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Thread: Just a Bivy?

  1. #1
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    Default Just a Bivy?

    I'm pretty experienced on the AT and I don't mind the shelters - but need protection in case shelters are full or if I can't make it to a shelter. I'm a "section hiker" - so we're talking about 10 days at a time. I'm considering just carrying a bivy this year - but I don't have any experience with them. Would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this idea.

  2. #2
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    Many light weight bivys are meant to be used in conjunction with a tarp for rain protection. I would compare a (heavier) weather proof bivy against the weight of a tarp with a enclosed bug netting shelter. My tarp set up is about 30oz with stakes and line and gives me ample room to move around without the condensation problems of a bivy. Plus I can leave the inner netting tent behind when the bugs are few.. My tarp alone is 18 oz


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  3. #3
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    Thought experiments:

    1. It's pouring rain, a real frog strangler. You need to set up camp. Now open your pack, take out your waterproof bivy, put your sleeping bag inside the bivy, then crawl inside. How wet is your sleeping bag at this point?

    2. It was nice when you went to bed, but now it's pouring rain and you really need to pee. Get out of your bivy without getting everything inside soaked.

    The easy way to solve both of these is with a tarp -- the tarp&bivy combo was really popular among UL hikers for a while. I have a really nice bivy my wife made for me, and used it a lot with a small silnylon tarp. But these days a solo tent is pretty close in weight and a lot easier to use. The Tarptent Protrail and the Notch are cheap and maybe 1.5 pounds; the Zpacks tents are even lighter (but not cheap).
    Ken B
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  4. #4
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    Makes a lot of sense ! Thanks !

  5. #5
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    The few nights that I spent in the shelters last year, the same lady always seemed to be there ("Katydid"). She said she always stayed in the shelters and the reason she used a bivy was for the mice. I'm not sure if she saved any weight, but those stormy nights were the only times when I wished I'd had a bivy instead of a tent. It might be something to consider if you're planning to use the shelters a lot.

  6. #6
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    I have been all bivy for more than 10 yrs @ 150 nights on the AT, mostly with shelters, about half in the winter - my main tip is always try to breath outside the system to avoid condensation - while the bivy is unpopular, it may be the compromise for you

    Oh, and if you cannot think your way out of a wet paper bag to set up in the rain (hunch under the rain coat) you probably want to take up hotel stays vs backcountry camping

  7. #7

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    I used the bug bivy and Gatewood Cape type tarp combo for a spring time (April) Springer to VA hike. The first night I had to camp in the mud I realized I needed a much bigger ground cloth to place things on which I needed near me but didn't fit in the sack with me. All in all it was pretty tight quarters, but reasonably easy to set up like a tent. I survived a couple of good storms in that set up.

    I made that combo work, but I wouldn't recommend it if you expect there to be much rain or crowded conditions. In that case a tent is more practical. In the end, either way you go it comes out about the same weight wise so that's not a big consideration.

    If your hiking in bug season and expect you'll have shelter space most nights, having a bug bivy can save one's sanity. Plus the tarp can come in handy at times. It's all about trade offs. It's nice to have both tent and bivy options available to choose from for a given hike.
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  8. #8
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    When I section hike in the warmer months, the AT shelters are not that crowded. During that time, I use a SMD Meteor bivy and sleep in the shelters. The bivy is great for bugs and keeping mice off me. I sometimes will carry a MLD Pro Poncho or, more recently, a SMD cuben fiber Deushetes tarp as a back-up if the shelters are full. This system works great for me when I go out on short section hikes and know what type of weather to expect. I would use a double-wall tent for longer hikes or trips during peak times on the AT.

  9. #9
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    If you're going to go bivy only, check out ones made with eVent. MLD and Borah Gear both make lightweight ones.

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