Kelty Trail Bivy Experience???

Just a quick update... Ebay the Military Bivy's are going for under 50 including shipping in new condition. For that price try one and at the very least they are a great emergency car kit item. But anyhow lots of good options being discussed mine being the best :) Just kidding. Thats one problem with this stuff... Lots of good options and valid opinions. I went threw the same vetting process.
 
I.N.F.K said:
I experience a variety of weather, a third of year it rains getting a total of 40 inches of rain annually. The summers for the most part are quite mild, but I've seen nights get down to 45 degrees. Our winters are also quite mild and dry as well, we've only just gotten our first snow a week ago.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay in getting back on this. Work...

I don't think bivy sacks, used on their own, make any sense unless you are in the western high mountains and dealing with passing afternoon rain. More specifically, a bivy on its own is a lousy way to deal with an all-day/night rain or with horrible bugs.

Based on where you live and on the assumption of day long rains and bugs, I would suggest 1 of 3 solutions. All of them are going to be in the 2-3 lb range, minimally, more if you want more space or protection. They are:

Bivy + Tarp or Single walled tarp/tent: The tarp/fly keeps of the majority of the rain. The bivy protects the bag from run off under you or condensation under the tarp. A bivy with integrated bug net gives some (stuffy) protection from bugs. Alternatively, just pack a head net. Not the best solution for creepy-crawliies like scorpions, ticks or snakes. But it's nice and close to nature. The military system is of this kind.

Ultra-light tent: This will have bathtub floor to keep out run off and creepies, a net inner tent and a rain fly. You can use these in full winter conditions just fine, so long as you aren't above treeline. Non-free standing tents will lower weight.

Hammock + Tarp: This is useful if you deal with rough terrain where finding a spot to pitch a tent or even lay down a bivy is hard. These are getting popular here in New England for camping up high in the Boreal, where the ground is too steep, rough and fragile to make even bivy/tarp combinations feasible. I could this approach making sense for swamp camping.

The tent approach is the most traditional and the most psychologically safe feeling. The tarp experience is more open and exposed feeling. I like tarps so there you have it. I consider a bivy to be an essential part of my tarp system.
 
Last edited:
This is what I use...

60442_lrg.jpg


...and i'm not going to lie, it's very heavy in comparison to all other similarly sized tents. It's thick canvas [probably 12 oz] and is coated with PVC/latex on the inside. I use 3...one as a ground cloth and 2 to make the A-frame.

I absolutely love it though, it keeps ALL the elements out and there's plenty of room for both me and my pack.

It's probably not going to be a lot of people's favorite, simply because of the weight.
 
Not an expert on stuff like this and things like the bivy catch my attention.... might be cool, right? I try to read more than comment. However, I can imagine what it might be like spending a night inside a bivy in a rain storm. Misery. The tarp + bivy makes more sense. But I think I'll stick to a two or three man tent for solo efforts.
 
22-rimfire said:
Not an expert on stuff like this and things like the bivy catch my attention.... might be cool, right? I try to read more than comment. However, I can imagine what it might be like spending a night inside a bivy in a rain storm. Misery. The tarp + bivy makes more sense. But I think I'll stick to a two or three man tent for solo efforts.
Click to expand...

This has been my personal experience as I said earlier. The bivy sounds and looks neat, but after a period of time, I found it to be too confining and coffin-like, plus having to leave my gear out in the weather. Thus I went back to a larger tent. It just works better for me.
 
Codger,

I feel the same way about normal tents as you do about bivies. I find they are confining and they cut me off from the outdoors.

It took me several years to adjust to tarp or tarp-tent camping. Most of it was emotional. I hear the wind more. I sleep on the ground, not on a man-made floor. I smell more things.

Logistically, tarps and tarp-tents have challenges. Bugs are the obvious thing and when dealing with horrible bugs, traditional tents are my preference.

