View Full Version : Bivy or Small Tent?
AttorneyAtLunch
09-22-2013, 19:29
Planning for my thru-hike and it's a pretty clear question: bivy or tent? I'm looking at a bivy to cut down on weight but I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with the idea of living in a modified sack. Has anyone ever thru-hiked with a bivy? Should I go for a lightweight one-person tent instead?
Wise Old Owl
09-22-2013, 19:39
Well i will give it a rest... you are new, and I went with bivy at first, ... if you dont do your homework its somewhere between a chicken oven bag & a body bag... do yourself a little favor, and please do not take it personally... dig deep into this site, tons of information here. Please do not buy one until you feel you have done the right thing.
2nd thought - after you buy one ... sleep under a tree in the back yard,, have family visit you at odd hours. trust me.
Starchild
09-22-2013, 19:52
Some tents, though expensive, can be about 1 lb, mine 17oz, even less without bugnetting, what is the weight savings of a bivy?
AttorneyAtLunch
09-22-2013, 19:58
http://www.rei.com/product/810038/msr-ac-bivy
This was the bivy I was looking at, weighing in at 1 lb.
I am on a budget so I'd like to keep expenses down but what kind of tent do you have?
Slo-go'en
09-22-2013, 20:03
You need a good sized tarp to go along with a bivy - other wise you can't get in or out when it's raining with out getting all wet. You also need protection from bugs. So, by the time your all done with the accessories, your up to the weight of a tent - or more and it can be a lot more trouble to get all set up.
A bivy can be useful in some situations - I own several - but rarely use them and never on a long hike.
Starchild
09-22-2013, 20:04
Zpack heximid.
http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml
Again it's not cheap but it's a tent and about a lb.
Feral Bill
09-22-2013, 20:09
A nice tarp and seperate bug net work for me most of the time. Cheap and versitile.
Tuckahoe
09-22-2013, 20:13
I've never thru-hiked...
But what are you hoping to get out of a bivy? The thougnt of living for 4 to 6 months in a sack like that I think would drive me mad, especially after days of rain.
I think that you would be better served by a tent or a tarp. Some will even be close in price to the bivy you are looking at.
I use to have a Lightheart Gear Solo tent. Very nice and roomy 1 person tent and with a 1lbs 11 ounce listed weight.
Check out zpacks.co m as well as there are a few tarps and shelters that are well under a pound.
B.j. Clark
09-22-2013, 20:14
Look at Tarptent, six moon designs, Bearpaw Designs. You can get a good lightweight one person tent tent for the cost of the bivy you are looking at and with a weight of maybe 8 ounces more. You'll be a lot more comfortable.
AttorneyAtLunch
09-22-2013, 20:29
Thank you all for the excellent feedback. I've already had doubts on the bivy, so I think I'm going with a lightweight, one-person tent. Please, keep posting the shelters you've used as I'm still pretty new to it all.
Tuckahoe
09-22-2013, 20:47
How easy would it be for you get to the Cincinnati REI? REI has tent rentals, so why not plan a couple over nighters and try out a few tents? This will atleast expose you to the more mainstream tents from larger manufacturers.
Like i said, I used to use a Solo from Lightheart gear. A little larger than most 1 person tents, so I found that it had plenty of room for myself and my gear. Was designed to use your trekking poles as the tent poles.
Others mostly smaller cottage manufactures with good reputations also include (I have not bought from these folks)
Tarptent.com
Sixmoondesign.com
MountainLaureldesigns.com
Bearpawwd.com (bear paw wilderness design)
ChinMusic
09-22-2013, 20:51
I don't recall seeing one bivy on my thru this year.
I would think long and hard before using a bivy on an AT thru. I would have many nights including rain under my belt before committing. While I am a huge fan of UL, don't fall into the trap of sub optimizing on weight. Now, have said that, on western trails I believe a bivy/tarp combo may be the ideal setup and is what I used for years. However, now that I'm primarily hiking the At or similiar, I made a very small one person bug inner and mid tarp out of cuben that weighs about 18 oz including stakes. It would be my choice for an AT hike, any season. Look here, it is closest commercially available shelter to what I made.
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=137
http://www.rei.com/product/810038/msr-ac-bivy
This was the bivy I was looking at, weighing in at 1 lb.
I am on a budget so I'd like to keep expenses down but what kind of tent do you have?
How much are you budgeting for the entire thru-hike? Including gear, transportation to/from the trail ends, emergencies, etc.?
Watch the for sale listing here at WhiteBlaze. Proven gear suitable for your thru-hike comes up for sale all the time.
Tents that are set up outer fly first and the inner tent attached to the fly will keep the inner tent dry much better than the older style inner tent first and fly attached after the inner tent is up. TarpTents set up this way. Two doors, on the long sides of the tent are more user friendly than a single door on the short end. One, or two, vestibules large enough for you sit in and cook, etc. in bad weather are more than worth a few extra ounces. This will be your home for 6 months. Choose wisely.
Wayne
I would think long and hard before using a bivy on an AT thru. I would have many nights including rain under my belt before committing. While I am a huge fan of UL, don't fall into the trap of sub optimizing on weight. Now, have said that, on western trails I believe a bivy/tarp combo may be the ideal setup and is what I used for years. However, now that I'm primarily hiking the At or similiar, I made a very small one person bug inner and mid tarp out of cuben that weighs about 18 oz including stakes. It would be my choice for an AT hike, any season. Look here, it is closest commercially available shelter to what I made.
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=137
Just curious... why would you use a tarp/bivy combo out west, and not on the AT or similar trails?
ChinMusic
09-23-2013, 11:56
Just curious... why would you use a tarp/bivy combo out west, and not on the AT or similar trails?
rain...........
