Tarp/bivvy in extended rain

Sounds like equipment failure to me. I have used a tarp and an Integral Designs eVENT bivy in days of rain without any leaking.

Was the Contrail seamsealed? What was the Cabela's overbag made of?

Hard to really know if it is equipment failure. You never said if the Contrail was seam sealed or not. But even a seam sealed tent will leak if enough rain falls and humidity remains high. And sometimes you can’t really tell if it is rain from without or moisture from within. Remember every time you brush the edge of a tent you help moisture along.

I’ve used my Tarptent Virga in truly cruddy heavy rain weather (my trip with Ryan Jordan along the Lost Coast of California comes to mind). the real problem that time was not enough space to get away from the sides.Ryan was using a tiny tarp and bivy on that trip and his problems were worse. Had I to do that trip over again a bit more space under cover would be a good thing.

I can tell you that I’ll take my MLD Trailstar with a bug bivy to Scotland for next year’s TGO should I be able to attend. I’ll use the Trailstar this fall on some Michigan hikes too (probably without a bivy as the bugs ought to be gone by then).

I’ve taken my Tarptent Virga to Isle Royale several times and been happy with it.

Jeff,

Having just spent 12-13 hours under my tarp and bivy this past weekend just below Mt. Whitney at Trail Camp (12k ft), the biggest issue that I would have is the lack of ability to move around and sit up.

My friends had a Gatewood Cape and a MLD Duo Mid.

I was quite envious of their ability to sit up and move around a bit where I was limited to laying on my side in my open bivy….if I had raised the height of my bivy more, I might have been able to sit up, but at the expense of losing wind protection.

I think that the bivy and tarp worked fine for me. I stayed warm and dry (I have an eVent MLD Bivy). However the better question might be, "How comfortable you will be with that much time being "stuck" in or under your shelter?"

Having experienced 12-13 hrs laying in my bivy under my tarp, I would shudder to think what 38 hours might be like.

Maybe it is time for me to invest in a video iPod…carry a book….bring my wife with me to pass the time. :)

Ask for your question, I do have a Contrail and I have also used it in a storm…depending on how hard the rain was failing, I guess it might be possible for the pressure per sq inch on the silnylon might force water through the fabric.

There are so mnay variables that it makes it hard to answer the question….if there are hard winds blowing the rain sideways, then in a tarp you are really relying on your bivy for a lot of protection….in that case an eVent bivy would be the way to go vs. a water resistant bivy.

Size of tarp too can give a lot more protection, if it is big enough to be pinned down to the ground on the edges and the back end….leaving just the front/head end open. Problem with this again is that you might have very little to no room to sit up.

Seam sealing is important too.

Anyway, I am rambling, but the answer is going to be maybe, depending on size of tarp/tarp configuration, and how water prrof/water resistant is your bivy.

-Tony

I have no idea. If I am only carrying a tarp and bivy, it's because I am trying to cut weight so I can hike all day. By the time I hit camp, I set up the tarp and fall asleep.

If I am planning on sitting around camp, why cut weight? I just pack in my 5 pound double wall 2 person tent and lounge in comfort.

"If I am only carrying a tarp and bivy, it's because I am trying to cut weight so I can hike all day. By the time I hit camp, I set up the tarp and fall asleep.

If I am planning on sitting around camp, why cut weight? I just pack in my 5 pound double wall 2 person tent and lounge in comfort."

The number of times we have been *stuck* in one place due to rain swollen rivers…it's all well and fine to plan on hiking all day, but I take the OP's question to mean what if you really CAN'T hike and have to stay in one place??? A tarptent like the Contrail is designed to be a "three season" tent. It does have it's limitations, one of which is that silnylon is not 100% waterproof under any conceivable conditions. For this reason (and hiking in a part of the world that can get unexpected torrential rains and winds from any direction), I would never leave home without a bivy bag, no matter if I am taking a tarp, tarptent, four season tent, or planning on staying in a hut. YMMV.

Lynn – what kind of Bivvy Bag are you currently using? Thanks,

David, it's an MYOG cuben/momentum. Not suitable for sleeping in the rain without a shelter of some sort, but great for keeping condensation, leaks and drafts at bay.

This weekend was a classic trip where I was thankful I had a bivy and torso-sized Ridgerest with me. We were *planning* on staying in a hut on Saturday night, but arrived to find it way over-full. We were able to sleep on the covered verandah on the leeward side of the hut. I don't know what we would have done without the bivies…

Thanks Lynn.

When my bag has gotten wet while in a bivy is when a foot or so of the foot end has slipped out from under cover during the night or when the foot end has been touching against a sagging wall with condensation. An easy solution is to have a piece of waterproof fabric like cuben, spinn cloth, or coated nylon form a two or three foot pocket to go over the feet. For example take five feet of fabric, turn one end back two feet and sew along the edges for two feet to form a pocket. You have a three foot long ground cloth with a two foot pocket for the end of your bivy and bag to slide into.

