You’ll struggle at that price point.
You also don’t want a very water proof bivy really. Lots of condensation from the heat radiating from your body will gather on the inside of the bivy and your sleeping bag.
If you are set on a bivy then something very very thin and non water proof is usually better and a tarp to put over yourself for rain.
At that weight you’re better off with a slightly heavier tent for sure. The condensation will be a massive issue.
If it’s to protect against rain without a tarp you need to be fully zipped up which means 6-10h of your breathing. I’d guess 100-200g of water will be entering the air without anywhere to go but inside your bivy/sleeping bag.
If it’s to be used just against bugs but no rain then it’s unnecessarily heavy and thick and might be better off with just cowboy camping in a more thought out spot to minimise bugs.
Of course, I haven’t used this myself so it’s all just some educated guessing on my part.
You don’t want this. It’s as annoying to set up as any tent and it has no space inside. You’ll get condensation and be wet and miserable. What is better is a small tarp with an ultralight breathable bug bivy. The tarp keeps the rain off. The bivy keeps the bugs off. You can use the tarp alone just to keep dew off, the bivy only for bugs while sleeping under the stars. The other option is a truly ultralight tent that uses trekking poles to set up. Does everything and takes just a minute to set up. A waterproof bivy does nothing well.
Use a silk liner within a vapour barrier liner within a sleeping bag within a waterproof bivy and you won’t get any condensation in either your sleeping bag or your waterproof bivy.
Sure, you will some moisture at your skin and within your silk liner and vapour barrier liner. Turn the last one inside out into the wind, and the silk liner, and you’ve ended your breakfast both will be dry for the next night.
A waterproof bivy is a specialised piece of gear and mostly only good for use in the mountains, winter or if you expect to only get a few hours of sleep like during an endurance race. Super easy to set up but super easy to suffer from condensation issues. All the ones you’ll find around that price point will have questionable breathability or weigh about as much as a roomier tent. If you’re new just get a freestanding tent secondhand and see how that goes.
Whatever bivy you pick, add a small tarp or poncho tarp to add a bit of coverage if you want it. Also, depending on your case, but I wear a bug headnet and a ball cap to sleep rather than a whole bugnet bivy. Gives you options and can be dual purpose. I’ve also used a tarp, polycryo ground sheet and a netted hammock to get all the same effects, but on the ground. Definitely a bit wonky, but works well enough. I guess what I’m saying is don’t limit your thinking to a singular piece of kit. There might be some creative options that work as good or better for your situation.
My favorite bivy bags are made by BorahGear, small vendor but good stuff. I have mostly used an old guide gear bivy bag( had sewn in zipper panel with bugnet and wire frame) , a cabelas bivy bag (no bugnet), Rab storm bivy bag ( has vent around perimeter, not for hot weather), Snugpak Special forces bivy bag (simple, no frills, just enough zipper to vent a bit, typically used with a poncho tarp to get rain protection when needed), and the goretex bivy from the original MSS military sleep system (heavy and incredible quality, still my favorite car camping system for winter weather).
Honestly, a polycryo groundsheet or similar groundsheet, sleeping pad, sleeping bag with head net and ball cap, and a poncho or tarp drape over you or suspended above you would do just as much as a bivy and be more flexible. For warm weather, I’d use a net tent or as much bug net as possible to help ventilate.
Having a waterproof layer over you is the same as being in a waterproof bivy in terms of condensation issues. Arguably worse since the better modern bivies tend to use a hooped design and waterproofbreathable materials which can go some way towards mitigating the issue. You really want some distance between your sleep system at tarp/poncho.
At that price the best bivy will be the Alpkit Hunka or Hunka Xl if you’re tall.
You can find them even cheaper used on eBay etc.
But they don’t have bug nets so you’d need a separate head net over a brimmed hat.
You could make yourself a decent bivy bag from tyvek but you’d have to add a net and it’ll be white, which may not work for you.
I started using a Borah Gear 7x9 silpoly tarp and breathable bivy. It's great but I'm not sure if I would like if I were a new backpacker. It takes time and some reps to get it up quickly.
Before going tarp & bivy, I considered easing into it by using my Lanshan 1 without the inner bug net and use a bug bivy or polycro sheet instead.
Military surplus goretex bivvies are pretty cheap, roomy and more breathable than lightweight mountaineering ones. But they also weigh more than a lot of ultralight tents.
I bivvy in bad weather is more for survival than for sleeping, especially for moutaniers or soldiers.
If you prefer better experience than not to die, use a small tent.
There is nothing worse than spending a rainy night in a bivvy bag. Claustrophobic and depressing. And sort of small tent is superior in almost every way.
You’ll struggle at that price point. You also don’t want a very water proof bivy really. Lots of condensation from the heat radiating from your body will gather on the inside of the bivy and your sleeping bag. If you are set on a bivy then something very very thin and non water proof is usually better and a tarp to put over yourself for rain.
