Tarp and Bivy Users (Past and Present)

I use a S2S Escapist Tarp (6.5'x8.5') as my primary wind/rain shelter I started with a Helium II bivy but found it too heavy and condensation was a major problem even with the hood up. I switched to an AMK SOL Escape Bivy and S2S Nano Bugnet. and I love it. The Escape Bivy is very breathable, adds more warmth to my quilt (Thermarest Auriga 35F) than a silk liner I tried(took it down to 28F and suspect I could take it down to 20), and very water resistant. It is my primary ground cloth for my Neoair Xlite. Even if the ground is soaked I haven't had any issues with the Tyvek/mylar? material soaking through. If it is too cold for my quilt and puffy, or the wind is blowing rain under my already low pitched tarp, I just get inside it and all is well. After roughly 60 nights on/in this bivy I have yet to see any signs of serious wear. it comes in at 8.56 ounces with the .28oz stuff sack They also make a 4.7oz one that has slightly thinner material, lacks the zipper and draw cord hood, and is $10-$15 cheaper. For $50 I highly recommend at least giving it a try if you need to add warmth to your sleep system(protect your quilt from drafts) and protect from backsplash for a similar weight to a tyvek groundsheet.

I suspect there could be more tent users because the choice of UL tents has improved, esp ones made from cuben. When I bought my tarp+bivy it was lighter than the tent options (maybe only marginally), I can't think of a full cuben tent that was on sale at the time. These days if I picked purely on weight a tent would prob win. But I still prefer my tarp+bivy for solo trips, not because it's lighter (it's not, even in cuben), but because it doesn't shut me out of the outdoors. There aren't many tents you can sit and watch the rain 360 degrees around you, while eating dinner and reading a book. There's sadly a lack of tents with decent awnings. Also, tarps are better for odd pitches in tight spots, all I need to worry about is a space flat and big enough for my pad + bivy bag, doesn't matter if it's right next to a tree or slope, I know with a bit of fiddling I can always get the tarp over me. Once you start trying to get a single wall tent into the same spot, you're having to stamp down bushes, and it's tough to get a tight pitch on uneven ground, and in the process you can often overstrain the connection of the floor to the walls (usually just mesh). Stil prefer a tent when there's lots of bugs though, never really got to like wearing a head net. Oddly that means I would pick the tarp+bivy for colder weather, tent for warmer – I also find a bivy warmer and less drafty than a UL tent.

I've used a tarp and bivy for a while now and it meets my needs well. Like others, I choose between a breathable bivy and a net tent depending on location and conditions. My tarp is an older version of the silnylon Yama Cirriform. It weighs 11.7 ounces with guylines(Zing-It) and a noseeum stuff sack that I made for it. The specs for the new Cirriform are quite a bit higher on the Yama site, though. In the summer here in the Northeast, or any other hot/humid climate, I use the old version of the MLD serenity net. Here it is on the Western Uplands trail in Algonquin. If I'm backpacking in an area with lower humidity, I use a Superlight bivy from MLD. I've experienced only a small amount of condensation inside the bivy (once out of dozens of nights), but I would still take the net whenever I hike in the East or Midwest or in any other conditions that include humid nights. Here is the combo in Iceland, pitched low for rain and wind. With the bivy in a low-bug environment I can leave it unzipped or lie on top of it like a groundsheet. It's easy to sit up under the Cirriform to read, eat or change. Here is an older pic of the Superlight in Big Bend.

Borah gear bug bivy Katabatic gear Bristlecone bivy

Joe, what kind of magic are you using to keep that pole up? :) I have been doing a lot searching on bivy use in winter and came across some of your old posts. Any update on your winter system? How the eVENT bivy is working? Pics of your setups? I am excited for winter this year. I may pic up a mid for really bad weather but I do plan to start out with my tarp/bivy combo.

Lol @ magic. I just push the tip into the ground and it stays like that. Have not had a problem yet. Sorry I have no pictures of the event bivy this past winter. I did get to use it in a nice snow storm while hiking up Hunter Mountain around midnight, but it was in a lean to, so I didn't bother taking any pictures. I also used it in my yard over 2 other nights, but no pictures. I do plan on using it again this winter and will be getting out some more nights with it (more then last year). From the few nights I did sleep in it, it worked well. There was minimal condensation in the morning, nothing that would concern me anyway. I am happy with it to date and like I said, I will continue to use these setups for some time. Here is a picture of the shelter in the morning. You can't see my bivy in there but notice the snow blown in the front end of shelter. Everyone's bags were covered in snow from the drift getting blown in.

@ Joe Nice setup! Where were the first pictures (with the bug bivy and Bristlecone) taken? Makes me want to get out more this fall.

I move around to much but I like the idea of lifting it up with the pole like that. I need to play around with this setup, thanks for the idea. Do you use a down bag/quilt in the winter? My only concern is condensation but might not be a big deal with a full eVENT bivy and a tarp to help move the dew point from what I am reading. Appreciate the info Joe.

