Alpine bivy bag

[tibboh]

I am planning some Tassie summit overnighters and some of my targets don't have suitable tentsites, so I am thinking bivy bag. I have zero experience with them so would appreciate some advice. Goretex, eVent? Reasonable cost? Light weight is better. Any other considerations?
Cheers.

[tibboh]

anyone??????

[wayno]

LOADS OF CHOICES
DEPENDS what your budget it, event and Dr q elite are generally more breathable than other membranes, gore tex and pertex the most reliable long term
with hoop or without hoop. if you have to close it up completely, having the hylon in your face can be a bummer which is where the hooped ones can have an advantage...
weight comes down to how long you want it to last, and what you're going to be sleeping on if its going to come into contact with rock or scrub you might want to look at something with a bit of weight to it. . how much weight are you prepared to carry?
not all of the ones below are waterproof

http://www.gearbuyer.com/site/search.ht ... best_match

i got a basic one, no hoop, open face, lightweight for an emergency shelter , a rab pertex one but its not listed here
kind of like this
http://www.gearbuyer.com/products/mount ... _bivy.html

[Miyata610]

I bought one of these last year....

http://www.rockrun.com/products/Rab-Ascent-Bivi.html

It actually cost me less than £80 because they deducted the VAT.

I've used it maybe 100 days or more, I'm mostly very happy with it. The eVent is great, but I do sometimes get condensation forming on the PU coated floor. The bug net works fine, but if it rests on your face you will get mozzie bites through it. I've added a tie up point so I can suspend that area from a tarp or a walking pole to keep it off my face. I've used it totally closed up. Once you get over that suffocating feeling, its ok.

Before that I used a much heavier 100% goretex bivy without net. I still use it occasionally, especially in snow etc. I used it up at the WOJ a few weeks ago and awoke with a leech attached to my nose. Lol. (Not so funny at the time)

There is a bit of a technique required to get in and out of these things. The RAB has no side zip.

If I'm using a big mat, like my Exped UL downmat LW. I use the bivy on top of it with a groundsheet under it (tyvek or space blanket). If I use a SIM mat or CCF I use it inside the bivy.

A small (or very large) tarp makes the experience more pleasant.

As an alternative.......

I have one of these http://www.rockrun.com/products/Rab-Lat ... -Bivi.html also bought from rock+run.

It has a larger, but still small, footprint. I've used this in a blizzard and slept remarkably well. I probably avoided suffocation by my walking companion, who was using a bibler I-tent, getting up in the middle of the night to dig out both tents.

[wayno]

http://iclimb.co.nz/aus_tents.htm

CHECK OUT THE ZELT...

[wander]

I use the Bibler Bipod Bivy for the tight camp sites (on top of peaks). These are mostly Winter in the Flinders or Gammons where it works well. But if I had my choice again I would by the Tripod Bivy. We normally take a fly and rig it up as kitchen spot and have the head end of the Bivy under the fly. In Tas the fly would be a must.

[tibboh]

Thanks for the advice and links. I like the idea of a hoop. Prices aren't as bad as I thought.
Wayno I dont think the Zelt would cut it!

[etrangere]

You may want to read the Bivi Bag post on this forum

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8285&p=109549#p109549

I have the
Outdoor Research Highland bivy
Outdoor Research Deluxe bivy
Outdoor Research Alpine bivy
Integral Designs Bugaboo bivy

I posted a bit of info on them on that forum page

[tibboh]

You may want to read the Bivi Bag post on this forum

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8285&p=109549#p109549

I have the
Outdoor Research Highland bivy
Outdoor Research Deluxe bivy
Outdoor Research Alpine bivy
Integral Designs Bugaboo bivy

I posted a bit of info on them on that forum page

Cheers

[pazzar]

I've been looking at the Bibler Bipod for some adventures myself. I like the idea of headspace. I've also heard that Toddtex is a very good membrane for winter use. Keen to save some money and get me one!

[Nuts]

Nah, good in the snow, well into the minuses and dry i'd say.. but a sweatbox in our temps. My first bivy was the tripod, have a look at the bivy tents I reviewed if you want that style, tried a few over the years and they are the modern alternative.

The OR gortex or Rab event bivys are good options (for bivy style bivys) tibboh. Some sort of lightweight tarp and groundsheet makes life easier for the times you 'can' find a spot or just to jury rig over the bivy for getting in/out.

heres a RAB, think its similar to phil's but no mesh...

(a photo to add some colour )

[tibboh]

Thanks Nuts.

[wayno]

RAB and OR are both good brands.

[north-north-west]

Hard to buy, but. I've been looking around for an OR Alpine, and everyone with a sale on seems to be out of stock.

[wayno]

alpine bivy bag

http://www.gearbuyer.com/products/outdo ... _bivy.html

bivouac in nz sell it for $500

[Nuts]

Yeah, this is where things get indecisive though... the design is now aging. The Nemo LE wasn't much heavier, if you 'think' of it as a bivy rather than a tent..
Weight wise, The Nemo Gogo elite is a few 00g's lighter than the OR Alpine still... just saying. Then there is the RAB bivy/ tent things, eVent works well in bivies..

[Spartan]

Hi, Tibboh.

I have two goretex bivi bags, a One Planet and a Mountain Designs (both hoopless, neither currently available). My experience of both is now approaching twenty years' of regular use, in all seasons and climates, including winter forays in the ACT and Tasmania. I would suggest that bivi bags have their place, but that it's best to always rig a tarp overhead (I use an Australian Army hootchie), and employ a well matched sleeping bag/sleeping pad combination.

All the best.

[north-north-west]

alpine bivy bag

http://www.gearbuyer.com/products/outdo ... _bivy.html

bivouac in nz sell it for $500

That's the blue one. Blue's easy to find. I want the Alpenglow.