What do you Bivi in?

Hey MP,

Those of you who carry or have carried a bivi sack, what do you use? Do you share one with your partner or each bring your own?

Thanks!

I use an OR basic bivy bag. No loop pole. No bug fly. Share it with a partner? Do you know how tight these things are? You better be real "friendly" with your bivy bag partner.

MSR AC bivy. Everyone brings their own bivy bag.

Thanks for the tips re: sharing a bag. It looks like with most of these things, you put your own sleeping bag inside for warmth. Does that sound about right?

For long climbs where I generally hope to not bivy, I take SOL's Emergency Biffy (3.8 oz). It's gotten me through a few unexpected outdoor nights.

Jeff Klassen wrote:Thanks for the tips re: sharing a bag. It looks like with most of these things, you put your own sleeping bag inside for warmth. Does that sound about right?

Have you ever seen a bivy sack? Here's a fancy one.

bivy

I have a Borah Gear lightweight bivy.

If my climbing partner is of the female persuasion, I try to share it with her. Otherwise, I insist on one each.

On top of my rope. Maybe in a sleeping bag.

OR Advanced (the one with two poles. Used it off and on for 15 years. Slept in it about 150 nights one year when working hoods in the woods. Used it as my shelter on the Appalachian Trail for a few months straight another year. Take it up walls for extra water protection for the sleeping bag, cause a portaledge fly will always let in water somewhere, and used it on a lot of alpine climbing bivies.

I did have it replaced under warranty about a year into owning it, when the goretex layer started flaking off in chunks. Never had any issues with the replacement (still have it and use it occasionally). Don't use it very often these days. It only really makes sense if you are going somewhere solo with a long approach, or somewhere with no spots big enough for a tent. It weighs about 2 lb, you can find 2 person ultralight tents under 4lb and actually be able to sit up in them, so no big weight savings.

Scott McMahon wrote: Have you ever seen a bivy sack? Here's a fancy one.

I have, thanks. I've been climbing trad/backpacking for the past 8 years or so, but am just now starting to push deeper into the mountains climbing bigger alpine objectives, so I'm trying to learn what I can about what is actually used. I see a lot of stuff advertised on REI and other retailers, but those sites give little insight into what is being used in the field and how those applications are holding up.

How much warmth do these sacks 'add'? I have a 2 season (used to be a three season, but the insulation has broken down a bit, so I call it a 2 season) bag that can get pretty chilly. However it's super light and might work perfectly if the bivi sack adds a bit of heat.

Are these bivi sacks, in general, on par with a tent in how much heat they provide?

I realize bivi-ing is not supposed to be comfortable - just trying to get some kind of a baseline.

Jeff Klassen wrote: I have, thanks. I've been climbing trad/backpacking for the past 8 years or so, but am just now starting to push deeper into the mountains climbing bigger alpine objectives, so I'm trying to learn what I can about what is actually used. I see a lot of stuff advertised on REI and other retailers, but those sites give little insight into what is being used in the field and how those applications are holding up. How much warmth do these sacks 'add'? I have a 2 season (used to be a three season, but the insulation has broken down a bit, so I call it a 2 season) bag that can get pretty chilly. However it's super light and might work perfectly if the bivi sack adds a bit of heat. Are these bivi sacks, in general, on par with a tent in how much heat they provide? I realize bivi-ing is not supposed to be comfortable - just trying to get some kind of a baseline.

It won't be more that 5-10 degrees of added warmth. The whole point of a bivy is it's a lightweight shelter that will keep your bag dry. Are they always necessary? no. You can also consider a shelter like a BD megamid or try to find the old Mountain Hardwear Conduit sleeping bags. I don't know why they stopped making those especially since the new ones are so exepensive.

I have tents, a megamid and a bivy. Each one has it's purpose.

Warm & breathable

When you want to know what is "actually used" it really depends on who you're asking and to what extent they're willing to go. A bivy keeps your sleeping bag dry, but that's about it. You can achieve similar goals with a tarp (a sil-nylon tapr, a mid of some kind, whatever), climbing when it's not raining, or using a synthetic bag and suffering a bit. It all depends on your acceptable levels of risk, comfort, and weight.

