Has anyone hiked with just a bivy sack for shelter?

[turtle fast]

Has anyone just done away with the tent or hammock and gone with a bivy sack? How has it worked out?

[Shutterbug]

Has anyone just done away with the tent or hammock and gone with a bivy sack? How has it worked out? I sometimes hike with only a bivy for sheter. I love to go to sleep looking up at the stars. It is particularly good when I camp above the timber line on the Washington PCT.

It works out fine when there is no rain or even when the rain showers pass through during the night. The problem is staying dry getting into the bivy or back out when it is raining. I carry a ponco and try to ue the poncho to keep the top of the bivy dry while I get in, but it doesn't work well. If the chances of rain are high, I carry a hammock or a tent.

[bamboo bob]

A bivy is a good option on the AT because you can stay in the shelters if the weather is bad and use the bivy on fair nights. The only risk is if you start the AT with the pack you wont always get a shelter spot.

[Bati]

I switched to using only a gore-tex bivy when my partner left me (which was planned) and I realized I couldn't handle the weight of the tent by myself (which was not planned).
I had a few adjustment issues since I missed a spot when seam-sealing it, which became glaringly obvious. However, I quickly adjusted to learning how to sleep with a broad rimmed hat, and wake up and move the zipper gap during a downpour. I cut my groundcloth a bit long, so that I could pull it over my head when awake and watch the storms pass by. I've tried using one with a down bag (coated) on shorter trips and was not pleased; I would recommend using a synthetic bag on a typical AT thru-hike.

A bivy is not for everyone, but they work well for those that can handle them.

You'll learn that you can camp almost anywhere, that the area right next to many trees stays very dry, and that you can use a bivy in a shelter and stay a lot warmer. If not sleeping in a shelter, but sure to tie your bivy off your face by using a bush or a hiking stick; this helps with both reducing insect bites and staying dry if it rains. You can zip up the bivy in the midddle of the night, but you don't want to be finding a tie-down spot after the rain has started. Be sure to tie your bivy to something if camping on snow, as your body heat may melt the ground during the night.

Though you can change clothes in one, it can be quite difficult when staying in pay campgrounds with car-camping neighbors, and they are very difficult to spot if you wander too far from your site (such as when visiting a distant shower-house in the dark). Conversely, this is very convenient if you camp near a road and do not wish to be visible to local traffic.

You'll be amazed at how many stars are in the sky, but I've been jolted awake more than once when a light was suddenly shone in my eyes. Imagine my surprise and relief to discover that it was just moonlight!
The bags make it easy to knock the snow off, but are a real pain if you have to spend a lot of time in bed. My record was 16 hours; luckily I had a tent that day. I've broken camp in less than 5 minutes because I woke up wet one cold morning before I had found the spot missing the seam sealer- that was a low point. And on a high note, I once saw an incredible lightning strike from my bivy that made up for every uncomfortable night I've ever had or ever will have in one.

So in short, they work well, but they do have their drawbacks. Try one and see before deciding for sure which to take.

[ScottP]

The AT is so wet/warm that a bivy is a very poor choice. Not to mention that they're also heavier than minimalist shelters.

I've used one on high elevation trips where it was still below freezing and low moisture. It was nice for that.

[Franco]

If you are doing the AT , as mentioned above, it may be doable without too much bother.
However if you are doing trails where shelters are not generally available and prolonged rain is possible , I would carefully consider a light weight shelter instead.
A rain resistant bivvy will be around 8 oz or more depending on how much you want to spend.
The PTFE types (Gore Tex/ eVent ) will be in the 15oz plus.
For about the same cost you can get a shaped tarp in Cuben for less weight or for a few more ounces and around $200 or so a shaped tarp in silnylon such as the TT Contrail or an SMD Lunar Solo.
Imagine if you arrive at camp in the rain and is still raining when you get into your bivvy.
What do you do with your wet clothes ? How do you stay dry getting in and out of it ? How do you keep your sleeping bag dry ?
But of course depends on why you walk, I do it for fun...

BTW, as I pointed out before, bivvy is short for bivuoac and that name originally meant a "supplementary night watch" (note it had to do with remaining awake...) later on the term was used by climbers to define the sac we now use.
But even for climbers, they use a bivvy where it isn't practical or possible to erect a tent.

Franco

[peakbagger]

I carried one for a backup to using shelters when I sectioned. We tended to go out of synch with thruhikers so shelter space usually wasnt an issue. My bivy has a hoop and screening plus I put a loop at the foot end so I could tie it up off my legs on hot nights. The bivy I have is an older caribou mountaineering with waterproof bottom and goretex top. It can keep me dry in rain but with it zipped fully up the ventilation is poor. I also used it on rare occasions in shelters in buggy conditions.

