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I just found out about bivy sacks, what the fuck? I always thought bivy sacks were those emergency things that you wrap around you to survive until you get rescued.
I didn't know they make ones that are pretty much just a body bag where you can go in and sleep for the night.
I literally just spent $800 on a UL tent because I like being as minimalist as possible. These things just seem too perfect, what are some cons?
Showing all 16 replies.
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>>2868955
If you really want to be minimalist just dont use a tent and bring a tarp if you need rain protection
Cons of bivys; cant do anything in them, not a place to chill out of the rain, not good with heavy rain anyway as it will pool on you, no space for a bunch of stuff, and are colder and louder in heavy wind than a tent
Bivys really only have a couple uses; low profile for stealth camping, and in more serious mountaineering or for emergencies
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>>2868959
>>2868955
I think it's worth distinguishing between waterproof bivies and bug bivies since they're pretty difference in their use case.
The former have all the downside mentioned by >>2868959 and I hear condensation is also big problem. Pretty niche items as far as I can see.
I've been thinking of getting a bug bivy though. You get much the same openness to the environment as cowboy camping but without the exposure to critters (of course, in areas where bug pressure is high you'll probably want a tent anyway - bivies don't offer a place to chill out of reach of insects anymore than they offer space to chill out of the rain). Not really that much lighter than an UL tent when you account for a tarp but faster to set up (at least on days where you don't need the tarp) and I've camped in a couple of spots recently where setting up my trekking pole tent was a major hassle but I didn't want to be sleeping in the open air.
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>>2868955
>I literally just spent $800 on a UL tent because I like being as minimalist as possible. These things just seem too perfect, what are some cons?
Having no space is a big enough con to never want one if you ever hiked in non-perfect conditions. Condensation on the inside in winter also is terrible
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>>2868955
Condensation and rain are fucking awful to deal with.
I own one, I've tried it a few times in the Canadian Rockies (typically pretty dry air) but I've given up on it for anything more than a single night out. A light 2P tent is only about 1LB more and is well worth the weight on a long trip.
You can't get in/out and pack up or change clothes in a bivvy. If it's raining outside you and your gear a're getting wet. Even when it's dry outside (or snowing), I get so much condensation in one night that my sleeping bag becomes soggy and loses warmth - awful for multiple days unless you're going to be able to dry your bag in the sun in the afternoon for several hours every day. >>2868993 If it's very cold so that rain isn't an issue, in most cases you'll be better off just sleeping in the sleeping bag and avoiding all the extra condensation buildup (I've done that too, in Canada and Alaska).
The moisture issues with bivvy bags make them awful for consecutive nights because your gear just keeps getting wetter and colder each day, even if you're having good weather otherwise.
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>>2869603
I used a bivy on a multi-week trip. They are hell in rain. But if the weather is good, they are a joy because you are actually sleeping outside. You have to plan in some time to dry out the condensation. Generally I'd pull out my sleeping bag and turn the bivy inside out at lunch time and drap them in the sun for half an hour.
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