Bivy Shelter - anybody use one?

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
I'm primarily intested in these kind:

1188913.jpg


http://www.rei.com/product/670741
http://www.rei.com/product/712536
or similar.


NOT interested in a Bivy Sack.


So, anybody got any experience with one?

Thanks!

:thumbup:

Dan
 
I have a Bivy Sack (Integral Designs South Col) that I often use in conjunction with a tarp. Honestly, I don't see the great utility in the sort of shelter you posted - if you want something a little less confining and more protective than a bivy sack there are some really nice one man tents available that probably weigh roughly the same as the shelter pictured.
 
Yes, I used to own and regularly use a Bibler Tripod. It's a very good Bivy. As durable and waterproof as they come. Lots of nice little design features. It is a little hard to get into and out of.

Also, I know you said you are not interested in a bivy sack, but I must tell you from extensive use of both, that I felt the Bibler Tripod bivy shelter (and the OR Deluxe bivy shelter) offers no advantage over the Bibler Big Wall Bivy sack. They're larger, heavier, more expensive, take more time to set up, are harder to get into and out of, but make for basically the same experience, in regarding to roominess (or lack thereof) inside. The pliable metal wire in the Bibler Big Wall Bivy sack keeps the fabric off your face just the same as the poles in the shelter, and the headroom in the shelters in not enough to be usable, is not enough to even sit up, is not enough to make any difference when changing clothes inside the bivy, and makes no positive difference.
 
Rich_S said:
I have a Bivy Sack (Integral Designs South Col) that I often use in conjunction with a tarp. Honestly, I don't see the great utility in the sort of shelter you posted - if you want something a little less confining and more protective than a bivy sack there are some really nice one man tents available that probably weigh roughly the same as the shelter pictured.
Click to expand...

Hit the nail square man. :thumbup:

Since silnylon tarping I rarely need a bivi either.

Skam
 
I use a Moonstone Nadatent bivy shelter. It's been discontinued for a few years now, but is pretty darn good. It is very weather-tight, but lacks some ventilation on the lower body as it doesn't have a side zip. As others stated, I'd probably go for a true bivy bag for simplicity, weigh savings and price. When climbing, I leave the poles at home. I also had an Integral Designs Unishelter, very similar to what you're looking at, but got rid of it for the reasons already mentioned.
 
I have used the Black Diamond exstensivly 3 seasons so far. I mostly do multi-day solo hiking trips.

Things I like:

Weight....it only weighs about 18 oz with poles!

Price..is under the $200.00 mark....

Quality of construction. It has held up extremely well to all of my camp set ups in the back country.

I like the extra shaped head room. Also, there is plenty of room above your head to stash a water bottle, flashlight, a pair of pants...etc....

It seems to be fairly water proof, and hasn't sprung a leak yet.

Windproof!

It seems to breath well, with little condensation inside.

I like the bug netting, easy to vent and keep fresh air coming in.

Zippers seem to work good, no problems.

The length of the bivy is good.

The color is easy to spot from a distance, incase you do any exploring from camp.

Things I don't like:

Set up. This is the most annyoing tent/bivy that I have ever had to set up. Yes, it only has 2 poles, but getting them to work together takes me roughly twice as long to set up then a standard 2 man 3 season tent. But once it is set up, it is a gem.

Zipper length. I would like the zipper to be able to zip down a little farther on the side, this would allow a bit easier entry/exit..

Getting in and out requiers some fore-thought and some aggressive yoga moves! :)

Overall, I dig this bivy alot, and think it is well worth it. It is one of the better bivys out there in terms of weight and room. A shaped head area is the only way to go. I would never buy a bivy without that feature...it would be too clausterphopic to have the nylon on your face all night. I'm a big backpacking light fanatic, and this is the best alternative out there to tents and crappy tarps. It is not perfect but bridges the gap between the 2 extremes of sleep systems, without weighing you down.

just my 2 cents
 
great info guys....got me rethinking the Bivy Sack...


But really, a shelter seems the way to go.


I should mention - this will be for multi-day trips...followed by much hiking...so less weight is appreciated.


What do you guys do with your pack? I can't imagine it fitting inside the bivy... :confused: Secure it in a tree?




2 things concern me regarding the comments above:

1 - I'm not terribly flexible and not "thin" either. 6', 250 lbs, 50" jacket, 40" waist...a bivy might not even be feasible....?!?

2 - setup/takedown. I don't mind taking a little extra time....it's not that. I just really get a tickle out of things that are more simple. The less setup time, the more willing I'll be to put up with other discomforts.
 
I have an Early Winters woodland camo bivy sack that is sort of designed like the one at REI. It uses fiberglass wands to prop up the front section. It is great for solo camping. I like the roominess of the front section which gives you about 16 inches of headroom for the first 3 feet. It is gore-tex and over 20 years old and still is in great shape. It packs light about 5 x 14 inches. You can roll over in it and when you zip down the screen and door you could cook out in front and still be sheltered. I cut a military foam sleeping pad to the taper of the biviy tent and it works great when I slip it inside. I guess it all depends if you want company in your tent or want to solo it. My dog would lay in front of the door and be my camping buddy.
 
I am not much smaller than you, and I can not use either the shelter or sack. I don't sleep like an Egyptian mummy all stretched out. And even if I started out that way, I would be knotted up in the shelter by morning. There are some pretty light one and two man tents out there with vestibules for storage. I am personally looking at a tent that size for my solo trip to house me and my gear. But I will not be carrying it. I will be doing a non-portage canoe trip. There are still some mighty light small tents that allow room for your gear, and even let you sit up.

