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Amanita
11-27-2011, 22:19
I'm looking for a bivy for use against spray under a tarp or in a shelter, and maybe some cow boy camping if the forecast is good. I'm 5'4 and so is my pad, so I'm not worried about lack of space. Anything meant for an "average" man should be big enough for me. I do not want to carry a separate ground sheet. The three top options I've come up with are:

MLD Superlight $169 full head net
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=30

Ti Goat Ptarmigan $140 (?) full net hood and custom side zip (I hear he has added these in the past)
http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Bivy.html
(http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Bivy.html)
Equinox Ultralight Bivy Cover $70 (has no netting)
http://www.backcountrygear.com/equinox-ultralight-bivy-cover.html

All three of these have a silnylon bottom and a DWR top, and at least 1/2 side zip.

I'm conflicted as to which to get, because all three are so close in weight/function, but not in price. If I went "all out" I could get Cuben for the MLD which would reduce the weight a bit, I've head it is more waterproof but less durable than silnylon.

So please help me figure out which of these will work well for me! Obviously condensation is a concern with any bivy, but I am aware of methods (such as site selection) to minimize that. I want a functional, light, bivy without paying more than I need to.

RevLee
11-28-2011, 10:49
If you're looking for extra protection under a tarp or in a shelter, SectionHiker.com recently reviewed a Tyvek sleeping bag cover (http://sectionhiker.com/tyvek-sleeping-bagquilt-cover-from-terra-rosa-gear/). It intrigued me since he experienced no condenstation, which is my biggest complaint about bivys.

JAK
11-28-2011, 11:14
I have a Canadian Forced Gortex Bivy. It works great, although heavy at 2 pounds. I think it is the same as the US version, but its solid olive green rather than camo. I got mine for about $20 or $40 at army surplus. Can't remember. I use it alot, as you suggest, under a small poncho/tarp, or tree, or clear sky.

I will try using tyvek this winter. I don't like the white in summer, but it would be fine in winter. Might also try tyvek coveralls as an emergency wind/rain shell or vapor barrier or whatever. Will experiment in backyard first.

Smooth & Wasabi
11-28-2011, 11:50
I too have wanted to try a breathable bivy. I could be wrong but I think I heard on BPL that the Ti-goat (at least the older versions) was less breathable and more condensation prone than the MLD. I am not sure about the fabrics currently used and haven't heard anything about the equinox.

Malto
11-28-2011, 12:58
I love my Tigoat bivy. Highly recommend both side zip and full headnet. You can then handle any onslaught from the skeeters, and protect yourself from ants.

Miner
11-28-2011, 21:40
I've used bivies from MLD and Titanium Goat and they are both good quality. The TitGoat bivy is cheaper but not as breathable (better for cutting wind but you get more condensation). You are correct in that they have added side zips when requested (mine didn't have it but I didn't miss it as it was my first bivy; ony replaced it because I lost it off my pack). The MLD superlight bivy has less condensation (most nights on the PCT, I didn't notice any at all). I cowboy camp anytime the weather allows (I'm lazy so I hate setting up a shelter). Either bivy will work for that and are water resistant enough to resist occasional spray that you'll have under the tarp (providing you have the tarp setup properly for the weather you are in). They do add some warmth to your sleeping bag so going for the full headnet is a good idea for warmer weather.

Tinker
11-29-2011, 00:51
There is no "holy grail" waterproof/breathable fabric. The more waterproof it is, the less breathable it will be, and vice-versa. I have a RAB eVent bivy with a simple hoop shaped entrance around the head end, no bug netting and no hoop. I've slept in it in the rain and had no perceptible moisture in it, though the humidity was, as you could expect, high, being that it was RAINING, (hello!:rolleyes:).
I bought it for emergency shelter should I get injured in the mountains on a winter day trip (yes, I always carry a winter bag, and used to carry a tarp, too, though the thought of it blowing away into a nearby valley was always in the back of my mind).
Bear in mind that if it is raining, there is no way to get your wet body and clothing into that bivy bag while keeping your sleeping bag dry short of using a tarp, or, as I did, rolling the bivy out with a bag already inserted into it under a poncho (while wearing it). I was able to get in dry, but once I came out in the middle of the night, I wasn't able to get back in dry (the poncho was soaked). In the field, in moderate temperatures, you will need to set up a tarp or poncho over your bivy, and if you use a very small tarp or poncho there is a chance that your bivy will get splashed by rain hitting puddles outside your tarp/poncho. That's why you need some water resistance, which will limit the breathability somewhat. If the water resistance is dependent upon a DWR, washing the bivy and retreating it periodically is not optional if you like being dry. My eVent jacket recently started "wetting out" so I had to launder and retreat it with the appropriate Nikwax wash and wash-in DWR. So far so good, but I haven't been in a prolonged rain with it since retreating it. Time will tell.

stranger
11-29-2011, 02:14
I'm looking for a bivy for use against spray under a tarp or in a shelter, and maybe some cow boy camping if the forecast is good. I'm 5'4 and so is my pad, so I'm not worried about lack of space. Anything meant for an "average" man should be big enough for me. I do not want to carry a separate ground sheet. The three top options I've come up with are:

MLD Superlight $169 full head net
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=30

Ti Goat Ptarmigan $140 (?) full net hood and custom side zip (I hear he has added these in the past)
http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Bivy.html
(http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Bivy.html)
Equinox Ultralight Bivy Cover $70 (has no netting)
http://www.backcountrygear.com/equinox-ultralight-bivy-cover.html

All three of these have a silnylon bottom and a DWR top, and at least 1/2 side zip.

I'm conflicted as to which to get, because all three are so close in weight/function, but not in price. If I went "all out" I could get Cuben for the MLD which would reduce the weight a bit, I've head it is more waterproof but less durable than silnylon.

So please help me figure out which of these will work well for me! Obviously condensation is a concern with any bivy, but I am aware of methods (such as site selection) to minimize that. I want a functional, light, bivy without paying more than I need to.

Andrew Skurka chose the MLD Superlight Bivy on his 4700 mile circuit hike around Alaska...I think it might get the nod

Miner
11-29-2011, 12:21
The original poster is interested in lightweight bivies which are under half a pound in weight and are only water resistant, NOT waterproof as they are used typically with a tarp. Gortex and eVent bivies are too hot for the intended application and too heavy. They are fine for mountaineering and winter camping, but that isn't what the poster is asking about. I'm a reguar bivy user and I would never take a gortext or similar bivy camping in summer. A lightweight water resistant bivy combined with a tarp is better weather protection, lighter in weight, cooler, and will have less condensation issues then such heavy bivies.