Which bivy!!

[cmeier117]

Okay for you bivy lovers. I am looking for a waterproof bivy for under my Kifaru Tarp. I used a lightweight breathable from Ti goat this year and want to upgrade to a a full on waterproof one now. The two I am looking at are the big agnes 3 wire bivy and ID buga boo bivy? Which should I get? I want to be able to bivy out from camp if need be without the tarp.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Cameron,

WHat was the issue with your tiGoat? I have been using the Raven Omni, and like it so far.

I would go for the Bugaboo, it is lighter.

 

[fillthefreezer]

ive been looking for the same thing

 

[cmeier117]

Nothing wrong with it at all and will continue to use it for certain hunts when I don't think I will bivy out. I do know Aron Said he can get the weight down on the 3 wire so that may be closer than you realize. I am going to be doing some over night snowshoeing trips to test gear and to have fun and would like the added protection and warmth a heavier bivy provides.

 

[luke moffat]

Personally I don't like a full on waterproof bivy as it doesn't breath as well as a TI Goat. I got my TI goat down to 6 oz by cutting out the netting and what not that I found I don't use and what not. A DWR only top is all I found I need in a tarp/tipi as its the shelters job to keep the water off of me and the bivy's job to keep the water under me from getting to my bag. I want to be able to pass moisture through the bag and out. The big agnes 3 wire is 1 pound 12 oz which is more than a megatarp or SL-3 weighs alone. At that point you'd be better served with a 3 season double wall tent than a tarp/tipi plus 3 wire bivy nearly IMO. When comparing a 28 oz bivy to a 6 oz one (4.5+ times heavier) you'd have to trim a lot off to even get just 3 times as heavy. I'd rather go TI goat and haul a wood stove along at that point and nearly be equal weight.

 

[cmeier117]

Luke,

I completely agree and understand what you are saying. My thought (and sometimes they are a little out there) Is to leave my Mega tarp at camp pitched and yes under that all I need is the Ti goat. But I was thinking for winter camping on snow the added warmth and waterproofness may be nice. I also wanted something I could take with me and sleep in it all by itself (no tarp) if case I was in something at dark and 4 miles from camp. This happened to me this year. I probably could just get a paratarp and take my ti goat with me since like you stated it would weigh less. I am not so much worried about a weight penalty at this point in time as I am in having options and versatility. But I will need to think long and hard about what you are talking about. I don't want to take my main tarp with me all the time. I already have a UL sleep system so I can afford a little weight if it makes up for it in versatility.

You have given me something to think about.

 

[luke moffat]

I'd pick a SL-3 and a ti goat everytime over a 3 wire bivy and have a LOT more space for roughly the same weight and able to sit out of the wind/rain. Paratarp would be better but of course more $$$ and if weight isn't critical like ya said then it makes sense. Personally I go SL-5 for my main shelter and megatarp is in my pack for the bivy these days. Can sleep 4 dudes inside it in the bivy out of the rain for 24 oz vs. 1 dude for 28 oz....

 

[cmeier117]

Luke,

You are very persuasive and make a very good point.... You also just crapped on my parade as I thought I had a great system thought out! Haha! So every morning when you leave camp you have your sleeping bag, ti goat and megatarp in your pack?

 

[sk1]

so does that raven omni have no protection against rain? is it just a bivy with a floor and bug netting?

 

[fillthefreezer]

my thoughts for a bivy is theres been some times where space to pitch my sl5 has been at a premium and flat ground, get out! i would have rather just curled up beside a rock for the night.

 

[luke moffat]

Cmeier, sorry bro. Didn't mean to rain on your parade. When I leave in the morning from my spike camp of the SL-5 I leave my sleeping bag and neo air pad and SL-5. In my pack is a Go-Lite quilt, which lives in my main bag when I get back to that spike camp, my camp chair pad (oh so nice for glassing on the hillside and keep my bootay warm , and a megatarp, and puffy tops and bottoms, and a isobutane stove and a MH meal plus snacks. Allows me to camp whereever. THe SL-5 and megatarp can be pitched on some horrible steep ground, which if you are going to sleep there anyways might as well have a roof over your head even if it is at an extreme tilt. As far as foliage, we have pitched ours over logs, brush and what not, sure its not a purdy pitch but it still leaves enough room to hunker down for the night and stay out of the wind/rain.

 

[Gman]

Well, I'll chime in. I use a bugaboo bivy and a tarp of some sort for exactly the situation you describe. The waterproof bivy allows me to take a paratarp and pitch it off the ground. It's a very lightweight and versatile system. If I think I'm going to be out for the night I take my bag, bivy, and pad and go. I had a tigoat and personally didn't like it because I felt sausaged in it with my bag and pad -- they may have changed it since then but that was my experience.

The only time I'd get the 3 wire is if you were going to bivy exclusively. The added bulk and weight isn't worth it otherwise. As I always say on this topic - It's always a compromise at some level, either weight or comfort. You just have to figure which is best for you. Oh, and with the eVent fabric I never get condensation in my bag. It breathes wonderfully.

 

[Nick Muche]

Does the Raven keep water and condensation OUT on top and bottom?

 

[armyjoe]

The bottom will hold up well but if exposed to long periods of rain and very wet condidtions you might get condensation and damp spots in the bivy from the top. Its really a protective barrier not a full blown all-season bivy.