Thinking about trying a Bivy

[GoatPackr]

I'm curious about trying a bivy.
It's a new concept to me so maybe I'm looking for something other than a bivy.

In a perfect world I prefer to sleep under the stars with a quilt.
But bugs/snakes and weather can make that less than desirable.
I can pack in a small 1 man floor less shelter and be pretty happy but I'm looking for something a little closer to that feeling of sleeping out side.
I'd like something that is floored that I can crawl into without much effort but will protect from wet ground, bugs, snakes, and some rain. Heavy rain I could use a tent or tarp shelter over it. More concerned with that rain shower that can show up that wasn't forecasted.
I'm 6'-5" and 210 lbs and really don't like feeling cramped or crawling into something tiny so it needs to open up and not feel like crawling into a sock. I'm a side sleeper also but sleep on ALL sides. I basically rotate every few hrs.
I'm looking to use it early spring- end of October. Doesn't need to be ultralight but lighter weight is preferred.

I'm interested in people's thoughts, suggestions and pics.

Kris

 

[tony]

I’m looking at the same for long hikes, backpacking, hunting.
check out the snug pack stratosphere and ionosphere.
Look up geer top, it’s a China outfit. But, they have cool little 1 man tent that looks like a big bivy. About 3.5 pounds and under $100.00. Watch that video of the guy using it.

 

[92xj]

I love my bivy. I toss and turn and move all night long so I had a custom bivy made that was a little bigger than what’s offered stock. My main love is that is keeps everything together. My pad, quilt and myself are one nice fitting burrito that stays together all night no matter how much I move. If I move too much and the quilt gets off of me, the bivy eliminates the wind exposure on that exposed skin, which is nice. I use my bivy all the time, in my cimarron, by itself under the stars, or under my tarp. I also stake the corners of the bivy which also helps in keeping it all together. All in all, for what I do and how much I move, I love a bivy. It’s right at 6oz, dyneema bathtub, breathable from toes to chest, then mesh over head. Zipper from right hip up and over head and down to left hip. When it’s warm out, I leave it unzipped and flopped open.

 

[GoatPackr]

I’m looking at the same for long hikes, backpacking, hunting.
check out the snug pack stratosphere and ionosphere.
Look up geer top, it’s a China outfit. But, they have cool little 1 man tent that looks like a big bivy. About 3.5 pounds and under $100.00. Watch that video of the guy using it.

That ionosphere might be what I'm looking for. Definitely going to do some digging on it. Not sure i like the stratosphere due to the bottom end just laying against my feet.
I do like the smaller size of it if it was just supported better.

Kris

 

[GoatPackr]

I love my bivy. I toss and turn and move all night long so I had a custom bivy made that was a little bigger than what’s offered stock. My main love is that is keeps everything together. My pad, quilt and myself are one nice fitting burrito that stays together all night no matter how much I move. If I move too much and the quilt gets off of me, the bivy eliminates the wind exposure on that exposed skin, which is nice. I use my bivy all the time, in my cimarron, by itself under the stars, or under my tarp. I also stake the corners of the bivy which also helps in keeping it all together. All in all, for what I do and how much I move, I love a bivy. It’s right at 6oz, dyneema bathtub, breathable from toes to chest, then mesh over head. Zipper from right hip up and over head and down to left hip. When it’s warm out, I leave it unzipped and flopped open.

Got a pic of it?
Who made it for you and what was the cost?

Kris

 

[Coues123]

My experience has been they can be to big and to small. Started with the military modular sleep system bivy. I put my pad inside the bivy and keep everything together. I bought a thicker insulated pad and it was overly tight to sleep in. I bought several used ones off ebay to find a better fit. If you get one that is to big, you're back to falling off your pad. If the bugs are out, one with a screen is really nice. Backpacking makes packability a priority. Sea to Summit makes a couple of good ones. REI let me put a few different systems together in the store which was a huge help. I have 5 of them and each works well in a different situation. Until you sleep in it a few nights it's hard to say which one you will like. When you are sleeping in one just out of Yellowstone Park, the snaps one the military one were well designed.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Big bivy fan. I used that 2# GI goretex version then an OR goretex. Currently running a bora. Send him your specs and he will guide you to or make the right size.

a note of caution, in a rain or snow storm you will probably want overhead cover. I also like a ground cloth. By the time you add up bivy weight and some small tarps, you are getting close to the weight of a light tent. My bora is 7oz and a dcf ground cloth and dcf tarp are each 5-8oz with stakes and ropes (no poles). So I am pushing 1.5# with my set up, even going with dcf tarps. Lightweight 1-2 person tents are 2-3#. Dcf tents like an 2-person duplex are under 2#. My point is, go with a bivy if you like that style of sleeping but your trail weight is going to be on par with a tent Or only slightly less.

Borah Gear: Custom Ultralight Backpacking Bivys, Tarps, and more

borahgear.com

 

[92xj]

Got a pic of it?
Who made it for you and what was the cost?

Kris

Here is my old one, don't have a picture of the new one, but it is exactly the same as the one in the pictures, except the dyneema bottom is a bathtub style, in the pictures its just a flat bottom. And bearpaw designs built them both for me. I emailed a sketch with dimensions I wanted and he built and sent in a week or two. I can't remember the cost exactly but I want to say it was right around 200. 50/50 people liking to hating the guy. I never had any issues with him and the quality was what I expected for a small one man shop. The stitching isn't perfectly straight and there are some random tag ends. I have never had any issues and they both have held up great. If and when this current one dies, I will email him and order again from him.