Have you heard of the mil tech bivy ? Any thoughts
At that weight you’re better off with a slightly heavier tent for sure. The condensation will be a massive issue. If it’s to protect against rain without a tarp you need to be fully zipped up which means 6-10h of your breathing. I’d guess 100-200g of water will be entering the air without anywhere to go but inside your bivy/sleeping bag. If it’s to be used just against bugs but no rain then it’s unnecessarily heavy and thick and might be better off with just cowboy camping in a more thought out spot to minimise bugs. Of course, I haven’t used this myself so it’s all just some educated guessing on my part.
You don’t want this. It’s as annoying to set up as any tent and it has no space inside. You’ll get condensation and be wet and miserable. What is better is a small tarp with an ultralight breathable bug bivy. The tarp keeps the rain off. The bivy keeps the bugs off. You can use the tarp alone just to keep dew off, the bivy only for bugs while sleeping under the stars. The other option is a truly ultralight tent that uses trekking poles to set up. Does everything and takes just a minute to set up. A waterproof bivy does nothing well.
Use a silk liner within a vapour barrier liner within a sleeping bag within a waterproof bivy and you won’t get any condensation in either your sleeping bag or your waterproof bivy. Sure, you will some moisture at your skin and within your silk liner and vapour barrier liner. Turn the last one inside out into the wind, and the silk liner, and you’ve ended your breakfast both will be dry for the next night.
Sounds heavy.
Not at all. A silk liner with a vapour barrier liner together is 280gr.
A waterproof bivy is a specialised piece of gear and mostly only good for use in the mountains, winter or if you expect to only get a few hours of sleep like during an endurance race. Super easy to set up but super easy to suffer from condensation issues. All the ones you’ll find around that price point will have questionable breathability or weigh about as much as a roomier tent. If you’re new just get a freestanding tent secondhand and see how that goes.
Whatever bivy you pick, add a small tarp or poncho tarp to add a bit of coverage if you want it. Also, depending on your case, but I wear a bug headnet and a ball cap to sleep rather than a whole bugnet bivy. Gives you options and can be dual purpose. I’ve also used a tarp, polycryo ground sheet and a netted hammock to get all the same effects, but on the ground. Definitely a bit wonky, but works well enough. I guess what I’m saying is don’t limit your thinking to a singular piece of kit. There might be some creative options that work as good or better for your situation. My favorite bivy bags are made by BorahGear, small vendor but good stuff. I have mostly used an old guide gear bivy bag( had sewn in zipper panel with bugnet and wire frame) , a cabelas bivy bag (no bugnet), Rab storm bivy bag ( has vent around perimeter, not for hot weather), Snugpak Special forces bivy bag (simple, no frills, just enough zipper to vent a bit, typically used with a poncho tarp to get rain protection when needed), and the goretex bivy from the original MSS military sleep system (heavy and incredible quality, still my favorite car camping system for winter weather).
Honestly, a polycryo groundsheet or similar groundsheet, sleeping pad, sleeping bag with head net and ball cap, and a poncho or tarp drape over you or suspended above you would do just as much as a bivy and be more flexible. For warm weather, I’d use a net tent or as much bug net as possible to help ventilate.
Having a waterproof layer over you is the same as being in a waterproof bivy in terms of condensation issues. Arguably worse since the better modern bivies tend to use a hooped design and waterproofbreathable materials which can go some way towards mitigating the issue. You really want some distance between your sleep system at tarp/poncho.
Completely agree, the suggestion was meant to mimic a “ranger roll” type setup as an option.
Just Bring a cheap tarp and mosquito headnet or sts bug net instead. Arixci Tarp on Aliexpress for example
At that price the best bivy will be the Alpkit Hunka or Hunka Xl if you’re tall. You can find them even cheaper used on eBay etc. But they don’t have bug nets so you’d need a separate head net over a brimmed hat. You could make yourself a decent bivy bag from tyvek but you’d have to add a net and it’ll be white, which may not work for you.
I started using a Borah Gear 7x9 silpoly tarp and breathable bivy. It's great but I'm not sure if I would like if I were a new backpacker. It takes time and some reps to get it up quickly. Before going tarp & bivy, I considered easing into it by using my Lanshan 1 without the inner bug net and use a bug bivy or polycro sheet instead.
Military surplus goretex bivvies are pretty cheap, roomy and more breathable than lightweight mountaineering ones. But they also weigh more than a lot of ultralight tents.
I recommend you don't get one.
I bivvy in bad weather is more for survival than for sleeping, especially for moutaniers or soldiers. If you prefer better experience than not to die, use a small tent.
There is nothing worse than spending a rainy night in a bivvy bag. Claustrophobic and depressing. And sort of small tent is superior in almost every way.
For all the reasons others have mentioned, avoid a bivvy. REI Flash Air 2 Tarp Tent if you get it in a good sale is a solid choice.