So the quick question is:
— what products (if any) compete directly with the Mountain Laurel Designs Superlight bivy:
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=30&osCsid=62896d33afead32d2675b4aaf27bc111
The broad question is, will something like that serve my needs?
Background:
– me = 5'8" 145 lb
– bags = Western Mountaineering HighLite & Marmot Helium
– pads = maximum would be Ultralite 3/4 + GG ThinLight + GG NightLight torso
– tents = BD Firstlight, Rab Summit Extreme, and often various friends' various tents out west
Goals:
– keep down sleeping bags dry when sleeping in snow shelters
– keep down sleeping bags dry if whether is so wet that chance of BD Firslight failure or even just rain sneaking into the Rab during camper's entry/exit
– provide a bit of additional warm by having something that go on the outside of all three pads & bag and hence keep everything together more consistently
– maybe actual bivy use in good conditions, or as an emergency backup
I've used a BD Winter Bivy a couple times, and although I like Epic material for an old Wild Things windshirt that I often use for biking & xc skiing (though I've been using a Montane for ski mountaineering now, or a Helly Hanson Mars for when I think it will just stay in my pack all day), and in the Firstlight tent in certain conditions, I find that the Winter Bivy in colder conditions creates some condensation on the inside of the bivy, and hence on the outside of the bag. So far it hasn't ever wetted the insulation, but I'm still nervous about that.
At first I thought the logical upgrade would be an Event bivy, but given that I don't plan to bivy in rain, I was thinking the the MLD Superlight bivy would meet all my goals yet be even lighter.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