But the other is moisture. Tarps generate a bunch of condensation and it can literally rain inside the tarp. But then, the same is true for a normal tent - you just don't see it as much.

I can't imagine camping in a bivy alone. There's too much wind and too much convective heat loss to the sky. I want a shelter.

For me, a bivy is a fancy bag cover and ground cloth. Pad and bag go in the bivy and I have a safe harbor for my bag while under the tarp. And enjoy more of the outdoors.
 
I have been using this Bivvy tent for several seasons and am quite pleased with it- http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Solitaire-Tent-sleeps-1/dp/B000EQCVNY

I am 6'3 and 240 lbs and I can sleep comfortably in this tent along with a thermarest pad. I have been thru a few rain storms in it, and the tent keeps me dry but is very confining for anything but sleeping, so I also have a 9 x 12 lightweight tarp that I will use to cover my gear and /or as a dining fly so I can hang out under it if needed. My use is generally just as a very fast and lightweight place to sleep while flyfishing- I usually only spend one night in it and there is no room inside for any gear such as a pack or boots although if hard core backpacking I could use a garbage bag etc for that stuff and save the weight of the tarp. I am 50 and have been backpacking and camping since I was 12- and I have owned 3 Eureka brand tents and they are well made and last if taken care of. I also have a friend who swears by the USGI Gore Tex camo bivvy bags but I like having something covering me in case it rains while I am sleeping. I got mine on craigslist for $40 and often see them on auction sites etc for about the same price- hope this helps.
 
A setup I've used several times is a Warbonnet Superfly tarp (19oz), an Integral Designs Element 2 inner tent (30oz), and sometimes a 4oz Tyvek ground cloth.

Put tarp between two trees. String the Element up to the ridgeline or give it its own ridgeline.

The mesh "tent" keeps the bugs out and provides great ventilation. The tarp can be closed for warmth, rolled back for stargazing, or vented numerous ways to eliminate condensation.

Set the tarp up first when raining.

Similar setups can be made with many different tarps and tent bodies. The benefits are reduced when no trees are available because walking sticks limit the distance between the tarp and mesh. It still makes a great "tent".
 
Last edited:
I cannot imaging a reason to use a bivy bag
Cocooned but lying in the weather

If I am in heavy weather I want to sit and cook and to be able to change clothes
I want my gear out of the rain or snow
I want to be able to hang out, read with a candle lit

A tarp is light and easy to pitch and keeps me out the weather
I use a 3x3 (10'x10') tarp
I do not use it off the ground with ridge lines
I pitch it by pegging the tarp to the ground and using a walking stick to raise the center
It functions just like a tent but has much more room, and is much lighter and cheaper than a tent

The one disadvantage is no mosquito net
It is a simple solution is buying a travel mosquito net and hanging it from inside the tarp

That said,
When I am walking in the British Mountains, I carry a small storm tent
The Wild Country Zepharos II weights 1.7 kg and is a storm proof tent for wild mountain British gales
Pitches in less than five minutes and needs only a few pegs
Comfortable to one and two plus gear in the vestibule in a squeeze
(Wild Country is a daughter company of Terra Nova a very reputable English Tent maker)
 
So due to the fact that I'm going camping the Friday and since I'm quite sick of using someone else's. I decided to go with the Alps Lynx 2 stand alone tent. I was going to get the Lynx 1, but my head and feet were touching the walls. I don' think I would say that the tent is small, it's almost the size of my rolled up sleeping bag.
 
druid189 said:
This is what I use...

60442_lrg.jpg


...and i'm not going to lie, it's very heavy in comparison to all other similarly sized tents. It's thick canvas [probably 12 oz] and is coated with PVC/latex on the inside. I use 3...one as a ground cloth and 2 to make the A-frame.

I absolutely love it though, it keeps ALL the elements out and there's plenty of room for both me and my pack.

It's probably not going to be a lot of people's favorite, simply because of the weight.
Click to expand...

where did you get flecktarn tent?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top