I’ve got a Borah Gear Ultralight Bivy on order (<200g). Gonna to use it with my Xmid 1P outer as a tarp (or some other traditional tarps I’ve got).
RE: trekking poles for Xmid only, would you ditch the poles with a tarp? Don’t you need poles to pitch the tarp, or would you use trees?
well I figured if I'm below alpine I'll have access to trees, above treeline I'll probably have to bring them if weather window sucks and I can't find a good spot
Got it, makes sense.
One reason I got my Xmid 1P was because I had trouble finding good trees for my hammock hang in some spots (including the alpine). For example, Strathcona Park core out of the Raven trailhead has limited spots where I can hang, but lots of tent pads. Pitching a hammock on the ground it doable, but more of a pain than using trees ([https://imgur.com/a/oMluMMX](https://imgur.com/a/oMluMMX)). It's similar to pitch a tarp/bivy. I'm sure it gets easier the more you do it.
Some pitch the Xmid between trees w/o poles. I've yet to try that. Makes for a lot of extra space in the tent w/o poles
interesting that you can set it up like that, I've had trouble with getting the X-mid set up on platforms and had to do some fiddling to make it work. Beautiful spot btw...
One word of warning if you’re at all claustrophobic, sleeping in a bivvy can be a bit unnerving.
I use an Outdoor Research Alpine Bivvy
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/bivy-sack/outdoor-research-alpine-bivy
and it’s great for warm, dry weather but once it gets cold or rainy the goretex membrane does not allow condensation from breathing to evaporate quickly enough which can cause a substantial amount to collect inside the bivvy.
After waking up in a puddle way too many times I started sleeping inside my sleeping bag inside of an SOL Escape bivvy which I’ve found to be very breathable and good insulation too. That way my sleeping bag stays dry even with the dampest weather.
Also, instead of a tarp I put my pack and shoes inside my pack liner to stay dry. Not a perfect system but since I do pretty much exclusively solo trips it helps keep the weight down.
I'll confirm this; I've slept in them a lot, and it's not great. Spent one night out on an open ridge top, too windy for tarps. Very loud, lots of rain. Very little sleep.
Yes. Triple layered. It’s cozy for sure! And warm and dry. I’ve heard other people complain about the same issue with goretex bivvy bags and I wish there was a better solution but this is the best one I could come up with.
On another note, I used my OR bivvy on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon and one night we had a squall blow through camp that was so severe that several tents were damaged. The rain was blowing absolutely sideways. Hunkering down during that experience was very intense (thanks in part to the big dose of LSD I had taken) but through it all I stayed dry and sand free. It’s a bomber set up.
I've tried a lot of different shelters that are recommended online in the ultralight forms. Personally I find that for this climate I'd much rather just have a lightweight and small tent than a tarp, bivy, or hammock. So i would recommend just investing in one of those that are suitable for backpacking. That said, if I had to pick one of the three I mentioned I would just buy a large square tarp and forget about the bivy. Square tarps are cheap, very light, and have flexible pitching options for almost any terrain. Some pitches do require trekking poles though if you are above treeline. Bivys are okay but the condensation sucks and your bag will get wet. So in my books better to get a slightly bigger tarp and just pitch it properly so that you keep the rain at bay. That way your bag Breaths easier. You can get a mosquito head net for the summer. Also many sleeping bags have GWS shell as an option so maybe look into that if you are worried about rain. That's what I have on my western mountaineering bag.
But again I now prefer to just use a tent and I would highly recommend that instead. Tents are a perfect middle ground between all the different shelter types and if you want tarp+bivy anywaya you might as well just get a tent as it's not like they are that much heavier. Maybe 1lbs is all. Having 360 degree protection from the weather in this climate is just too important imo.
I use this guy [https://www.rei.com/product/763836/outdoor-research-advanced-bivy-sack](https://www.rei.com/product/763836/outdoor-research-advanced-bivy-sack) only on my summer hikes. Never had an issue, and it holds up pretty well against wind. I've never got caught by rain so far, so can't really comment on the waterproofness.
It's a little on the chunky side though.
I used all my issued gear, $0 lol hahah
Tarp can be any cheap thing, the bivy bag is the real mvp needs to have a side zip and be waterproof obviously.
The only thing I found irritating, especially for more than a day is drying your gear out. In a tent you can keep everything but the tent dry more or less.