You need a good sized tarp to go along with a bivy - other wise you can't get in or out when it's raining with out getting all wet. You also need protection from bugs. So, by the time your all done with the accessories, your up to the weight of a tent - or more and it can be a lot more trouble to get all set up.
You throw enough money at it and you'll get all that under a lb. But yeah with OP being on a budget, it would probably be tough.
Just curious... why would you use a tarp/bivy combo out west, and not on the AT or similar trails?
rain...........
...and bugs...and more rain...and more bugs...then some more rain...and the real bug swarms.
According to my daughter in Boone, NC, from May through the first half of July there were a few days when it din't rain.
Wayne
Trebor66
09-23-2013, 15:11
Take a look at the Tarp Tent Contrail. Its very light and you can often find them used for $125.00 or so.
VTATHiker
09-23-2013, 15:39
I started southbound last year with a Tarptent Contrail and then switched out to a bivy (Black Diamond Twilight) when the temperatures dropped. I preferred the tent in warm weather (above 35 degrees at night), and was really happy to have the bivy when it got cold. You can manage to use a bivy without a tarp and still keep things dry - I did. That said, it's tricky. If you do go with a bivy, then realize that every time you sleep in it when the temperature is above freezing at night you'll wake up with considerable condensation wetness on your sleeping bag.
I got into the habit of packing up the bivy with my sleeping pad (Neoair) inside of it each morning. The sleeping pad stayed in the bivy for the majority of the hike. Most nights, especially in shelters, I would just sleep on top of the bivy/pad combo.
Was really happy with both the Contrail and the Twilight. If I were to do things again I'd probably start with just a tarp and bug netting and switch to the bivy a little later than I did (had some warm, wet nights when I wished I had the tent).
peakbagger
09-23-2013, 16:13
I carried a bivy for off season AT hiking generally when it was colder and possibly damper. I rarely used it outside a shelter but found that it gave me 10 degrees additional rating for temps by sliding my sleeping bag in it. I agree in rainy situations they are better than nothing but its almost impossible to get in one when its raining without getting the interior wet. Mine has a goretex top panel, realistically it weighs as much or more than the current lightweight tarps. If the weather is wet and windy the bivy is going to work while a tarp is very prone to the quality of the setup and the underlying ground. I have used mine in mud puddle, not by choice but it was the only flat spot around. It got dirty and I had to wash it off the next day but ti didn't keep me a lot cleaner and dryer than using a tent in the same space. My bivy has a hoop over the top and sort of a small vestibule above the head but when all sealed up it tough to avoid condensation even with the goretex.
AttorneyAtLunch
09-23-2013, 18:35
Someone asked about a specific budget and I've got $5000 dollars for use (including gear costs) which I think is manageable if I buy used and/or look for deals.
Thank you all for the advice everyone. I'm leaning towards a TarpTent, either Sublite or Contrail. I'm seeing a lot of love for Contrail but is the the Sublite alright? They cost the same but Sublite does have about a 5 oz difference.
During my thru I used a Eureka Soloitaire tent. Campmore has them on sale for $75. weight is under 3lbs. well worth the investment.
Using hiking poles? Look at the tents from Lightheart. No poles? check out the Tarptent Moment.
ams212001
09-24-2013, 00:46
I bought my SMD scout for $90 with aluminum poles, and seam sealed off of here. "Heavier" than some but great quality and affordable. deals come up all the time.
fredmugs
09-24-2013, 07:22
What would you say the ratio is of people who intended to thru hike bivy style and actually did it the whole way? More than 100 to 1 I'm guessing.
I have only seen a few people with a bivy on the AT---you might look at a tarp--my Wild Oasis is 15 0z total...My TT Contrail is 28 oz. total..........
Starchild
09-24-2013, 08:51
What would you say the ratio is of people who intended to thru hike bivy style and actually did it the whole way? More than 100 to 1 I'm guessing.
Not sure but I have met a couple of thru hikers who have, well they claim they have a bivy, I say claim because I never saw them use it or with it, they are the ones that stay in shelters, so I guess they carry it but try not to have to use a bivy.
OTOH I have seen quite a few tarp+ground cover setups used by thru hikers, and really if I had to chose between the 2 I would go with this setup over a bivy.
Good Luck
HeartFire
09-24-2013, 17:54
www.lightheartgear.com
I enjoy the sound of rain on my tent, wonder how it would be in a bivy? I have an old NF bivy that has a pole that at least raises section over the head and has netting. Without a tarp, I would only consider it an emergency shelter. Might carry it in the winter if I was going shelter to shelter and was not worried about space in the shelters. Would be way too hot in the summer.
The biggest problem with a bivy on the AT is a combination of bugs and heat. It forces you to zip up in the bivy with the netting over the head. Then you sweat. In the west, as Chinmusic said, it rains less, is much colder at night and generally the bugs are less at night.
Blissful
09-24-2013, 20:46
I saw a couple of bivies. Not for me. Just get a tarp to save weight.
PD230SOI
09-25-2013, 05:31
I have tents, tarps, and one bivy. The bivy has a small window of use and is good in its niche. But I'm not sure it would be my choice for a thru hike. The heat, bugs, space to repair gear out of the rain...push me towards a tent. But then again I wouldnt plan on using the shelters much.
keep reading and asking questions.
OutnBack
09-25-2013, 08:42
Bivy is fine for me for 2-3 days. After that it's just to confining.
CarlZ993
09-25-2013, 11:32
I don't recall seeing one bivy on my thru this year.
Me neither. A light 1-man tent would be the way to go. I didn't use mine that much. Mostly used the shelters. Others used theirs almost exclusively to avoid the shelters. To each their own.