Bivy Sacks. Feedback?

[sixstringsteve]

I know a few of you out there are hardcore ultralight campers. What are your thoughts on bivy sacks? I think it might be a good option to add to my bug out bag, or for camping alone. Do they get clammy? Do they keep the elements out? How tough are they to get comfortable in?

 

[B2-Bomber]

my biggest comlaint with the various bivvy sacks i have owned is tracking mud/moisture in if the elements are wet. then its wet inside and i guess "clammy" to use your word

still better than nothing at all.

in dry weather, or cold snowy weather i use nothing but a bivvy sack (unless with the wife...she likes at least a tent). in the snow i bury myself as best as i can, and it is quite warm, with literally no wind chill because you are below the surface

 

[sixstringsteve]

I kinda like the idea of something like the OR Advanced Bivy. I think it'd be cool to leave my pad and bag in it and just throw it out when I get to camp. Has anyone tried leaving their bag and pad in their bivy for car camping?

I'm jealous of how Moody can just sleep on a tarp with his down bags, but I don't have a Western Mountaineering bag. My Marmot Coloir isn't waterproof, so I need something to keep it dry.

 

[Stephen]

I kinda like the idea of something like the OR Advanced Bivy. I think it'd be cool to leave my pad and bag in it and just throw it out when I get to camp. Has anyone tried leaving their bag and pad in their bivy for car camping?

I'm jealous of how Moody can just sleep on a tarp with his down bags, but I don't have a Western Mountaineering bag. My Marmot Coloir isn't waterproof, so I need something to keep it dry.

Remember that OR supports the Greater Canyonlands National Monument proposal.

 

[B2-Bomber]

I should have clarified that i found that the store-bought bivy sacks aren't for me, they are too thin, too small, and too expensive for how often they get ripped/snagged. so i sewed a canvas tarp into one, it is plenty tough, and it was large enough to fit my pack in it with me, next to me so it stays dry too. i also sewed it in a way that it actually can wrap around my pack (with the excess rolled under) and the draw string pulls tight to keep my pack dry if packing in the rain

with my goose-down mummy bag i can just as well fold a tarp in half over me and sleep that way too. i just don't reccomend that in the rain

 

[sixstringsteve]

Remember that OR supports the Greater Canyonlands National Monument proposal.

Crap, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder. It's getting tough to find quality outdoor gear that isn't made by one of those companies.

 

[sixstringsteve]

One thing I hadn't thought about was the difficulty of changing clothes without a tent. For car camping, I'd have to do all my changing before climbing into my bag, which isn't really a big deal, just something I hadn't thought about.

 

[B2-Bomber]

^^ if it is raining or what-not you will drag moisture into your bag because you are climbing in with wet clothes. another reason i mady my custom sack double wide, so while laying down next to my sleeping bag i can change my clothes and then climb in. and it is loose enough that i can while inside it rummage around in my pack, get clothes, put clothes in etc.
those retail bivy sacks are only good if you have:
1) somewhere to change your clothes
and
2) somewhere to store your pack

if you are having trouble imagining it. it was a 10' x 8' waterproof canvas tarp i folded in half (making it 5' x 8') , had a tent repair guy sew up, and sewed a 5' zipper across the top,

 

[Skylinerider]

Many of the bivy's sit a bit close to my face for my comfort. I like to have plenty of breathing room.

 

[Kevin B.]

What kind of trouble do you have with condensation in one of those?

 

[B2-Bomber]

Many of the bivy's sit a bit close to my face for my comfort. I like to have plenty of breathing room.

if you are in a mummy bag you don't even know it's there.

the condensation isn't bad because the small opening that you leave for air is not far from your face so there isn't much air circulation for condensation anyway.

 

[sixstringsteve]

bomber, got any pics of your setup? Is it waterproof enough to handle a good snowstorm or rainstorm?

 

[TRD270]

Check out the military bivy sacks, you can pick them up for pretty cheap. No less comfortable than sleeping in a mummy sack.

Just a quick search found this one, nice and water "proof" no wind get through. I slept in one of these plus a sleeping bag many times in sub zero degree weather and snowing, never was wet. I have one and your more than welcome to take it for a trip and see what you think.

http://www.amazon.com/Military-Surplus-Bivy-Sleeping-Cover/dp/B00276IGM4

 

[sixstringsteve]

Thanks, I'd love to borrow it sometime. I've heard good things about the military bivy sacks. Do they have any mesh for bugs, or is it just a bag with a zipper?

I'm not too concerned about weight for car camping.

 

[TRD270]

Basically a gortex bag with a zipper and a spot for your head to pop out

 

[B2-Bomber]

its in my storage unit with all of my gear. next time i go to my storage unit i will pull it out and take some pics.


it really isn't too special it is a sheet of waterproof canvas folded in half and sewn across the bottom and up the side (fold on other side) with a tent zipper across the top, which will keep all water out, so it is important that i leave the zipper open a couple inches so i don't suffocate.

it has survived hail storms, torrents of rain, and tons of snow. and i had a flap sewn strategically so that i could drag a drawstring through it, and use it as a pack-cover instead of trying to stuff a wet sack into my pack, or another stuff sack. that way also allows it to dry as you hike if it got wet. if i don't want it on the outside of my pack i stuff it in a suff sack attached to the outside of my internal frame pack

 

[B2-Bomber]

Basically a gortex bag with a zipper and a spot for your head to pop out

for $42.00 you can't go wrong. mine cost me more than that to buy the canvas from the tent guy, and have him sew it

true gore-tex items are usually more money than that. but gore tex breathes, whereas a waterproof sheet will not breathe

 

[Skylinerider]

if you are in a mummy bag you don't even know it's there.

the condensation isn't bad because the small opening that you leave for air is not far from your face so there isn't much air circulation for condensation anyway.

I just get claustrophobic. I don't cover my face in my bag ever, even when it's cold and snowy. I always have a bivy with me when backpacking, just never really use it.

 

[B2-Bomber]

^^ my wife is in the same way, i tried taking her into nutty-putty once......she wasn't having any of that business.

so when we winter camp together it is not my mummy bag, but rather 2 huge heavy-weight bags zipped together and a combination of like 5 blankets and stuff, in a tent. with a tent heater if she wakes me up cold

i hate it but she is just not into things around her head, much less getting into a constraining bag, and getting buried in snow for the night.

its not for everybody

 

[mesha]

I have never had a bivy sack that was waterproof and breathable. No matter what it was made of or claimed to be.

I like bivy sacks, a lot, but they are a pretty specific piece of gear. I prefer them with a waterproof bottom and a water resistant top. the water resistant top is much more breathable than the waterproof tops. If you need it to be waterproof use a small tarp to keep the rain off the top. That will give you the best of both worlds IMO. I am changing out my bivy bag currently into something more breathable. I m looking into an eVent bag and think that might be a good balance for vapor transfer.