Codger
 
I still have my bivy shelter and quite like it, I've justy been totally lured into hammock camping :)

My north face is a lot like that one, never had any issues but I do carry a superlight tarp to put over it anyway.
 
Daniel Koster said:
I should mention - this will be for multi-day trips...followed by much hiking...so less weight is appreciated.


What do you guys do with your pack? I can't imagine it fitting inside the bivy... :confused: Secure it in a tree?
Click to expand...

Hello Daniel. I feel lucky to have found an Outdoor Research Advanced Double Bivy that my wife and I have used for a few lightweight weekend trips. I have used the double on a few solo trips, and on those I keep my pack in the bivy.

I think to bivy or not to bivy is up to personal preference. I have really enjoyed my hammock/tarp combo lately, and that combo takes up about the same amount of space as the double bivy. Still, the bivy is much faster to setup and take down.


So... Instead of a bivy, have you looked at some of the lightweight 2-person tents? If I already didn't have a shelter for every occaision, I'd look at The North Face's Vario 23 tent. It's single-wall, two-pole design that has an easy side opening with a vestibule. The poles are pre-bent, and their shape creates some decently vertical walls for a small 2-pole design. And I was amazed at how small it packed down. REI had this tent for $199.99 not too long ago. Just something to maybe consider.
 
For what its worth a 10x12 silnylon tarp, a few pegs and tyvek groundsheet compresses down and fits easily into the small pocket on top of the pack. I add a double sized bug screen for summer. Tons of room inside and you can pitch it well above the ground in nice conditions and enjoy the view or batten it down for nasty weather.

Used in all 4 seasons I will never go back to tents.

Skam
 
I've used an Integral Designs before. In bug country, it's nice not to have the biters during the night. I've since gone up to a tent cot, since the majority of my trips are now vehicle based, but for the pack I'm running the sil tarp and bivy combo still.
 
I use a 3/4 length sleeping pad for weigh reduction. So, I simply put my pack under my bivy foot area, padded side up, to make up the difference. Nice and comfy. :)

Also, I recommend going to your local outdoor store that has a selection of bivy's, and have them set one up for you to see if it will work for you.

There is also a great selection of ultra light one person tents out now...try MSR, Marmot to name a few....

Here ya go...http://www.rei.com/product/747579

http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/index.html
 
Robert H said:
I've used an Integral Designs before. In bug country, it's nice not to have the biters during the night. .
Click to expand...

I hang a double person bug net under the tarp and tuck it under the ground sheeton all sides. Bugs be gone. Works a treat. Try it out.

Skam
 
A couple more quick comments:

1) If you choose to get a small tent instead, my recommendation is the Bibler I tent.

2) If you want to discuss bivies with me in more detail, feel free to call: 831 325 6917.
 
I used one a couple of times. If entered when it's already raining, they take on water. If your arm is against the side (easy if you are adult-sized) skeeters can bite you through the material (I had the bumps to prove it.). That distracts from the experience for me.

I have found tarps good (and oh so light!) if there are no bugs about and it's not too cold and snowy. That's about twice a year for a once-a-month schedule around here. (Elaborate bugs nets to use under tarps also allow bite-throughs and close-in buzzings by blood-lusting monsters [eeeeeeeeeee-eeeeeeeeenh!].)

I have ended up with a tent that weighs under five pounds with the cords, stakes, and ground cloth (by Walrus). It is not free-standing, but tents weren't free-standing for for the first 50% of my camping and life went on. There is room for pack and wet boots under the vestibule. It DOES keep out rain when goin' in and out ( and otherwise), and condensation has been zero so far (nine weekends) BUT if carefully cooking under the vestibule, you do get some condensation.
 
Daniel Koster said:
great info guys....got me rethinking the Bivy Sack...


But really, a shelter seems the way to go.


I should mention - this will be for multi-day trips...followed by much hiking...so less weight is appreciated.


What do you guys do with your pack? I can't imagine it fitting inside the bivy... :confused: Secure it in a tree?




2 things concern me regarding the comments above:

1 - I'm not terribly flexible and not "thin" either. 6', 250 lbs, 50" jacket, 40" waist...a bivy might not even be feasible....?!?

2 - setup/takedown. I don't mind taking a little extra time....it's not that. I just really get a tickle out of things that are more simple. The less setup time, the more willing I'll be to put up with other discomforts.
Click to expand...


Dan,

For THREE OUNCES more weight than the bivy shelter and LESS packed size, you can have this: http://www.bigagnes.com/str_tents.php?id=sh1sl&PHPSESSID=043ba1df38d0dfb0e73f4930167c822e (Cheaper than the Bibler bivy shelter, too.....)

I'm 6'2" and 250. I bought one (the regular version, not the superlight I linked to) for a bicycle trip this summer and it is the bomb! I was pleased to have plenty of room inside to bring a lot of gear in with me, and enough head room to sit up and get dressed. Try that in a bivy shelter....

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Dan, I use the Kelty version similar to the one you have shown. They run about $50 on ebay and are well made. I use it for overnight float trips and it works well but I'd be concerned about the fit if I was your size! There is also more involved in setup because you have to stake and guy line the top and bottom to get it to stay up.

If I was buying again I'd probably get a freestanding 1.5 or 2 man like the Hubba by MSR.

Stephen
 
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