View Full Version : North Face Backpacking Bivy
Buckeye Hike
08-03-2009, 21:02
Just wondering if anybody has this bivy tent. At 2lbs. it seems like a nice item to use for the AT. Any comments, reviews or used ones for sale would help me out...Thanks!
Bivys are ok for weekend use, when rain is a "maybe".
The problem with a bivy is that it's impossible to get into it when it's raining without getting the inside wet, too. A tarp makes this possible, but then you don't need a truly waterproof bivy, just one with a water resistant top and waterproof floor. Then you start thinking "Gee, I'd like to have some room to move around, and some ventilation in hot weather". Then you're thinking tent again. The best compromise I've found (other than a hammock) is a medium sized tarp (8x10 is good) and a bug bivy.
Bivy sacks are notoriously hot in the summer and produce noticeable amounts of condensation in the spring and wet fall weather. They work best for super cold, snowy (or snowless) weather where there isn't enough room to pitch a tent.
Not home, not bedroom, more like a bathtub.
Just wondering if anybody has this bivy tent. At 2lbs. it seems like a nice item to use for the AT. Any comments, reviews or used ones for sale would help me out...Thanks!
Why carry a 2 lb bivy when you can carry a 10 oz tarp, a 2 lb hammock or a tent?
bigcranky
08-03-2009, 21:22
I like and still occasionally use a homemade bivy with a tarp. It's a good combo for Eastern hiking, as the tarp provides the main shelter and the bivy keeps the bugs off and provides more protection from the rain and cold. The total weight of my bivy, tarp, guy lines, and stakes is 24 ounces.
Note that my bivy is NOT waterproof. My partner has tried a Goretex bivy on the AT and was miserable (and it was winter.) Too much condensation inside.
The TNF bivy (http://www.altrec.com/the-north-face/backpacking-bivy) you mentioned has some poles to keep the roof off your face, which is good. However, just think for a little while about using that bivy in an all-day rain. (Or a three-day rain.) Getting in and out while keeping your bag dry will be a challenge. That's why I like to use the tarp, and a much lighter, much more breathable, mostly mesh bivy.
Note too that for 2 pounds you can get a much more functional solo shelter (http://www.tarptent.com/rainbow.html). (Or this one (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=36).) That's my experience, anyway.
I only use a bivy as a cover for my sleeping bag. I made my own and made it extra large so it wouldn't be so confining. I dropped a wad of cash on an ID bivy only to sell it off for cheap cause I didn't like using it. Different folks different strokes though, I just don't like having my sleeping bag on the bare ground if I'm not in a tent.
I have this and like it. I wanted something that packs up small, is extremely easy to set up and is mostly waterproof. I understand the tarp/bug net people completely, but when I'm fast packing or trail running I want to be able to set things up as quickly as possible and not have to fool around with ropes, stakes and trees. It is long enough for me, at 6'. You can stake it out with a minimum of 2 stakes. The pole structure keeps the bivy far enough away from your face, once inside it feels much like a tent. The only negative is that there is no bug netting, like the black diamond. I choose TNF over BD because I've heard the that fabric on the BD tends to mist during a heavy downpour. I was stuck in my TNF during 10 hours of rain and stayed completely dry and slept comfortably (I did seamseal it).
I wish I could go for ten hours without taking a whizz.
Even with a tent. You young bucks enjoy your youth!
bigcranky
08-04-2009, 17:52
You young bucks enjoy your youth!
LOL. Ain't that the truth.
David@whiteblaze
08-04-2009, 19:32
I have this and like it. I wanted something that packs up small, is extremely easy to set up and is mostly waterproof. I understand the tarp/bug net people completely, but when I'm fast packing or trail running I want to be able to set things up as quickly as possible and not have to fool around with ropes, stakes and trees. It is long enough for me, at 6'. You can stake it out with a minimum of 2 stakes. The pole structure keeps the bivy far enough away from your face, once inside it feels much like a tent. The only negative is that there is no bug netting, like the black diamond.
Ditto what he said.