Bivvy/Bivvi/Bivy Thread

[LDmax]

What have you used, what worked, and what didn't? For what purpose? What did it cost?

Read More

 

[osprey]

My focus is for emergencies in the back country mostly while hunting. I started packing the SOL bivvy and blanket. They are very light and take up very little space in my pack. The cost was about $15 for both. In an emergency my plan is to use blanket over the bivvy either llike a blanket or fashioned into a makeshift lean to. I should break them out and thoroughly vet them but I hate to disturb the compact packaging. I have watched several vids on them and feel comfortable with what they will provide.

 

[A2theK]

I use an REI Goretex bivy bag. Make sure the seams are taped and sealed. I have used it at very high altitudes and it works great in the snow or summer. Probably weighs 2-3lbs, but well worth it. It saved my life one time on Rainier and it is perfect life insurance.

 

[Unicykle]

i change things up a bit depending on the temperature ill be in and how far or long ill be there. I like the military 3 piece sleep system giving me different combos to work with but usualy i just use the bivy and a kifaru woobie.

 

[thorborg]

Needs to be narrowed down a bit as my provisions could fill a book as things change, sometimes considerably, considering time of year, terrain, geography, transport ability and my age, to name a few. Most of my younger backpacking life was in the summer with a 8X8 tarp, net hammock, light sleeping bag. Winter, a small low profile 2 person alpine tent, (gives enough room for my back pack and wiggle room) down bag and an 8X8 tarp to cover entry and cooking area..
But now, in my 70's, its a 16 foot trailer house, and an 8 X 8 tarp, carried with a 1 1/2 ton 4X4,
But if your packing your home on your back, you manage to get buy with little and somehow never miss the "stuff"

 

[Certaindeaf]

Tauntaun ftw.

 

[91A PE]

I had the OR Alpine bivy for years and gave it to a nephew when I made the move to hammock camping. I also have the REI All Season bivy. Both are good products. The Alpine is the better bivy in my opinion because the opening has more adjustment options to deal with different weather conditions. Whichever you get, keep a small sponge in your kit to deal with condensation. You will need a poncho or groundsheet to protect the bivy. You also need a plan to protect your backpack. I carry webbing that I loop around a tree high off the ground. I clip my pack to the webbing. Bivy camping in the PNW guarantees a wet backpack. Your pack needs to be waterproofed or you need waterproof bags inside the pack. Lastly, you need to be okay hiking with a cold, heavy, wet pack. With these drawbacks, the newer one-person tents may make better sense for backpacking. I only take the bivy on daytrips when I have concerns about getting stuck on a trail or summit overnight.

 

[titsonritz]

i change things up a bit depending on the temperature ill be in and how far or long ill be there. I like the military 3 piece sleep system giving me different combos to work with but usualy i just use the bivy and a kafaru woobie.

Same here

 

[OldTengu]

EDC picture thread, empty out your pockets and show us what you carry around

Nice. Love that brand of mechanical pencil I'll try one. I buy the pens in bulk.

www.northwestfirearms.com

Usually just this. Gotten me through quite a few nights outside.

 

[The Heretic]

Ecotat Bivy/Poncho/Shelter

I have used this as a sleeping bag bivy without the poles, and as a bivy shelter with the poles, several times, only a few times in slight precip, not heavy - but I would bet that it works fine in heavy rain (proof is in the eating of the pudding though).

I have tried it on as a poncho, but have not worn it for any length of time. I have it in my GHB supplies in my daily driver.

 

[User 1234]

If you qualify for Expert Voice get a bivy there. Outdoor Research and other brands sell there at large discounts.

 

[Patriot1775]

USGI Gore-tex sleeping bag bivy cover and a USGI woobie (poncho liner)

 

[Andy54Hawken]

USGI Gore-tex sleeping bag bivy cover and a USGI woobie (poncho liner)

Another vote for this set up.
These are very good....Got mine from my Uncle Sam...so I do not know how much they cost.
Light weight , easy to take of and stow in your ruck.
Andy

 

[No_Regerts]

Thread title reminds me of a group from my childhood:

 

[LDmax]

Quality

 

[Idaho44]

Thoughts for a 'bivy':
sitting up or lying down,
terrain e.g. forest, rocky ground or ledge, swampy etc.
season - climatic conditions,
length of time spent in bivouac conditions
emergency or planned
natural enhancements - overhangs, caves etc

Some form of sack works, even large garbage bags (lawn waste). But insulation from the ground is nice. A ''string" hammock can be a nice option. Especially with wet ground or a shallow snow pack.

 

[LDmax]

I'm afraid to fall asleep in a garbage bag, I might wake up in a landfill in China

 

[The Heretic]

Some form of sack works, even large garbage bags (lawn waste). But insulation from the ground is nice. A ''string" hammock can be a nice option. Especially with wet ground or a shallow snow pack.

One year I was snow camping near Mt. Bachelor. Temps were well below freezing and we got two feet of snow in one night. I built an igloo/snow cave the day before and I had a shelf I was going to sleep on.

I had brought a goretex tent just in case. But I was really stupid and forgot to bring a sleeping pad. I had a 4 season bag, and I laid it on top of the tent which was laid on the shelf flat. It was very cold without that insulation from the snow.

 

[upstate88]

I have really only used two bivys. The first was the Gortex one I had in the Army, and the other is a high end OR one. Never had an issue with the military Gortex bag, but seem to get some condensation with the OR.

 

[P7M13]

I'm afraid to fall asleep in a garbage bag, I might wake up in a landfill in China

That would be that island of plastic in the middle of the Pacific.