Bivy sacks

[trebor]

if you want something about the same weight of a bivy, the room of a tent and sets up pretty fast - take a look at Zpack's Hexamid with carbon fiber pole option: http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml

[pickupel]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the suggestions. I love the look of the MLD eVENT bivy — the only downside is that I'm based in the UK and while I don't mind paying for shipping, my experience of ordering expensive gear from overseas suggests that I'll get stung with import fees. I usually end up making a couple of trips over to the US a year, but I think commitments in the UK mean that I won't be back over until the Tour Divide itself. As for the ZPacks Hexamid, the same restrictions apply.

I think Bartspedden makes some good points — I usually alternate between a bivy and a tent for bikepacking / hiking trips depending on desired speed and forecast. In a race situation I'd almost always go for a bivy, but I've while I've been on longer bike tours, I've never raced for 20-25 days straight. I love the idea of getting weight down to a minimum, but I know that if I'm faced by a week plus of rain and all I've got is a small bivy then I might end up cutting down riding time to stay indoors and dry out. Tough decision!

Have any of you guys raced the Tour Divide, or raced for longer than a week in changing conditions? If so, what did you go for? Does anyone have direct experience with the GoGo? I'm very interested if the claimed weight of 600g is accurate, less interested if it is closer to 700g. Also, if anyone knows of any bivys that are lighter than the MSR AC, have a bug net, are fully waterproof and available in the UK then let me know

Thanks again for the help,

Ed
 

[mattyp]

i have the gogo ex;  its a really great little tent.  i didn't care about weight too much and it packs up as small as pretty much everything else.  the one i have is a mesh fabric with a rain fly; so it's a little heavier and bigger than the standard gogo; it is a little more prone to condensation than a tent, but not as bad as a bivy.  i can even change clothes in it or read which is a nice feature.  the weight listed seems pretty accurate.  there are some extra pieces and the compression sack that nemo gives with the gogo is too much, so i just put it in a sil-nylon sack.  i might go with something lighter, but after using the gogo it would be really hard to go with less headroom (for me).

[bartspedden]

Have any of you guys raced the Tour Divide, or raced for longer than a week in changing conditions? 

I spent a little over 8 days on the CTR. Had 3 nights of rain, one pretty bad. I used an ultralight non-waterproof, but breathable and bug-proof bivy with a mylar bivy sack for the rain.  The mylar bivy basically failed for me because of the massive amounts of condensation. My current setup is the same ultralight bivy with a tarp.

[pickupel]

Since I last posted I've been told that the MSR AC bivy doesn't breath at all, so it could be off the table for me. I think the RAB Alpine bivy — made of eVENT — could be quite a good bet. Anybody got any experience with that? I think a tarp can be a great solution for the venting issues with bivy sacks, but I'm not sure that I'm willing to mess around setting one up after well over 100 miles on the bike.

I'm still undecided on the GoGo — I've heard nothing but good things. Mattyp, is it possible to use it without pegs? Does the airbeam support itself, or will it fall over if it isn't pegged out? I'm just thinking that leaving the pegs behind could be one way to cut a few grams.

[mattyp]

you do need pegs or i guess you could guy line it out;  but it is not freestanding.you could also use it as a bivy but it would be on your face.  the feet end also needs a stick to support it, i found some light aluminum poles that work perfect and cost about $1.30.  I think most of the bivies that have a little area over your face are around the same weight as a gogo.  i would say any of them are probably good;  i almost went for the rab as well.  the gogo does pack smaller since there are no long poles,  some of the other hooped bivies have a length of pole that you'd have to pack in your frame bag.  if you are looking for weight there are some 1 person tents that weight less than some of the hooped bivies; including the gogo;  but packability i think is also important for bikepacking since the space is more limited than backpacking.

[bartspedden]

I hear you pickupel on not wanting to setup a tarp at the end of a big day.  That's why the tarp is such a great option, I don't set it up unless I need to, choosing instead to just crash in the bivy most nights. My bivy is the Titanium Goat Ptarmigan and weighs 206g with bug netting and stuff sack. My tarp is 210g. While set up is a pain, I'm very thankful to be able to get out of the rain and still have some workable space without condensation issues.  Plus my tarp is is also a poncho so if I get stuck in a hour long down pour I can get some quick shelter too while waiting out the storm! But if I was expecting lots of rain on a race I think I would just opt for a small ultralight double wall tent.

[pickupel]

Thanks again for the help guys. I think I'm going to go with the RAB alpine bivy — I've heard enough good things about eVENT to be confident in it's breathability. I think the GoGo looks great for what it is, but I think it's just a bit too heavy for use during a race — even one as long as the TD. The RAB bivy doesn't have a mosquito net built in, but I think if I take a mosquito head net that will do the trick. I'll be able to get plenty of experience of how it copes in the rain during the coming British winter!

[bartspedden]

The Rab bivy has always looked like a great piece of gear to me. Let us know how you like it!

