View Full Version : bivy vs. tent
wtmntcaretaker
02-23-2008, 18:07
I have a OR adv. bivy and a Big Agnes seed house sl2. I was planning on using my tent for the AT but I could shave a whole pound off my weight if I use my bivy. I am comfortable in both so I am having a hard time deciding. do I want extra room for my stuff or do I want a little less weight? Just thought I would get some opinions. thanks.
No Belay
02-23-2008, 18:44
I use an OR bivy but also carry a tarp in the spring, fall and winter. It's to hot for summer. If I were just doing a short section hike the bivy might be OK but after 3 or 4 days in a row of rain/snow it starts getting smaller and smaller. With a small tarp I can change clothes read and cook without getting soaked. The advantage of the bivy is no ground cloth needed and when stealth camping it takes about 2 minutes to make and break camp.
vtdrifter
02-23-2008, 18:58
I've used the OR bivy. It's great for a night or two, but I would absolutely hate to have it on a thru-hike (I'm not bringing it on mine). If it's raining or cold, there's no where easy to put your stuff, change, cook, etc. And if it is raining and you aren't hiking, all you do is lie there.
On the other hand, if you'll be sleeping mostly in shelters, then it might make a good sometimes shelter. You could always try one, and switch if you don't like it.
shelterbuilder
02-23-2008, 19:03
I've never liked being cramped into a small space, so I've never bought a bivy, althrough I've looked at many. I have a tent for group camping and/or REALLY nasty or winter weather, and I have a tarp (which I have used in some REALLY nasty weather) for the rest of the time. I like the versatility of the tarp - it can be many shelters (to suit the terrain and conditions) - and it's light in weight.
While I'm confident that I could make the tarp work even above treeline IF I HAD TO, for a location above treeline, I think that I would choose a tent. But for most of the AT, you won't be above treeline - if it was me, I think I'd look seriously at an oversized (I use a 7'x13') lightweight tarp. It may take a little more time to pitch than a bivy, but it's more versatile, and doesn't weigh as much as a tent.
I occasionally (very occasionally lately) use an ultralight water resistant bivy under a silnylon poncho. I, personally, wouldn't want to use a bivy without a tarp, even if it was Goretex because, in pouring rain, there's no way to get into it without soaking your sleeping bag. They're probably excellent for winter mountaineering, though.
I either use a hammock with a large tarp, the combination mentioned above, or a tent (in very cold weather).
wtmntcaretaker
02-24-2008, 01:30
I have never used a tarp before but had dabled in the idea. I am afraid that it would not be a whole lot of protection from rain though. what kind of set up is used for that? I am visual so pictures would help.
2 lbs or less for a tarp-tent. Lots of choices these days.
bigcranky
02-24-2008, 10:56
I have never used a tarp before but had dabled in the idea. I am afraid that it would not be a whole lot of protection from rain though. what kind of set up is used for that? I am visual so pictures would help.
A tarp can be much more protective than a tent in heavy rain. A simple 8x10-foot flat tarp, pitched properly, covers 60-65 square feet of dry ground. Plenty for two people, gear, cooking, hanging out, and enjoying the view. It weighs less than a pound with stakes and guy lines.
Contrast that to a lightweight 2 person traditional tent, which weighs upwards of three pounds (often much more), has maybe 30 square feet of covered space, and often lets in significant quantities of rain when you open the door.
You can poke around the Whiteblaze picture galleries for photos of tarp pitches. (Here is a search for "tarp" in the main gallery. (http://tinyurl.com/3474mv))