Personally, I don't find too much use for a bivy bag. When the weather is good I just sleep out. When the weather looks not so good, I use a synthetic bag. When the weather is *definitely* not going to be good, I bring a tent. Something like a Black Diamond First Light is super light, keeps you dry enough, offers more space and protection than a bivy, and fits two. By the time you're bringing two bivy sacks, you've probably exceeded the weight of a First Light or similar tent, so I'd rather have the tent. If you're in unfamiliar terrain and the ledge you end up sleeping on doesn't have enough space for a tent for whatever reason, you can still slide your bag inside the tent sans poles and stay a bit drier.

If you're gonna be in RMNP or something, then you'll need a bivy. Otherwise, I just don't use them that much. In a lot of alpinism, you're only out for a night or two, so if you get a little wet or cold, it's not the end of the world (unless conditions are so extreme that in could literally kill you as a result, but you would be bringing a tent then anyway).

Food for thought: when House/Prezelj did the second ascent of the North Face of the North Twin in the Canadian Rockies, their shelter was one sleeping bag that they shared on whatever ledge they could find and a tarp lashed to the wall however they could get it to stay there.

hahahaa

Or you can get one of the Selk' bags. I never got the point of these though

http://www.backcountry.com/selkbag-usa-inc.-original-sleeping-bag-synthetic?CMP_SKU=SBG0004&MER=0406&skid=SBG0004-DIRBL-LAR&CMP_ID=SH_SHP001&mv_pc=r110&003=7163546&010=SBG0004-DIRBL-LAR&utm_source=Shopping_com&utm_medium=CSE&mr:referralID=6cc6366e-2c98-11e5-8a28-0050569451e5

bivy bag

Get a black diamond beta mid, easy pitch, room for 2 + gear. A partner and I slept ( sort of ) through a wild basin thunder storm + torrential rain, stayed dry. Lighter than 2 baby sacks.

I have a RAB bivy but I made one of these backpackinglight.com/cgi-bi… and I like it better.

Happy with my integral designs bivvy

I've used a BD twilight bivy, about 11 ounces, same material as their firstlight tent. Not fully waterproof in a torrential downpour, but if there is a hint of that in the forecast I don't go on routes that require an actual bivy anyway, I'll go do something where I can pitch my comfy double wall tent. If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have bought it.

First off the idea of "weatherproof" bivy sacks for actual weather is just dumb. Waterproof and "breathable" membranes rely on temperature gradient and humidity across the membrane to push out moisture. Problem is that the bivy is your outer layer, heat is trapped in your sleeping bag. You will get some degree of condensation build up in any bivy sack, those with a tricot type liner perform much better. They are also heavy. A 2lb bivy sack is just stupid IMO.

A better solution is to just get a larger square flat tarp, you can pitch that in any number of ways on any type of site. These come in at the 8-16 ounce range and will provide precip protection for both you and a partner. If you want more wind protection then get an light *NON WATERPROOF* bivy, lots of these available from cottage manufacturers for the ultra-light backpacking crowd. That will also take care of bug protection. If you are actually stuck in weather this is a much more livable set up, you can both be dry with your heads out of the bivy, cook dinner, discuss how stupid you are for being on route in the rain, and remember that you have beer in the car and should bail. In a "waterproof" bivy sack you're just stuck zipped up by yourself, life sucks.

All that being said, if I know that I need to bivy and the weather is nice I don't bring a sack at all. Throw the pad down, put a bug net over my head with my hat on, crawl in my sleeping bag. No need for more. Or another example, last weekend it was pretty hot out. I brought the BD twilight, put the pad in it, wore all my clothes and synthetic puffy with a hood. No sleeping bag. Slept great.

I have this one, its also pictured above and I love it.

I have used, and will continue to use, my BD Hooped Bivy (they only sell the bigwall version now, but that's not a bad thing). Its under 2 pounds if you leave the stuff-sack behind. Its hard to get into and out of, but it has kept me dry through a couple torrential downpours.
Bivys are really unpleasant to wait out a storm in, you can't read or otherwise stay conscious and entertained in them. Also, venting/condensation is a constant challenge.
All of that said, they are much better than a tarp if bugs are an issue where you're bivying.

I've really enjoyed using the OR Helium Bivy, it has some basic features that are really nice like a hoop and a bug net, but it still weighs so little!