Cuben fiber or silnylon tart tents weight less and pack smaller but when the conditions are potentially dangerous and nasty, the bivy has a lot better chance of staying dry with the exception of what you bring in with you. I would probably consider one early season and then switch to a tart tent once the weather warms up. The other plus with a bivy is that it probably adds 10 degrees of temperature range to a sleeping bag. Shelters are usually colder than the sleeping on the ground so worse case is I will slide my pad and sleeping bag in it on cold weather.

[Slo-go'en]

While I've used bivy sacks on longish trips, I mostly use them on one or two night trips when I'm pretty sure it's not going to rain. But since you never know for sure, you always need something just in case. The Bivy sacks work good here in the White Mountains when camping on tent platforms, as they are effectively self supporting.

But on a through hike or other long hike, I'd go with a real tent. Much more practical in the long run.

[Bucho]

Yeah, I've used a gortex bivy for a summer traveling around Scotland, a couple summers out west and a summer in Europe. They work fine as long as your cool with sleeping in a coffin. Also keep in mind that you won't be able to bring your pack in with you, it will be out in the rain. Furthermore remember that gortex looses it's water resistence faster than say sil-nylon so you won't get the same life span from a gortex bivy that you would from a tent or hammock.

[Miner]

As you can't depend on there being room for you in a shelter, you'll have to assume that you will sleep outside in your bivy in rain. Getting in and out of it while keeping yourself and your sleeping bag dry during a heavy downpour isn't easy. Those heavy gortex bivies are going to be hot and full of condensation in the summer in humid warm climates that the AT is.

You'd be better off with a tarp and a lightweight water resitant bivy (companies making them include: 6 Moon Designs, MLD, Titanium Goat, Oware, etc) as it will be dryer, lighter, and cooler and you can use either one by itself or both together. I hiked the PCT with a tarp+bivy combo from MLD with no problems and that is what I'm bringing on the AT. Weighs under 15oz. And a water resistant bivy by itself is not a good idea since you may have to sleep outside in the rain and it will saturate and soak through if its more then a short drizzle.

[SunnyWalker]

I use n carry a Gatewood Cape and a Bivi.

[Connie]

I have used only an OR Bug Bivy for many years.

If there is a light shower or hard rain, I flop over like a big burrito. Naturally, I select well-drained ground for my bivy. I leave a corner turned up so I can breathe, because the bottem of the bivy is not breatheable.

I found I could wiggle and change clothing inside a bivy, instead of standing under wet trees. The branches drip some. It is no big deal, either way.

Now, I am so much more refined. I have found a lightweight tarp I really like: the Oware AsymTarp 1.

I paired that with a Titanium-Goat Bug Bivy, because I wanted the tarp and bivy to take up very little space in my pack. Add a Gossamer Gear polycro ground sheet and a JetBoil .8 L I have a luxurious quick camp outfit quickly set up.

I am thinking I could install a rubberized waterproof zipper in that tarp to have a poncho-tarp I could use with a big rain hat.

The bug bivy is what makes it all work, by keeping out crawling and flying insects.

If ferocious flying insects, like black flys, I have a head net that weighs practically nothing I wear over a baseball cap. I always have long sleeves and long pants as a safeguard against ticks, so all I have to do is add gloves. Even so, I have learned not to camp in favorite spots for mosquitos, no-see-ums, and black flies. I manage, by preferring high country.

I have had tents. I have pitched tents with rain fly and footprint to save weight.

The fact is, a tent takes so much longer to dry out and pack. If packed wet, it is so easily ruined.

With a bivy and tarp, I shake off the excess water and stuff it all on the outside of my pack in a huge mesh pocket.

[daddytwosticks]

In the non-thruhiker season when it's warm, I usually hike with a SMD Meteor Bivy and stay in shelters. I use a MLD poncho tarp for rain protection, pack cover, and emegency shelter. Allows me to keep pack weight and size way down on short hikes. :)

[Smooth & Wasabi]

I have hiked with just a gore tex bivy in the distant past during 3 season conditions and probably would not again. Aside from the mentioned issues keeping everything dry in a good rain (though natural shelter could be sought) I always woke up with a significant amount of moisture in my bivy like a couple cups on the bottom and a wet sleeping bag shell. I do have a breathable and bug netted bivy from Tigoat that I can pair with my poncho tarp which together are lighter (>1lb) and I think more functional though I would still only take it for short fair weather trips. For real rain or a long trip I prefer a large tarp and bug protection if needed. If you are looking for light back up insurance against full shelters you can get an 8 x10 sil tarp and solo bug net from campmor for about 100$ and a pound total. Add ground cloth, stakes, and guylines and you have complete protection for well under 1 1/2 pounds and $130. Plus you could use the bug net in shelters.

