Anyone use a bivvy bag?

I combine my bivie bag with a poncho. Never used a tent except in the arctic. The bivie/poncho pairing has nearly always worked well for me except in very, very bad weather.

A bonus of the bivie bag is that morning dew or condensation doesn't soak your sleeping bag/blanket. Rather it forms on the outside of the bivie bag and you can just shake it off.

I will say that unless you have a brand new and very good bivie bag you will need a tarp or poncho to keep the rain off as the bag alone will naturally collect water in places it sags against your body.
 
Yes, the Eureka Solitaire and Gossamer are great alternatives to a bivy at a great price. Did someone just have fun at Campmor?!

If you find the bivy too restrictive just pull it down to your chest level below your arm pits. Then you can be more under your tarp on your head end, and not worry too much if your legs poke out from under the tarp. This is in good weather to a light rain; a heavy rain and you'll have to pull those legs in!
 
Honestly, for 2lbs (34oz), I'm going to be ordering a tarptent rainbow for future solo trips. I've recently been looking at the lightest most comfortable option for solo backpacking, and I keep looking at bivies and every time they seem less and less appealing. I just don't think the weight saving is enough to justify the sacrifice in comfort.

And if you're really wanting to save weight, there's the tarptent contrail (24.5oz), and sublite sil (21.5oz); or the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (23oz).

Like someone said already, with a bivy plus a tarp, you're almost at the weight of a tent, and personally, I'll carry an extra pound if it's gonna offer that much more comfort.
 
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I've never been attracted to the bivy idea - I'd rather just take a tarp and ground cloth, etc.

Actually, I have a Tarptents Contrail, which at 1 1/2 lbs, is as light as a bivy with a heck of a lot more room!
 
A bivy sac is all about weight. People carry them for two reasons: 1] weight or 2] emergency shelter for a big day out. I use them frequently for climbing b/c they are super light, can be set-up on tiny ledges, and are perfect for unplanned bivouacs on ambitious climbs. I have a Bibler/Black Diamond Big-Wall Bivy. I'm not a huge fan of bivy sacs b/c I get claustrophobic in them, but assuming I can overcome that, they do save a ton of weight and volume. I feel like I've been tossed into a body-bag. There are a ton of really lightweight tents out there so unless you're willing to forego comfort for crazy lightweight I'd stick with a tent [that two or three people can carry]. Shooting-the-breeze with your buddy in the pouring rain is hard to do comfortably in a bivy. Bad storms are no fun either. Climbers often have no choice b/c of terrain [can't accommodate a tent] and weight/volume is extremely important. Other outdoor types can benefit just from tossing one in their pack in the event of an emergency or an unplanned overnight. Or bivys are also good as an H2O-proof barrier for sleeping bags in a snow cave for instance. If you have to start carrying tarps etc, you might as well be using a tent.

Interesting to do a quick weight comparison based on weight being the reason for use: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/gear/tents_overview.php ... I think you'll find that a 'superlight' 2 person tent carried by two is lighter than a Bibler bivy sac - for instance.
 
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I used one for one season...it was a outdoor research alpine bivy. I liked the weight but it was a pain in the ask... it was tough to get dressed in. it rained for 2 days and I was kinda stuck in it for longer than I wanted to be. in the summer if I kept the bivy zipped it would smell like breath and it would get some condensation in it.

Season 4-season
Average weight 1 lb. 8 oz.
Dimensions 84(length) x 25(head), 21(foot) inches
Fabric Gore-Tex/nylon laminate / coated nylon floor

goodmorning.jpg

I then bought a golite xanadu1 for 290.00
Weight: 2 lb 15 oz
Type: 1 Person
Height: 42 inches

Picture029.jpg
 
My 1980s bivy sack is gortex camo on top with screen to keep out the critters.
When it's zipped, as said before, it's like a body bag, except you can look out the screen.
And there's no way to change clothes in it. I found out the best way to get into it, while watching a camping show on PBS, standing up and step into it, pull up to waist, sit down, pull up over head, lay down to sleep.
 
I like to sleep in a light, water-repellent bivy ( Superlight bivy by Fanatic Fringe) under a Gatewood Cape by Six Moon Designs. The cape is a poncho that converts to a single pole tent with the use of your trekking pole. The bivy is only water repellent because that keeps it light and it's all you need under a tarp or tent cape. The cape is 11 oz and the bivy is 6 - 7 oz.
 
siguy said:
Just a little follow-up in case anyone is curious. I wrote up my experiences with the E-Bivy for woodsmonkey:

http://woodsmonkey.com/index.php?op...d=45:tents-tarps-and-other-shelters&Itemid=69

The first night I used it, I set up my poncho just in case, but after that I took it down because I felt I didn't need it.

I loved sleeping in a Bivy bag with no overhead coverage...it's really cool!
Click to expand...

Hey those pics look familiar:D Let me know when you want to do some "real" backpacking;)
 
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