Bivys on the AT

[Albin Kowalewski]

Anyone have any experience with bivys on the AT, the titanium goat bivy in particular? Are they too muggy in August?

I'm planning a 2009 SOBO thruhike and can't decide whether to bring a homemade screened in tarp or a bivy (with a small tarp for added protection). I like the bivy idea since I can use it in a shelter for bug protection if need be.

Thoughts? Recommendations? Any for sale?

Thanks for the help.

[Jason Brinkman]

I have no experience on the AT, and little experience in warm humid locales with a bivy, but I do own a TiGoat Ptarmigan bivy. It seems to breathe as well as anything that I have used, including my other bivy, which is made of eVENT.

The full bug netting option on the Ptarmigan would seem like a really good add-on if you are using it to keep bugs and rodents away in warm and humid locales. I believe if I were looking for a setup for Georgia in August, it would be a silk mummy liner and a TiGoat Ptarmigan bivy.

Another benefit of the bivy is that you can use it in a shelter if desired. Might be a nice option during thunderstorms? Tough to do that with a screened tarp.

[Misfit Mystic]

Hi Albin,

I've done quite a bit of AT section hiking, and I've used bivys for some. Haven't used a Ti Goat bivy; I'm using an homemade Momentum/silnylon bivy, which should have similar breathability. It's great October thru May, but in the summer it gets pretty sticky in there!

For these really hot hikes, I've been using a Sea to Summit sleep screen; pretty simple and at about 35 bucks, pretty inexpensive. It allows any cooling breezes in while keeping the skeeters and blackflies at bay. It also can be easily used in a shelter for bug pro; I also sometimes just drape it over me during meals if the biters get bad!

Along with Jason, I agree that some bug pro and a silk mummy liner are about all you need down south in the summer. Although I usually just zip the legs on my saharas, put on a long sleeve shirt, and crash! Except this year; I'm cureently planning a SUL solar AC! ;) It's gonna be a scorcher this summer, but at least my pack weight will be down; if the temp keeps rising, I won't need anything but my Steripen and a loincloth by August!

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