keep your bag and gear dry and change clothes etc... in a stand alone bivy. Not to mention cooking and eating.

 

[RosinBag]

MM is right on point, once the weather is on you, you can't keep your gear dry, yourself dry or cook in a dry environment without a tarp. And in today's ultralight materials, a tarp and bivy is real comparable to a solo tent. For me, my tent is actually slightly less weight than my bivy and tarp.

 

[Kevin Root]

While it sounds romantic to just have a 4 season bivy and nothing else. I find that I am much more comfortable and enjoy the experience more with SilNi over my head. When the skies open up and don't stop I just don't see how you can keep your bag and gear dry and change clothes etc... in a stand alone bivy. Not to mention cooking and eating.

I also agree with the what muleman wrote. I have a 4 season OR Alpine bivy and at first thought it sounded like a good choice for a lightweight all around shelter. It works and I'm ok on the claustrophobic feel but it is just not the most comfortable when getting in and out in a rainstorm, changing clothes or having access to your gear easy.

Having a real lightweight bivy like the Ti Goat or a SOL emergency bivy in a hunting pack for an emergency shelter or to add some extra warmth to a sleeping bag in a pack sounds like a better option if needed but I'm back to liking some more room with something like a Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 Platinum. It's rated for three season not four season but I'm rethinking how many outings I really need a lightweight 4 season option anyway.