 

[TAArrowood]

I'm in a similar frame of mind.. I did toms of research and settled on the Outdoor Research Advanced bivy... They are a little more expensive and may have been discontinued, but if you can find one they are absolutely bullet proof.. One thing I've found with most bivys is condensation.. The OR is not as bad as I though it would be. The "advanced" has many features that you can't appreciate until you actually use them.. It is truly a 4 season bivy. The biggest downside with a bivy is getting into and out of it in foul weather... If possible I try to erect a lightweight fly over the bivy or at least the area over the head end.. I has great ventilation (important to keeping moisture down).. I would seriously recommend looking at the OR line of bivys.. Also, OR has a lifetime warranty on all their products and they actually stand behind their products (like full replacement if need be).. All the best a great camping..

 

[mtwarden]

If you're wanting even light rain protection, you can cross off all the water resistant bivies and concentrate on the waterproof ones- Goretex, eVENT, Pertex, etc

I have a MLD eVENT one that'll I use when it's very likely there will be no precip (but an unexpected light rain/snow will be handled w/o much drama) and I need the smallest footprint possible. Comes in a couple of sizes (always err on bigger with a bivy), has a small wire hoop (removable) and a bug screen around the head area.

https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/event-soul-bivy/

Weighs 12 oz with the wire hoop.

As mentioned, with the onset of DCF you can get fully enclosed shelters for almost the same weight- my Tarp Tent Aeon Li weighs 16 oz with stakes- has a full bathtub floor, fully insect proof, roomy for one and has a vestibule- no bivy is going to compare to a full on shelter.

 

[GoatPackr]

Thanks for the info everyone.
I'm really looking for a fluid setup.
Something I can pack in with the goats most of the time so weight isn't as big of an issue as bulk.
Other times I need to be able to drop everything in my pack Friday night and drive 4 hrs after work to hike in with a buddy on a quick scouting trip where we run light and fast for 1 or 2 nights in mid July.

Kris

 

[zrodwyo]

Really love the idea of a bivy but I would wake up with a wet sleeping bag from condensation alone.

 

[92xj]

I had one very small condensation issue in my bivy and it was the one time I forgot to tie to elevate the bivy off my footbox. And by small, I mean small. The next morning, pulled my quilt out and had a small wet spot, not enough to affect the down and it dried in minutes. Since then, I have always tied up the foot end and that’s enough to keep the condensation to not be an issue at all.

 

[Phaseolus]

If you’ve ever spent a couple of nights, and days, in a bivy in rainstorms you will do what warden suggests. Get a DCF one person UL tent.

 

[Dwight2180]

I've always been intrigued by a bivy, but with the majority of my use being in the SE....condesation is a major concern.

 

[BzoneBryan]

I am also a big fan of the bivy. I've had a few but found them constricting. I sleep on my side(s) and would often wake up with them twisted around me. I use a quilt and like having my pad and quilt held together in the bivy. It also adds a bit of extra warmth and protection from the dew.

I decided to make my own roomier bivy out of tyvek (the softer type, not the housewrap), double sided carpet tape, and velcro, based on ideas I saw on youtube. I've been pretty happy with it. It is roomy enough but still keeps me enclosed. It's also very lightweight and cheap. I wouldn't want to sleep through a night of rain in it, though.

One thing about the design is that the velcro sticks to itself better than to the tyvek so i took it off. I thiink I'd do something different if i need it to close up, but that hasn't been important to me lately. I've thought about putting a screen window in it to watch stars bug-free, which would be very easy to do.

 

[GoatPackr]

I've got a good little one man floor less tent but it doesn't keep out the snakes and doesn't allow me to see the stars on a clear night. I want to be able to wake up and look around and see my goats also.
A bivy looks to be something that can give me all those options.

Kris

 

[MattB]

IMO there is a good reason that the term “bivy hunting” went by the wayside.

Back in the early 2000’s a friend of a friend got stuck in a bivy sack for almost 48 hours straight due to torrential rains. He was never quite the same afterwards….

 

[GoatPackr]

I'm most likely to use it through spring and summer. If I'm doing more than 2 nights or wet weather is expected I'll just have the goats pack me in a better camp.

Kris

 

[Carrot Farmer]

I'm curious about trying a bivy.
It's a new concept to me so maybe I'm looking for something other than a bivy.

In a perfect world I prefer to sleep under the stars with a quilt.
But bugs/snakes and weather can make that less than desirable.
I can pack in a small 1 man floor less shelter and be pretty happy but I'm looking for something a little closer to that feeling of sleeping out side.
I'd like something that is floored that I can crawl into without much effort but will protect from wet ground, bugs, snakes, and some rain. Heavy rain I could use a tent or tarp shelter over it. More concerned with that rain shower that can show up that wasn't forecasted.
I'm 6'-5" and 210 lbs and really don't like feeling cramped or crawling into something tiny so it needs to open up and not feel like crawling into a sock. I'm a side sleeper also but sleep on ALL sides. I basically rotate every few hrs.
I'm looking to use it early spring- end of October. Doesn't need to be ultralight but lighter weight is preferred.

I'm interested in people's thoughts, suggestions and pics.

Kris

Borah Bivy with a Borah Tarp. Borah will custom make your bivy to whatever size. I’m 6’1 and was 380 and a sidesleeper