bivy vs tent

[LivAndLetLive]

Hey, I'm starting NOBO around April 1st (depending on my ride) and have finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a tent or bivy. I was thinking of the REI minimalist bivy sack, the obvious downside of that one being the big mesh hole where the face is. But I was thinking I could just cover it with my raincoat or small tarp if it was really coming down

My number one concern on this hike is running out of money, because I probably will, so I'm trying to shave down expenses while also keeping weight low and not being an idiot about cutting out things I'll end up needing. I also like the idea of a bivy over a bulkier/heavier tent but haven't used one before

Any thoughts?

[k2basecamp]

Shelters are often full especially when its nasty out. You also dont want to be riding out the weather in a bivy or trying to cook, change clothes etc. get a 1 person tent like this one on ebay. If you,re the winning bidder and tell me you saw it on WB I will ship it for free!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281071638121...84.m1555.l2649

[Slo-go'en]

At least get a good sized tarp to go over it. Other wise the first time you need to use the bivy in the rain you will be regretting that decision.

[bigcranky]

The cheapest usable solo shelter IMHO is an 8x10 silnylon tarp. It provides much better protection from the elements than a bivy sack. With a piece of plastic sheeting or Tyvek for a ground sheet, you can have a spacious shelter for you and your gear for about $100 and around a pound. And it's much easier to get in and out in the rain without getting everything wet. You can sometimes find these on sale in the forums.

The key to tarp camping is choosing the right site. The packed-down heavily-used campsites near shelters are almost always a bad choice.

A smaller tarp or a poncho tarp is also usable but with much less margin for error.

[Mountain Mike]

Heavier than sil-nylon but cheap & very versatile. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___22220. 22220.jpg

[leaftye]

I once depended on a bivy on a stormy night. I was dead tired, and there wasn't room to set up my tent, much less stake it down. A few hours after the rain started, I had to piss, but there wasn't enough room in the bivy to do it. If I got up, I risked getting my sleeping gear soaked or blown away because it couldn't be staked down. I couldn't dig into my pack for clothing without getting it wet, and of course packing it would be problematic as well. It's close to my worst night backpacking, following the night I cowboy camped alone when a cougar kept coming back within 15 feet of me for hours and hours. If I never had to piss at night, and the rain would stop before I got up in the morning, then a bivy would be almost perfect. Unfortunately the reality is far from perfect.

The only good thing about the bivy was that I could sleep anywhere.

If you're really trying to save money, then get a military goretex bivy and a cheap tarp like the Walmart tarp. Or just get a bigger tarp. Or if you're using a synthetic sleeping bag, then consider a hardware store tarp and sleeping in it like a taco...which isn't great, but I've seen it work a lot more than I'd like to accept.

Really though, the SMD Scout Trekker is $125. If you can pay $100 for that bivy, you can afford $25 more for a shelter that will actually be livable.

[Blue Mountain Edward]

Maybe a bivy tent would be the right size and weight for you. A Eureka would be around $100 shipped from Campmor.

[Bear-bait]

i can't say enough good things about using a bivy. My strategy is to go with a highly breathable, but water resistant bivy coupled with a nice tarp. I went with the MLD Cricket Tarp and the superlight bivy. Together, they are not cheap, but they are extremely well made and work very well.

[bigcranky]

i can't say enough good things about using a bivy. My strategy is to go with a highly breathable, but water resistant bivy coupled with a nice tarp. I went with the MLD Cricket Tarp and the superlight bivy. Together, they are not cheap, but they are extremely well made and work very well.

Right, but your primary shelter -- the thing that keeps you dry in heavy rain -- is the tarp, not the bivy. Your bivy adds bug protection, warmth, and water protection for the bottom of your bag. I have a great homemade very breathable bivy and use it with a smaller tarp. Great combo. But I wouldn't want to have a bivy as my only shelter.

[Tipi Walter]

I once depended on a bivy on a stormy night. I was dead tired, and there wasn't room to set up my tent, much less stake it down. A few hours after the rain started, I had to piss, but there wasn't enough room in the bivy to do it. If I got up, I risked getting my sleeping gear soaked or blown away because it couldn't be staked down. I couldn't dig into my pack for clothing without getting it wet, and of course packing it would be problematic as well. It's close to my worst night backpacking, following the night I cowboy camped alone when a cougar kept coming back within 15 feet of me for hours and hours. If I never had to piss at night, and the rain would stop before I got up in the morning, then a bivy would be almost perfect. Unfortunately the reality is far from perfect.

The only good thing about the bivy was that I could sleep anywhere.

If you're really trying to save money, then get a military goretex bivy and a cheap tarp like the Walmart tarp. Or just get a bigger tarp. Or if you're using a synthetic sleeping bag, then consider a hardware store tarp and sleeping in it like a taco...which isn't great, but I've seen it work a lot more than I'd like to accept.

Really though, the SMD Scout Trekker is $125. If you can pay $100 for that bivy, you can afford $25 more for a shelter that will actually be livable.

Thanks for the great story. Most of us have similar cowboy camping stories whether in a stand-alone bedroll camp or inside a bivy. A bivy looks great at home and on paper but in the field when reality hits, well, have your laundry mat waypoints figured out beforehand as your bag will get wet.

