Drying out Bivy Sack Condensation?

Hey...so I recently purchased a Waterproof/breathable goretex style bivy sack (Integral Designs South Col). Haven't taken it on any walls/routes yet, but have slept out in the yard a few times in it. While I wouldn't call the condensation "bad" it IS there and by morning I am a bit colder due to inhibited loft (down bag...I know, I know).

All that is fine and good and I can deal...My question is, what are some tricks and tips to DRY OUT the bag after a night out producing condensation?

If it is raining in the morning, forget flipping it inside out to dry in the sun/wind. Also, if you've gotta get up and MOVE as is often the case in the alpine, just stuffing it into your pack won't give it an opportunity to dry, making the next night out a bit wet to BEGIN with...further inhibiting the breatability, which leads to more condensation, weight, etc. etc...right?

After my last night out I hung it on a door inside my house (inside-out) and it took a few HOURS to dry.

any tips?

Was the condensation due to having it zipped up with you breathing on the inside? How much condensation are we talking about?

If you had it unzipped, the condensation really shouldn't be so much that you lose loft.

its a bad idea to use a non-dryloft down bag in a bivy sack. its a bad idea to use a down bag on a wall period.

if its really cold, the condensation should freeze and you can just shake out the ice chips. otherwise you just have to deal with it, and try to keep your head and breath out of the bag if it isn't gnar outside.

As mentioned, in really cold situations you can shake it out. In wet and not so cold situations, I shake it out then pack my bivy up loosely in my backpack inside/out. This way most of the condensation is shaken out and the rest rubs off on other stuff in the pack.

Yep...I know all this, temperature variations, dewpoint, synthetic VS down, shell material for the sleeping bag, pros and cons for diff. bivy materials, zipped closed, vented, blah blah blah.

The fact is, if it is raining you need your bivy pretty closed if not all the way, thus you will have condensation. My question is how the heck do people dry it out before they have to use it the next night?

It's one of those things you just don't think about until you actually sleep in one, then have to pack it up the next morning.

(I also sweat A LOT, especially while sleeping. This in my personal experiance hase led to more condensation/loss of loft problems than others.)

andrew kulmatiski wrote:As mentioned, in really cold situations you can shake it out. In wet and not so cold situations, I shake it out then pack my bivy up loosely in my backpack inside/out. This way most of the condensation is shaken out and the rest rubs off on other stuff in the pack.

Perfect. Thanks! The bummer is, if it is that cold that the inside condensation can freeze, then it is either snowing or clear (not raining), which means you can vent your bivy MUCH more than in a downpour...and of course if it's raining, then yer condensation won't freeze...add that to crappy venting and you've got a wet sac!

I think inside out is the way to go...

You're screwed. I never understood bivi sacks that have their zipper on the 'top' of the bag.

And for what it is worth, Bivi sacks suck, but you seem to already know that.

Bivy sacks are the way to go if you are going light and fast. You can't beat a light bag and bivy sack. I've even done alpine this way, just dig a cave. If you are carrying a tent, don't use a bivy. If you are going light w/o a tent you shouldn't be out that long anyway. Being wet, cold, and miserable (but alive) is a trade-off for light and fast.

andrew kulmatiski wrote:Being wet, cold, and miserable (but alive) is a trade-off for light and fast.

Lol, now THAT is a classic quote!

For what its worth...
I hate one person bivy sacks. If it comes down to needing to get in the sack, then get in their with someone else and share the heat. Ortovox (yep) makes a two person emergency bag that packs down to something smaller than a water bottle. I use that... I actually take it out way more than I use it cus its so small.
I've used the one man bags, but only on walls where there was no choice for sharing.

When spooning, be the guy in back... as you can imagine, being up front takes even more out of your masculinity.

What a stupid sport... we are cold, wet, tired, potentially dieing, and everyone thinks we look like homosexuals for it all.

Sam Lightner, Jr. wrote:For what its worth... I hate one person bivy sacks.

I agree. switched to a one person tent because of the condensation, and the fact I wanted more room.

http://wildthingsgear.com/prod_mtgear.php

Look at the way the zipper crosses from one side of your body to the other then up to your head. I have spent mulpiple nights (and i only use down bags,and iam not a wall climber) in thunderstorms in this and i can keep all the vapor from breathing outside of the bag with no problem, because the opening is by my mouth. Point two, when it is raining it's 100% humid outside of the bag, the condinesation that your body makes just has no where to go, unless its a very cold rain. Then the only thing pushing the vapor is the temperature gradient.

The only real downside to this bivy is its weight, it just not light enough for some.