MYOG Drawcord Bivy

Looks good, how long did you make it?

Looks nice – what other shelter(s) are you planning on using the bivy with? My gut says watch out for spray on the bivy because of the lack of dwr on the nylon top.

It took around 4 hours to cut and sew. I sealed the seems later.
I plan to use it under an MLD monk tarp that I got here on gear swap. The description of the fabric on quest says that it does have a DWR, but I doubt that it is very "R". I haven't tried it with any rain yet, so we will see.
I got in it in the backyard yesterday when I shot the photos and it kept the mosquito swarms at bay, but boy was it toasty in there.

Matt, Some [most?] 1.1 oz uncoated nylon has a DWR.
Try dripping some water on it and see if the water beads up. If it beads up it has a DWR. Some fabric-DWR combos are better than others.
http://questoutfitters.com/uncoated_fabrics.htm#Uncoated Fabrics has 1.1 oz uncoated with a DWR.

I just put some scrap fabric under the running tap and the water was repelled quite well. I even made a little pool and it did not seep through at all. I hope the DWR doesn't affect the breathability too adversely.

How do you get in that? I have just bought the instructions for this bivy and was wondering if I could tweak the plans for a side opening.

I run and dive head first, hoping that I have enough speed to get my head to the other end of it. Kidding.
I get my pad and bag in there and just sort of start shimmying in. It's not the easiest, but it's also not a huge ordeal. There is enough room in there that I can wiggle myself in without too much hassle. You could definitely add a side zip. I just didn't want to hassle with sewing a zipper. Maybe on the next one.

Good to know. I got worried there for a second.