EISPIRATEN

Hey all i was wondering if any one could provide any info on bivy's.
I want to know whats good for winter. Im gonna go look at some this weekend. But i dont know much about em, except they are better to haul then a tent!
Thanks
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I have the REI minimalist bivy and love it for three seasons (fall, spring, summer).

I also have an Alpine bivy sac which I really like. Used it on Shasta and it was nice.

The only problem with these two bivy sacs is there is no pole to hold the bivy sac (netting area) away from your face. So if it snows during winter, the snow will collect and press against your face.

I jsut picked up a sweet solo tent which is just barely 2lbs and plan to use that during my winter adventures.

Black diamond has a winter bivy sac that is 9 oz. You should look into that one.

I've got an OR Aurora bivvy (which by no means indicates I have broad knowledge of the general subject). It's not high end, but it works.

Here's my experience with a bivvy:
Upside:
-Light weight
-Relatively compact (as compared to a tent).
-Provides wind and rain shell (to a point; not as good as a tent).

Downside:
-Condensation problems (internally)
-Not as warm as a tent (in my experience)
-Not as water proof (generally, depending on which tent used for comparison)
-Confined space -- no space to hang out if it rains or snows which can be important in winter. Being trapped in a bivvy for a couple of stormy days is no way to go.

EnFuego wrote:I jsut picked up a sweet solo tent which is just barely 2lbs and plan to use that during my winter adventures.

A 2lbs four season tent?! Wow, what did you get?

Not 4 season for most folks!!!

Hell, a light tarp is 4 season. It's all in the mindset.

FWIW, and I don't think what I'm saying here is worth much, but I've got a UK Army issue bivy sack. Goretex, super simple, just a draw at the top. I use it all the time. If I had down pants, jacket, and booties, I'd rock that with the bivy sack without a tent or sleeping bag here in winter, both as a bivy setup ("emergency"), and also for 2-3 day trips where you aren't hanging out in camp a heck of a lot.

I cant stand them. I need some room to roll around. Except for the days when it is actually storming, a basic 1 man 3 season tent like enfuego mentioned is more than enough in the local mountains.

My needs arent huge 5-7 hours sleep. over nighters only i aint the roughing it in the woods type. Im gonna go to rei sunday and look at the minimlalist and black diamond.
thanks guys

My dream set up http://www.junglehammock.com/models/nor ... /index.php

I couldn't afford it, so I settled for a Singlenest. sleeping on the ground is not a favorite activity of mine.