On another note, one tent that recently caught my eye for wet weather is the MSR Carbon Reflex. You can use it with just the poles/floor/rain-fly and the weight comes in at 688g. Not too shabby for all that room. I'd like to set the tent up in a store and see what it's like

[ascar_larkinyar]

after wearing out my old and heavy tent, bivy, tarp...etc.  and being very poor currently(more biking than working), i replaced everything with tyvek and made a tyvek bivy that has a mat pocket underneath.  holds everything together, breathable and waterproof(so far).  the tarp and bivy has kept me dry on medium down pour.  washing it made it a lot less noisy with is the only drawback.   but being able to custom make everything is a big bonus too.

[Ogre]

I recently did an overnight with a friend who was new to bikepacking, well we're both new to it but this was his first trip. He opted to use a 'waterproof' breathable emergency bivy, I used an OR Alpine. It rained. His bivy leaked badly and he spent most of the night trying to keep a fire going. I woke up in the morning and my bag was bone dry. I think the added weight/cost of a good bivy/sleep system is worth carrying unless the goal is to race with minimal sleep/maximum speed...I like to enjoy all aspects of the trip.

[Rob Colliver]

I still can't find a better sleep shelter than this http://www.uttingsoutdoors.co.uk/Product/193/107760/terra-nova-laser-photon-1-tent-2011-43lpus/
I would love to go bivvi on my next TD, but everything about this tent keeps on winning. The packability is the only issue and now I've got the pole stored elsewhere, it packs even smaller.

[mtnbound]

Although the OP was limited to items he could get in the UK, he may want to consider the Contrail tarptent, if it is available in the UK.  I used it in the CTR and it worked great, rain or not. It's light (24 oz), similar to bivy /tarp combo and it only takes 90 seconds to set up. It's the pretty packable and has tons of room for a one person tent.

[bmike-vt]

Although the OP was limited to items he could get in the UK, he may want to consider the Contrail tarptent, if it is available in the UK.  I used it in the CTR and it worked great, rain or not. It's light (24 oz), similar to bivy /tarp combo and it only takes 90 seconds to set up. It's the pretty packable and has tons of room for a one person tent.

love mine.
the moment, which works well with drop bars to the packed length, goes up even faster. friend has one and loves it thus far. he'll be using it on TD next year.

[pickupel]

Hey Guys,

I thought I'd keep you updated. When I last posted I'd just about committed to the RAB Alpine bivy. However, like any decision where you're teetering between a couple of options, I kept rethinking it. Fortunately I ended up talking to a guy who had used both the RAB Alpine and the Nemo GoGo — the other bivy I'd been considering. He recommended the Nemo over the RAB every day of the week, even if it comes at a weight penalty of ~150g. His reasoning was that while for a short fast weekend race the RAB would be great, rest on an event like the TD is crucial. I gave it some thought and in the end ordered the GoGo. I think that if the GoGo lets me sleep better and push harder the weight penalty isn't so great I can't make it up by packing lighter in other areas.

For those of you recommending the Contrail tarptents I think they look awesome ... but again not available in the UK! I think the GoGo will come in at around 650g (23oz) — so on a par with some of these.

[bartspedden]

Nice call on the GoGo! For me, higher quality seems to be more important then lots of sleep. That's why I went with a full length sleeping pad too. I'm using the same mentality of making up for the extra weight in other areas too.

[Blammo]

love mine.
the moment, which works well with drop bars to the packed length, goes up even faster. friend has one and loves it thus far. he'll be using it on TD next year.

I had some problems keeping the Contrail from blowing over in extreme winds.  Also, the claimed adjustability is really only achieved if you have adjustable poles such as hiking poles.

[bmike-vt]

I had some problems keeping the Contrail from blowing over in extreme winds.  Also, the claimed adjustability is really only achieved if you have adjustable poles such as hiking poles.

I could see an issue in an open field in extreme wind if you aren't pitched with the foot into the wind.  I was surprised at how well mine did on an exposed site during a rain storm. I should have changed the pitch as I set it up foot into the wind before our fire, and things shifted as I went to bed.

Adjustability is mainly in the rear with the struts. Storm pitch or open. For the front, just add a stone or rock or something under the pole to tighten it up.

I built a slightly thicker front pole. Stiffer than the stock, still packs small.

[benajah]

Its not the most lightweight option, but I have been using an Outdoor Research Advanced Bivy for about 10 years. It is a fairly heavy duty bivy with a hooped head area. For me it is the best of three worlds. Sets up quick like a bivy, gives a tiny bit of headroom like a tent (I cant go to sleep without reading for a few minutes, a quirk) and is built to be really durable. Its quite pricy, pushing 300 bucks, but a very good bit of gear.
Ive had the same one for 10 years, including 4 of those years being used in US Army Infantry duty, and its still going strong.

[Ole]

I am considering riding the Am Tran Bike Race in June and am looking at my equipment to use. Has any one used a bivy bag with a puffy down jacket instead of a sleeping bag? I think the jacket would be thicker for the same weight and bulk and keep your core body temperature warmer.