Bivy sacks, recommendation please.......

[NeedItCheaper]

I currently use a military gortex bivy sack for camping in the winter. It really helps keep the bag clean and dry when entering and exciting the tint with snow/rain outside. But this thing weighs in at 2ibs 3oz. I am looking for something a lot lighter.



I have some pre-requisites though:
1. Cannot be orange or yellow. Needs something that is not "Hey look at me"
2. I envision it to be something I could use next to a fire if it got too cold(-5f or lower) and I needed to camp with direct heat from the fire near me. Edit: specifically can't be highly flammable.



Any help? I don't need one of those Tent style bivy's, those are not what I am looking for. Just the cover really. And no, I'm not going to use those giant trash bag liners.

 

[amdmaxx]

I like mld superlight

 

[Mikel_24]

I am affraid you will have a hard time finding something that suits your requeriments. Lightweight gear calls for alpine climbing / Winter mountaineering stuff, and all this stuff is syntetic, which means it will not get along very well with direct heat from a campfire. Also, beeing seen is mandatory in the mountaineering world, so bright colors are common.

I still don't understand why putting a Biby sack over a sleeping back. It will only help you if you drop your soup or dinner on you while you are sleeping. They usually never breathe enough and you will get condensation inside the biby sack, which will make your sleeping bag insulation wet. If you are using a down filled bag, this means problems.

Sleeping bags work much better without any additional outher layer. If it is too cold, get a lower rating sleeping bag. Bivy sack won't be of much help.

Mikel

 

[hollowdweller]

I don't care for bivy's that much. I think mostly they are too heavy and then where they are so tight you get a lot of condensation.

I would much rather just carry a tyvek ground sheet and sleeping pad and then have something like a Golite Shangri La 3

Hugely roomy and if you just use the fly the weight is only around 2 lbs and you have plenty of room to even cook in the rain.

 

[crafty]

I still don't understand why putting a Biby sack over a sleeping back. It will only help you if you drop your soup or dinner on you while you are sleeping. They usually never breathe enough and you will get condensation inside the biby sack, which will make your sleeping bag insulation wet. If you are using a down filled bag, this means problems.
Mikel

I don't entirely agree on this. I also have a military goretex bivy sack and really love it. It is really nice in cutting the wind and keeps the moisture out (especially when I go without a tarp). It is also very fast and easy next morning to pack and go. I use my goretex bivy with a down sleeping bag and never experienced any problems with respect to condensation inside. Usually I sweat a lot during my sleep (also in my normal bed) but I never experienced that my goretex bivy was damp inside. I have tried several other light weight bivy bags and with these I almost always had condensation on the inside of the bivy bag.

So although it is a bit more bulky and heavy I really love the military goretex bivy sack.

 

[KDucky's brother]

The bivy itself collecting moisture isn't the problem. The issue is the down itself absorbing/holding a small amt of moisture by morning. The user would be hard pressed to be able to detect it. But its there. And will stay there when its compressed back into its stuff sack, ready for more buildup the next night. To combat this, the user can lay out the bag before or just after use in the sun and/or wind. ..if weather permitting of course.

I don't use them because of. For the same weight and bulk, I can carry a small silnylon floorless tipi like the Betamid.

 

[fmajor007]

The bivy itself collecting moisture isn't the problem. The issue is the down itself absorbing/holding a small amt of moisture by morning. The user would be hard pressed to be able to detect it. But its there. And will stay there when its compressed back into its stuff sack, ready for more buildup the next night. To combat this, the user can lay out the bag before or just after use in the sun and/or wind. ..if weather permitting of course.

Depending on duration of the trip and the avg. temps (which will affect the level of sleeping bag required), sometimes even this tried-n-true method won't work. In *cold* temps (say from about the 'teens-F and colder) I use a VBL (Vapor Barrier Liner) in my bag. Though this takes some getting used to, it is the only way to safeguard sleeping bag insulation (yes, even synthetic sleeping bags accumulate moisture) from the naturally occurring moisture generated from the body.

I don't use them because of. For the same weight and bulk, I can carry a small silnylon floorless tipi like the Betamid.

I don't use a bivy anymore. Had a very nice one (Integral Designs "Unishelter"), used it and didn't like it - I prefer to have more significant overhead cover so I can get into/out of my sleeping bag and not have to contend with the wind/rain/sleet/snow. If
1) my shelter is so insufficient that I *need* a bivy cover to keep my sleeping bag dry I have a shelter problem (find a suitable shelter - there are hundreds to choose from)
2) my sleeping bag shell fabric doesn't resist at least a minimum amount of moisture I have a sleeping bag problem (either better shell/face fabric or replace the worn-out one with new)
3) I need a bivy cover to serve as a sleeping bag multiplier (ie - for any added insulative benefit a bivy contributes which is actually minimal), I have a sleeping bag (or sleeping pad) problem

That's my bivy sack recommendation. If you're dead-set on using one, Black Diamond and Integral Designs make superb gear and I'm sure you would find one to fit your preference.