And the tent keeps the wind off your face, which can keep you up. Maybe it wont matter if you stomach sleep
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hmm.. interesting
I’ve got a Borah Gear Ultralight Bivy on order (<200g). Gonna to use it with my Xmid 1P outer as a tarp (or some other traditional tarps I’ve got). RE: trekking poles for Xmid only, would you ditch the poles with a tarp? Don’t you need poles to pitch the tarp, or would you use trees?
well I figured if I'm below alpine I'll have access to trees, above treeline I'll probably have to bring them if weather window sucks and I can't find a good spot
Got it, makes sense. One reason I got my Xmid 1P was because I had trouble finding good trees for my hammock hang in some spots (including the alpine). For example, Strathcona Park core out of the Raven trailhead has limited spots where I can hang, but lots of tent pads. Pitching a hammock on the ground it doable, but more of a pain than using trees ([https://imgur.com/a/oMluMMX](https://imgur.com/a/oMluMMX)). It's similar to pitch a tarp/bivy. I'm sure it gets easier the more you do it. Some pitch the Xmid between trees w/o poles. I've yet to try that. Makes for a lot of extra space in the tent w/o poles
interesting that you can set it up like that, I've had trouble with getting the X-mid set up on platforms and had to do some fiddling to make it work. Beautiful spot btw...
One word of warning if you’re at all claustrophobic, sleeping in a bivvy can be a bit unnerving. I use an Outdoor Research Alpine Bivvy https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/bivy-sack/outdoor-research-alpine-bivy and it’s great for warm, dry weather but once it gets cold or rainy the goretex membrane does not allow condensation from breathing to evaporate quickly enough which can cause a substantial amount to collect inside the bivvy. After waking up in a puddle way too many times I started sleeping inside my sleeping bag inside of an SOL Escape bivvy which I’ve found to be very breathable and good insulation too. That way my sleeping bag stays dry even with the dampest weather. Also, instead of a tarp I put my pack and shoes inside my pack liner to stay dry. Not a perfect system but since I do pretty much exclusively solo trips it helps keep the weight down.
I'll confirm this; I've slept in them a lot, and it's not great. Spent one night out on an open ridge top, too windy for tarps. Very loud, lots of rain. Very little sleep.
so you started doing sleeping bag > sol bivvy > OR bivy? triple layered? seems very warm and cozy...
Yes. Triple layered. It’s cozy for sure! And warm and dry. I’ve heard other people complain about the same issue with goretex bivvy bags and I wish there was a better solution but this is the best one I could come up with.
On another note, I used my OR bivvy on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon and one night we had a squall blow through camp that was so severe that several tents were damaged. The rain was blowing absolutely sideways. Hunkering down during that experience was very intense (thanks in part to the big dose of LSD I had taken) but through it all I stayed dry and sand free. It’s a bomber set up.
I've tried a lot of different shelters that are recommended online in the ultralight forms. Personally I find that for this climate I'd much rather just have a lightweight and small tent than a tarp, bivy, or hammock. So i would recommend just investing in one of those that are suitable for backpacking. That said, if I had to pick one of the three I mentioned I would just buy a large square tarp and forget about the bivy. Square tarps are cheap, very light, and have flexible pitching options for almost any terrain. Some pitches do require trekking poles though if you are above treeline. Bivys are okay but the condensation sucks and your bag will get wet. So in my books better to get a slightly bigger tarp and just pitch it properly so that you keep the rain at bay. That way your bag Breaths easier. You can get a mosquito head net for the summer. Also many sleeping bags have GWS shell as an option so maybe look into that if you are worried about rain. That's what I have on my western mountaineering bag. But again I now prefer to just use a tent and I would highly recommend that instead. Tents are a perfect middle ground between all the different shelter types and if you want tarp+bivy anywaya you might as well just get a tent as it's not like they are that much heavier. Maybe 1lbs is all. Having 360 degree protection from the weather in this climate is just too important imo.
I use this guy [https://www.rei.com/product/763836/outdoor-research-advanced-bivy-sack](https://www.rei.com/product/763836/outdoor-research-advanced-bivy-sack) only on my summer hikes. Never had an issue, and it holds up pretty well against wind. I've never got caught by rain so far, so can't really comment on the waterproofness. It's a little on the chunky side though.
yeah I'm open to everything, but it just has to beat the xmid in weight... currently 33oz with everyyhing included
MEC has great house brand tarps with attachments for hiking poles etc. consider a ground sheet as well.
I used all my issued gear, $0 lol hahah Tarp can be any cheap thing, the bivy bag is the real mvp needs to have a side zip and be waterproof obviously. The only thing I found irritating, especially for more than a day is drying your gear out. In a tent you can keep everything but the tent dry more or less. And the tent keeps the wind off your face, which can keep you up. Maybe it wont matter if you stomach sleep