To bivy or not to bivy

[Deli]

I tried a bivy and absolutely not for me.

I have a Six Moons Lunar Solo single pole complete shelter. If i was truely thinking carry on back mobile, I would take my six moons gatewood cape tarp and the nest. I can setup the tarp for any bad weather and set up with the nest for sleeping at night.

Both of these i can setup at close to 54" tall with long guy lines. They shed light snow pretty good.

I thought about the lunar solo since the price is decent. I did read some trouble pitching it but maybe that just comes down to practice? At 6 ft tall, would I have enough space?


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[Blurry1]

Lots of ways to skin that cat. Some of the tents out there can be set up using poles and fly only. Big Agnes comes to mind. Having spent quite some time sleeping in bivy sacks I would be hesitant to recommend them if you move around a lot. You will be more comfortable in a good hammock than a bivy when it comes to that. I also don’t think a bivy is really all that valuable if your already using a tarp unless your worried about water running down hill and getting you and your sleeping bag wet. Just my 2cents but pick one or the other. Not both.

 

[Deli]

Lots of ways to skin that cat. Some of the tents out there can be set up using poles and fly only. Big Agnes comes to mind. Having spent quite some time sleeping in bivy sacks I would be hesitant to recommend them if you move around a lot. You will be more comfortable in a good hammock than a bivy when it comes to that. I also don’t think a bivy is really all that valuable if your already using a tarp unless your worried about water running down hill and getting you and your sleeping bag wet. Just my 2cents but pick one or the other. Not both.

The thought process was to use more of an open mesh style bivy and not a full waterproof one. Something I can just throw down on nice nights and keep the critters off me and then use the tarp or a lightweight shelter if there is weather. I’m probably overthinking it as some of these new tents only take 10 minutes tops to set up. My problem I wanted to solve is finding something with a smaller footprint to make it easier to find a place to sleep as the xmid 2 needs a pretty large flat area to get a perfect pitch.


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[Crews]

I enjoy my MLD Bug Bivy II and tarp. It’s nice to have the bivy with splash protection and stand alone capability as long as it’s breathable. Wish I had side zip instead of top entry. But that’s a very small gripe. It’s lighter and a bit cheaper than most one person tents. And perhaps a tiny bit more versatile than a tent, depending on which one you are comparing against. Think the best answer here is to try them all out and figure out what tickles your fancy. All this talk is splitting hairs

 

[CMF]

My problem I wanted to solve is finding something with a smaller footprint to make it easier to find a place to sleep as the xmid 2 needs a pretty large flat area to get a perfect pitch.

If you're going solo, what about the bivy with the X-Mid 2 fly?
If you want to cut more weight, upgrade to the dcf fly. If you only have enough flat for one mattress, you can still get a good enough pitch with the xmid 2 to shed water and accept that it won't be perfect. It might be a little wonky, but I've set the xmid 2 up on a decent slope and then used a rock to scrape a 2p flat spot. Had I been alone, the flat spot would have been quick and easy to dig.
I tried an HG DCF tarp with doors and a bivy last year, solo, on a sheep hunt. The tarp definitely took me longer to pitch than the DD xmid 2. I'll probably keep the HG tarp, but to do it again, I would spend the money to upgrade my xmid 2 to dcf and just run the fly with bivy.
I did learn the first night in the bora bivy, that you better be flat, or your pad will slide on the bivy.
If you're always solo and like the xmid, look at the dcf 1p.

 

[rclouse79]

After trying multiple configurations of tents, tarp-bivy and floorless, I am a Durston x-mid man. I will take the ease of setup, comfort, storm and bug protection over the tiny weight savings a bivy and tarp might offer.

 

[fatlander]

If you’ve got trees, there’s nothing better than the superior gear hammock system. Comparing an ENO to a Superior is like comparing a huffy to a Harley.


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[lifeisgoodsteve]

I've run the gammut of very light options of: bivy/tarp, dcf 2p tent, tipi and 16oz 1p. For carrying on my back like you mentioned, my current preference is the 1p Tarptent Protrail Li, at just 16oz.

For me it's the best compromise of being as light as a bivy/tarp, having more space than other 1p uberlight 1p tents, quick setup, pretty small rectangular footprint and fully enclosed with floor.

I've found that I sleep best with tent fabric further from my head, vs right on my face in a bivy, or super close with the other light 1p or tipis I've tried. You have to shimmy into the Protrail from the head door, but for hunting (especially archery) I don't go in-out much at all, so I've found I prefer to sacrifice that for the better sleep and comfort I get from the space above my head when sleeping and time in the tent.