[Pedaling Fool]

I used one once on a bike trip...NEVER AGAIN! It's like sleeping in an oversized sleeping bag, which is fine when you're sleeping, but having a tent is more than about sleeping, at least for me. Can't do a detailed tick-check in a bivy sack.

[Sacchoromyces]

My experience with bivvys are that one can accomplish the same level of comfort and performance from a simple 8x6 woven tarp. Ground pad, roll up in it and you have shelter. Not entirely less comfy or wet.

[ndwoods]

They are great on the west coast, I've used one for years....on the East Coast I wouldn't want to use it...

[Papa D]

yep - on one or two day rock climbing approaches and other alpine missions - I have an OR Advanced Bivy Sack and have used Black Diamond - - I think you'd get really tired of using a bivy sack every night on the AT though - - they are ultimately cramped and don't give you too many options - - they are perfect for one or two nights when you have very limited space (like on a port-a-ledge) or when you have to squeeze between boulders in a scree field. I have slept in the OR product in a good rainstorm with my pad inside and no groundcloth - - I did stay dry and warm mostly but condensation was a problem. Consider an eastern rainstorm:
There is no cover for getting out and packing up - - your backpack stays against a tree under it's pack cover but when you put everything away (as fast as possible), some stuff still gets wet - - on the AT on rainy days, this would be a pain and you would end up relying on shelters for cooking, etc. - - compare this with having your pack handy and dry in your vestibule where you can prepare food, change clothes, and pack everything nice and dry (with a little practice) and have your rain jacket on for putting away the tent. Frankly, this is hard enough as it is.

[slowfeet]

Bivys can work out great if the conditions are ideal. IMO.


I used a bivy exclusively for about 6 years... more often than not, I'd wake up wet/cold due to condensation. Normally towards waking up time so not the biggest deal, but, it's a good thing I use synthetic sleeping bags. I've also had some very good nights sleeping in one, not waking up wet/cold etc.

I never could figure out how to not wake up wet.


I remember getting in and out was a PIA. (compared to a tent for example)


Last time I used it, it was raining.... I was soaked from either condensation or leaks, not sure, didn't care, didn't matter at that point-moisture everywhere. Luckily this was in southern CA where the conditions weren't "extreme" and I was able to abandon my trip early.


I still own my bivy and I guess it's good to keep around... but after that last wet night decided to look into a tent/tarp/hammock.

Not sure how I managed to bivy exclusively for that long.

[daddytwosticks]

Getting in and out of a sleeping bag inside a bivy is the same to me as trying to get in and out of a liner in a sleeping bag - it does not work for me. However, I use a light down sleeping bag (Thermal Sheet) as a quilt inside my Meteor Bivy in warmer months. It's much easier getting in and out of this set up. :)

[katz walk]

Has anyone just done away with the tent or hammock and gone with a bivy sack? How has it worked out?

I dumped the hammock. After an ardrus day of hiking and cold temps. I wouldn't have the coordination to effectively tie off a hammock. The weight was also an issue.

I am currently using a bivy. The rain issues are noted and have been experienced. If you go the bivy route, which has its advantages, I would also take an inexpensive emergency shelter that will probably keep you drier during a down pour. Using a bivy, make sure you have good core and leg muscles... you will need those to get in & out!

[Tom Murphy]

My experience using one in New England:
Great for cowboy camping when it isn't buggy and you know it isn't going to rain.
Great for winter camping when you know it isn't going to snow.
Very poor performance outside of those two, very specific, sets of conditions.
For the same weight, you could carry a tarp or tarp tent. Those are much better all-around shelters.
Also a huge PITA to get in and out of.
If you buy one, makes sure the top side is 100% eVent.

[mtnkngxt]

I've been using a Ti Goat Ptarmigan with a MLD Cuben Monk tarp for quite a while now and find that in all but the nastiest downpours I stay completely dry. I'm also not one to sleep in or spend hours journaling before bed. I get up at first light, hike till right before sundown and then turn in. With a down quilt and a small Cuben tarp I keep the weight down and achieve high mileage days without unneeded wear and tear on my body.