We’ve been using tarps and bivy bags in the Tongass for years. It rains a lot here. Two weeks ago we set off on a kayak trip and were stopped for 3 days waiting for a storm. Our friends thought we would be soaked, but the tarps kept us dry, Oware drawcord bivy and, for hiking Oware tarp; WxTex for kayaking.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

The bivy sack was a Cabela's XPG bivy sack, made from a material they call "Dry-Plus".

The owner of the Tarptent Contrail and the XPG said it was the seams at the foot of the bivy that leaked. He never checked to see if they needed sealing before the trip.

We weren't stuck in camp for the straight 36 hours. We hiked during the day, even in the rain, which was light to moderate, but at times accompanied by decent winds at the top of the Minong ridge.

It started raining Wednesday night at about 8:30pm. We were up the next morning and broke camp, and hiked from 9am until 3pm or so along the Minong trail from Little Todd to Lake Desor. We had water proof clothing (jackets and rain pants), but we all walked into North Lake Desor campground damp, either from the DWR wetting through, or our own perspiration.

We all set up our tents in the rain, warmed up, made some hot dinner, then retired to our shelters. We were up the next morning (Friday) and back on the trail by 8:30am. The rain finally stopped at about 11:30 am.

My wife and I slept in an REI Quarterdome UL tent. We each had down sleeping bags (her a REI Blue Kazoo +15, me a REI Halo +40) and REI Light-core 1.5 pads. I had a footprint made of tyvek under the cloth. My wife and I are definitely not UL packers at this time.

Although the floor of the tent and a couple inches up the sides felt damp on the inside, we kept our down bags away from the sides and our mats kept us off the tent floor.

I've been considering things like a tarp and a bivy like the North Face Flight, which uses their HyVent material. How does that compare to EVent?

I'd hate to find myself inside that bivy with my down bag getting wet. That would spell a world of trouble. Perhaps I should save a little more / longer and get an EVent based bivy instead?

Jeff

"I've been considering things like a tarp and a bivy like the North Face Flight, which uses their HyVent material. How does that compare to EVent?"

Ones breathable (eVENT) and one is not (HyVent).

FamilyGuy:

Ahhh. See, when I see words like "Vent" in a product/technology name, I foolishly assume it has something to do with ventilation, i.e. breathability. Silly me!

I guess I'll have to save (a lot of ) pennies for something like the Rab Superlight eVent or the Integral Designs South Col in eVent if I want something as close to "bomb proof" as one can get in a light bivy. *sigh*

HyVent is breathable, just not as much so as eVENT.

Okay, let me rephrase what I said. eVENT as used in a bivvy will not create any condensation unless in extreme conditions. Hyvent as used in a bivvy is guaranteed to create condensation in all conditions.

Hyvent is breathable for no human ;)

I would strongly recommend saving for the ID eVENT bivy that suits your needs, I have been totally satisfied with mine and in some fairly harsh weather in remote BC locales.

I would, as a first choice, for tough weather, go with an ID Siltarp III plus and ID eVENT Unishelter and this rig WILL work perfectly in weeklong rainstorms with temps just above freezing plus in hot, humid, buggy weather. I have total faith in this and actually prefer it to any of my tents when solo tripping for 5-7 days in Grizzly country here as I can SEE whatever is around my campsite and NO bloody bugs can get me.

A bit heavy and NOT "cheap", but, it will last 20 years and work when you need it to.

How's the durability of bivys made entirely of eVENT? Seems to me that the cordura floors might best if you intend to bivy on rock or abrasive surfaces…

Also, does anyone know how the breathability of the ID Backcountry Bivy is? It's make of "Tegraltex"…

eVENT is very durable. For the 'all eVENT' bags I would recommend a polycro groundsheet more for preventing the eVENT from getting dirty (clogged pores decreases the breathability).

Tegraltex is much like Gortex – breathable but not as breathable as eVENT. Cheaper, however.

Thanks David.

I agree that eVent is probably a good choice for bivy material. I just wonder about it being used for the *whole thing*. Durability issues aside, I just object to having to pay for eVent when it's used as a bivy bottom. After all, how much moisture is going to escape your bivy by being "breathed" into the ground? Or into a poly cro ground cover for that matter…

I wish ID made the Backcountry Bivy in eVent.

The all eVENT overbag from ID is going to breath better overall than one with a PU floor certainly for side sleepers that can roll the whole bag over. But I see your point.

Does the Backcountry Bivy have bug netting? If not, ID does make an eVENT version – the Micro Bivy.

Have you used your 3 Wire yet?

EDIT: I see that the Backcountry Bivy does have bug netting. I wonder why ID does not make the Micro Bivy with that option. I think they are missing a bunch of sales here.