The biggest bivy/tarp benefit I see is the ability to simply unroll anywhere. If you can sleep with fabric on your face, then that's a pretty sweet time and space benefit.

I see the Protrail as my bivy/tarp alternative for basically the same weight.

However, for me personally, that is not enough to endure the poorer sleep I get in them. Maybe one gets used to it, as I admit I didn't give it a whole heck of a lot of nights before I switched. I haven't done it yet, but in a pinch for space I do wonder if I could use the protrail like a bivy, without stakes and just having a ton of extra material.

Here's a pic of it next to my buddy's bivy/tarp setup. Both are very cool to utilize.


Can check out their site for the footprint dimensions:

ProTrail Li – Tarptent

The ProTrail Li is our least expensive and simplest Dyneema® shelter. This tent is ideal for trekking pole users who want the ultimate lightweight and protection. Simple, sturdy, for a wide range of conditions.

www.tarptent.com

 

[Deli]

I've run the gammut of very light options of: bivy/tarp, dcf 2p tent, tipi and 16oz 1p. For carrying on my back like you mentioned, my current preference is the 1p Tarptent Protrail Li, at just 16oz.

For me it's the best compromise of being as light as a bivy/tarp, having more space than other 1p uberlight 1p tents, quick setup, pretty small rectangular footprint and fully enclosed with floor.

I've found that I sleep best with tent fabric further from my head, vs right on my face in a bivy, or super close with the other light 1p or tipis I've tried. You have to shimmy into the Protrail from the head door, but for hunting (especially archery) I don't go in-out much at all, so I've found I prefer to sacrifice that for the better sleep and comfort I get from the space above my head when sleeping and time in the tent.

The biggest bivy/tarp benefit I see is the ability to simply unroll anywhere. If you can sleep with fabric on your face, then that's a pretty sweet time and space benefit.

I see the Protrail as my bivy/tarp alternative for basically the same weight.

However, for me personally, that is not enough to endure the poorer sleep I get in them. Maybe one gets used to it, as I admit I didn't give it a whole heck of a lot of nights before I switched. I haven't done it yet, but in a pinch for space I do wonder if I could use the protrail like a bivy, without stakes and just having a ton of extra material.

Here's a pic of it next to my buddy's bivy/tarp setup. Both are very cool to utilize.
View attachment 1065767

Can check out their site for the footprint dimensions:

ProTrail Li – Tarptent

The ProTrail Li is our least expensive and simplest Dyneema® shelter. This tent is ideal for trekking pole users who want the ultimate lightweight and protection. Simple, sturdy, for a wide range of conditions.

www.tarptent.com

Thanks for the response! The TT Protrail Li says it's currently sold out, but I think DCF is a bit out of my price range right now sadly. I was looking at the Stone Glacier Sky Air ULT or the 1P Cirriform Tarp which has a very similar design and can be purchased for about $130 on sale. The Cirriform has options for both front and side entry which I like. I'm also considering getting an Xmid 1 fly or a TT Notch fly which can both be purchased for about $150 and the bivy as a lightweight setup. I'd likely always pitch the tarp, but would be good to have the option of having the bivy if that's my only option in a tight space. At this point, I may sell the SO DST as I just don't love fiddling with different pitches and am not sure how much I would use it going forward. I would rather something that's mindless to pitch a certain way every time.

If I don't go shaped tarp and bivy, I'm going to go to the opposite end and get an Xdome 1+ which is similar weight to what I'm already carrying and setup looks fairly straightforward. It's just a more expensive option and even though the footprint is way better than my Xmid 2, it's still not what I would call small.

 

[BustedRagHorn]

I would echo that a bivy and tarp is typically redundant. If you really want a bivy that is just a bug net and add a tarp. Just go with a tent, it will set up faster for most people and be more contained. I have a military surplus gortex bivy and love it but I also am fine with 99% of the creepy crawlies where I use it and sleep with the face open so I can see the stars. The simplicity of throwing it on the ground, everything in it and all I do is inflate the pad and crawl in is awesome. If the weather is very bad I will add a tarp for my pack and for a dry spot before and after getting out of the bivy. If you go the tarp route spend a lot of time setting up your tarp on weird terrain, in different configurations and practice with knots, ridgelines, tensioners. Otherwise the tarp will be a PITA on sloped ground too and only work for you in certain situations.