Jeff: "Do you mean the golite hex 3? At 30 plus ounces just for the tent, Ill pass on that one." Mine is 26.5oz plus 5oz for the pole (GG lightrek + extender), yes. "the floor is another 20 and its big enough for 3 people." The insert we made with tyvek and noseeum weighs 18oz. It sleeps two. With stakes it comes out at 26oz each for a roomy, stormworthy and bugproof setup. A bit on the heavy side I agree, but it keeps the missus happy. Does your tarp + bivy + groundcloth + poles + stakes weigh less than 26oz? Come shoulder season camping in Scotland with us for a week, there's room in the hex 3 porch for a refugee if you get hypothermic ;-)

@jacob…the first set of pictures with the Borah gear bug bivy were taken about 3 or 4 weeks ago on the Timp, in Harriman State park, NY. The second set, with the Bristlecone bivy was taken last October while hiking the West Rim trail in Pennsylvania. @Jef..yes I use enlightened equipments enigma pro down quilts.

@Rog…the full event bivy weighs about 24 ounces and the solo grace weighs 5.9 ounces. NO, it certainly is not the lightest option, but for me it is the easiest and fastest. My winter pack weighed in at about 16 lbs with food and water if I remember correctly..not 100% sure, but about that. And that was with my snow shoes strapped on back of my pack. Again for me, that works and I enjoy it..yes there are lighter options.. My pack before I left for hunter mountain trip. I did leave the shovel at home..no need to bring that this time..

Rog, understand about making the wife happy. The more I think about this the more I think it comes down to style. The weight can be equal or maybe less with a single wall tent these days. I have always been a cowboy camper starting back when my friends and I use to car camp every weekend in our youth. I feel much more connected and love the simplicity of it. Plus its more versatile to me and gives me options. A tent you only have 2 options, set it up or not. I can use just the bivy, just the tarp, both or just use the bivy as a groundsheet and stay out of it if the weather is great. No wrong answer, just personal preference. I have enjoyed reading everyones responses on this subject. Joe, same quilt I am looking to get. Little thread jack here but how true to temp ratings do you find it? Do you have all 10d fabric?

I used the 10 degree to about 0 degrees…in the bivy..with my down jacket and pants. I was very very warm! It's 10d..with the optional 20d foot and head area..

Jeff: "The more I think about this the more I think it comes down to style." And climate. We Brits have frequently unpredictable and occasionally ferocious weather to deal with, especially near the western coasts where the most panoramic hill walking is found. But it's not all gloom and rain over here. On fair weather evenings, we can open up two sides of the hex 3 and enjoy the views, or even just use the MYOG bugtent for stargazing. So we have the same options, just less chances to use the open plan ones. ;-) A great feature of the Hex 3 I discovered is that if the wind direction changes in the night, to put the entrance out of the wind, you can leapfrog the tent tie-outs round the stakes from inside the shelter without having to remove and reset them.

@ Joe "Rog…the full event bivy weighs about 24 ounces and the solo grace weighs 5.9 ounces. NO, it certainly is not the lightest option, but for me it is the easiest and fastest. " Fast is key, and one of the joys of the Hex 3. Like I said, 90 seconds from pulling it out of the pack to ducking inside a stormproof 4 season shelter. Snow doesn't make you wet as quick as a sudden British August downpour. :-) Impressive packweight for a winter trip with snowshoes included! I have an EE quilt on the way too. Tim Marshall is a great guy, he made me a down quilt to my spec 7 years ago, and when I asked him to quote me for a restuff recently, he insisted on swapping my old for (higher spec) new, as it was the first down quilt he ever made. It's going on display at his new facility.

Rog, bad storm rain or snow certainly sounds more pleasent to wait out in a tent but….. I still think its personal style/preference. What one is comfortable in and what one is willing to suffer through are very subjective. I have been really pushing my limits lately, climbing higher and reaching out of the way places. For me personally, the bivy and tarp set up helps me find my limits. I want to push further and experience it in snow and severe storm for myself. I kinda go by, you dont know till you try. When I come back from that edge I may find that I really would prefer the extra living space a shelter provides in that situation. But knowing I can survive from my skill set in that situation is certainly priceless for me.

Fair play to you Jeff, I admire your grit. Now I'm getting a bit creaky following various crashes and falls over the years, reducing my chance of getting a soaking is higher on my list. As you said earlier, we have differing styles, and reasons for them.

Cheers Rog. We all have our habits for a reason. Right now I am in a phase of exploring my limits and pushing the envelope. Caution is not thrown to the wind but some comfort is. Although in most 3 season experiences for me in my climate. A tarp and bivy is not really pushing things and is very comfortable for me. Maybe I need to leave the tarp at home on the next trip ;)

I still use a bivy when solo tripping (it's a no go with the wife :) ). When most of the day is going to be spent hiking or running (or a combination thereof) I usually grab my eVENT bivy- it's light, it's easy and I can setup anywhere. I'll also use it in the winter when using snow caves or trenches. The rest of the time I'm using a 7×9 cuben tarp w/ a cuben bivy- this combo offers a lot of flexibility and allows me to keep my base weight in or around the 5 lb mark With my wife it's a tent and in the winter when I'm not constructing a natural shelter, it's a tent.