And for anyone who has stayed in a bivy you will remember the irksome claustrophobia and worse, waking up at 3am overheated and gasping for air but the sleeping bag zipper is behind you at your neck and the bivy zipper is somewhere else but you just can't find it. What fun. Fun with 2 zippers. You've just become the mummy.

Right, but your primary shelter -- the thing that keeps you dry in heavy rain -- is the tarp, not the bivy. Your bivy adds bug protection, warmth, and water protection for the bottom of your bag. I have a great homemade very breathable bivy and use it with a smaller tarp. Great combo. But I wouldn't want to have a bivy as my only shelter.

I once depended on a bivy during mosquito season and it just doesn't work. To get protection you need to be covered and zipped---problem is it's just too hot.

[LivAndLetLive]

thanks for the offer and that tent looks super but i didnt check back in time and missed it appreciate the advise though!!!

[LivAndLetLive]

that was supposed to be a reply to k2basecamp. but thank you everyone for advice! I'm going to decide by tomorrow and get something, as its getting close to my start date and i wanna make sure I can test out whatever I get

[Tinker]

Hey, I'm starting NOBO around April 1st (depending on my ride) and have finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a tent or bivy. I was thinking of the REI minimalist bivy sack, the obvious downside of that one being the big mesh hole where the face is. But I was thinking I could just cover it with my raincoat or small tarp if it was really coming down

My number one concern on this hike is running out of money, because I probably will, so I'm trying to shave down expenses while also keeping weight low and not being an idiot about cutting out things I'll end up needing. I also like the idea of a bivy over a bulkier/heavier tent but haven't used one before

Any thoughts?

I had one of the REI minimalist bivy sacks - for a couple of days. I used it in the back yard. It was:
1) Too tight
2) Non-breathable (I don't know what I expected, but both the lack of breathability of the fabric and the small diameter conspired to hold in every molecule of H2O).
3) I bought one of the first run models, and it was unclear as to whether there was some sort of flap to cover the face. Without it you would need a tarp (which I had been in the habit of using), and there are much lighter bivy sacks available that can be used with a tarp.

If price is a concern you might want to check out one of these:
http://sixmoondesigns.com/tents/SkyscapeScout.html

I haven't seen one except on line but it looks like a nice design. I'm sure you can Google reviews on it.

[TheYoungOne]

Like Tinker said, all the reviews I have seen on the REI bivvy says the same thing. It doesn't breathe, so you will have condensation and get sweaty, and its also not very waterproof, so in the rain you will get wet. Also bivvy suck because you are confined, stuck in a peapod alone, Its a PITA if you are waiting out a storm, you want to read, or you need some privacy like getting changed or checking your inner thigh for a possible tick bite.

If you are looking to save money I would no buy it. You can get a decent 1 man tent or maybe a hammock for the same price or less than a REI Bivvy. You can also look for something used, or make a DIY shelter.

[Wise Old Owl]

Please do not buy the REI minimalist.

[Venchka]

There is no either/or. There is only tent.

Wayne

[BirdBrain]

Right, but your primary shelter -- the thing that keeps you dry in heavy rain -- is the tarp, not the bivy. Your bivy adds bug protection, warmth, and water protection for the bottom of your bag. I have a great homemade very breathable bivy and use it with a smaller tarp. Great combo. But I wouldn't want to have a bivy as my only shelter.

Glad to hear this clarification. That is my setup (Bivy and tarp).

[Venchka]

There is no either/or. There is only tent.

Wayne

ps: There is maybe tarp if it is built like a tent fly, easily pitched, stable in a breeze. Many tents allow pitching only the fly which then becomes a very secure tarp.

Wayne

[Coosa]

I can say that I totally disagree with the "don't buy an REI Minimalist" comment.

I reluctantly sold my ID Salathe' bivy to a Kayaker in Florida who loves it.

I use my Minimalist and a tarp ... right now a poncho tarp but I have decided to get a 6x10 bearpaw wilderness designs tarp so that I have more coverage for really bad weather.

BIVY LIFE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. However, if you're going to spend your nights on the Trail in a Shelter most of the time, it's ideal. Especially if you sleep on your back and you like to snuggle into your covers. In a bivy, you are protected from dirt, shelter mice, and bugs. And wet dogs and other people's gear, too.

As for being 'too hot' ... maybe you're overdressed. I use mine in the summer with a silk liner. I breathe fine through the no-see-um netting. As for not being able to pee when it's raining ... you'll have to work that one out yourself. I don't use the minimalist alone, so I can't say if it 'leaks' or not.

A bivy is part of a sleep system. Incorporate it into the system. Don't think of it as a 'tent.' You can do more with a bivy, a tarp and a sleeping bag than you can do with a tent or tarp alone and a sleeping bag.

You have to make the system work for you, no matter what you use, tarp or tent or bivy; and if you LIKE Bivy Life, it'll work for you.

You might try bivy life and find that it has its applications and you may just like it.

Coosa

[daddytwosticks]

I tend to agree w/ Coosa. In the summer down here when I tend to shelter-hop, my SMD Meteor Bivy and my Montbell Thermal sheet opened up as a quilt seem to be an ideal sleep system for me.