PCT sleep system help

[Dave T]

one thing i realized on the PCT in all the rain is that you probably won't be warm and DRY while hiking up hills in the rain, but you'll want to be at least warm and DAMP. you don't want to be COLD and damp. most rain jackets have a hard time keeping up with the perspiration created by hard work hiking carrying a pack in wet weather. i used a marginal Marmot Precip jacket in 2004, and it definitely was a warm and wet situation.

key to this for me was having a dry sleeping bag and dry sleeping clothes (thin long johns and socks) to get into when the day was over, inside a dry-ish shelter.

hopefully you'll miss most of the rainy/colder weather with your earlier-ending schedule.

[Roy Staggs]

I agree that this has been a great exchange of information and I would like to specifically thank Nia and Brian for their input on hammock use. The PCT is something I have been dreaming of for years now and I’m going to have to do it soon or I will be hiking with a walker. Brian my Hennessy Hammock is off to 2QZQ having a zipper mod put in that makes it much more “user friendly” if you have to set it up as a bivy. Having a HH you know exactly what I’m talking about. I am going to have to do some serious number crunching. I may have to buy a bunch of new gear! I do love that “new gear” smell.

[Evan Chartier]

Thanks again…few more things…
Brian: Nice point about the bug situation. I think I can deal with them buzzing "around" my head, however on my head would be really annoying. From what I see in pictures, the TIgoat bivy with the net feature should keep them off, correct? Have you used this before? That might be a good compromise between weight and comfort, at least for me (assuming it works!)
Dave T: Trying to go as light as possible! I will definetly post the gear list when I have it nailed down, hopefully to get ripped apart by the great people on this forum! Always love constructive critisizm…
Nia: I am also a little weary of taking the cuben poncho tarp. If I ripped it, I would be mad (although easy to repair with duct tape.) I may have to go with the more waterproof jacket…
Question: Bringing a 2.7 oz montbell wind jacket and trash bag, can I get away with just the cuben tarp? Would it be possible/safe to plan on getting wet when heavy rains come? If I am moving the whole time and have a dry bag, could I potentially stay warm until turning in for the night, and if the clothes are wet just sleep naked? or maybe take the thin long johns that Dave mentioned?
You all are invaluable…

[Miner]

"From what I see in pictures, the TIgoat bivy with the net feature should keep them off, correct? Have you used this before? That might be a good compromise between weight and comfort, at least for me (assuming it works!)"

I did that a few times on my PCT trip, mainly in the Sierra Neveda. For those that hike until it's almost dark and goto bed soon after arriving in camp,this works well (I enjoy the scenery on my breaks during the day, not at camp). Most mosquitos leave after it gets dark and the temperature drops, so you don't have to stay enclosed all night. I usually only did the bivy sack netting when it was cold or the bugs were really bad. Normally I went to bed with my head net over my hat (you can turn your baseball cap sideways if you are a side sleeper) and this was fine most nights. The early morning buzzing in my ear by a lone mosquito was my alarm clock and my motivation to get up early and get going as I knew I'd be swarmed if I stayed.

If you like to hang out in camp for awhile, a bivy sack may be too confining until you are ready to go to sleep. A smokey fire can help, but you can't build them everywhere. I normally wore long sleeves and pants and a hat that were treated with Permithrin and other then Rae Lakes and N.Yosemite, this was more the enough to keep the bugs away from me while I had dinner and socialized outside my bivy.

[Evan Chartier]

Thanks Sean. I also plan on hiking till it gets dark, so good to hear about your experience. I will go with the net hood and use it when needed, as it doesnt add much weight. I dont like to stop for camp while its still light, and I like to be up at sunrise so a mosquito alarm doesnt sound too bad. Do you have the TIgoat bivy with head net, or another one? Just heard that the headnet added to the bivy may cause the bivy to lose a few inches. at 6'3 that might be a negative for me…
I like the sideways cap idea as well.

[Miner]

I started off with a 2yr old TIG bivy, but lost it near San Jacinto when I slid off the trail in the snow into a tree well. I replaced it with a MLD superlite bivy which also had a net over the face.

I also used the simplissity UL headnet that was sold on this website; its lighter weight and not as hot to wear as you hike since its more breathable (but doesn't work for no-seeums but they aren't on the PCT). A headnet is a necessity for your sanity during breaks in N.Yosemite no matter what you do with your bivy sack.

[Brian Lewis]

I have a lot less bivy experience than Sean. I carried a really light (not waterproof) bivy along with my poncho tarp for the first 700 miles and used it maybe twice, once for bugs. I've done a trip or two with a heavier bivy by itself, but that's about it. A bivy is of course great for utter simplicity, and being able to tuck yourself into sleeping spots that don't work well for others.

And a bivy is better than a headnet — with one caveat — but not anywhere close to the relief I have in buggy times to have a bigger bug free zone do be in. It partly depends on your personal psychology and in-camp "style". And the type of bivy, of course — if via a hoop or tie-out point you can pull the mesh up off of your face, then the bivy starts to get credible (for me).

My caveat to using a bivy to keep bugs off is dealing with warmer weather. I've been in situations where the bugs are just swarming, it's bed time, and yet it's so warm I can barely stand to be in the bivy even outside of my sleeping bag. I'm not saying this will be a frequent problem for you, but it's another reason I like an enclosed tent.

Of course there's no universally "right" or "wrong" answer, it's just good to know the reasons that different people favor different gear choices and then make your best guess!

[Evan Chartier]

Sean: What did you think of the MLD superlite? It seems a bit more expensive and maybe a bit heavier than the goat bivy, no? Also, can you have a closed hood and net hood, or do you have to choose? Which netting option did you use? would love to see a compare review of the two, if you know of one…Was thinking about that headnet thing too, seems everyone loves them. How much did yours weigh, and what did you pay for it? Thanks
Brian: Thanks for the input. I definetly want a bivy with the spot to tie the netting out to keep it off my face. Figured either the bivy would come with it, or I would sew it on myself. This will probably be good for me- although I can see it being very hot and uncomfortable under the bivy at times!

[Miner]

The momentum fabric on the MLD superlite is far more breathable then the DWP material on the TIG bivy. There are pros and cons to this. The pro is that you have very little condensation issues with the momentum so you don't have to dry out your sleeping bag very often. The con is when you are camped in a strong cold wind, the DWP fabric cuts the wind better and you stay warmer; there were 2 nights when camped on a pass over 10,000ft in the Sierras that I had to throw something over the top to better break the wind (using your tarp can help block the wind but I was too lazy to set it up). Overall, I preferred the MLD Superlite for the typical conditions of the PCT though the TIG bivy will work.

When I ordered the Superlite bivy, the only option was the halfmoon opening so that is what I got and it was fine. However, the full net opening would probably be better for most use except the worse weather.

The only night on the PCT that I was too hot to be in the bivy sack, even when on top of my sleeping bag, was a single night about 2 miles before the Feather River near Belden,CA. However, it was also too hot to be in my sleeping bag even without the bivy sack. I slept in long sleeves and pants with no bivy or sleeping bag. Fortunately there were only a few bugs and my permithrin treated clothing and head net was more then enough to keep me from being bitten during the night.

[Evan Chartier]

Thanks for the info-
found a cheap sea to summit head net for 5 bucks, weighs just over an ounce. This will probably be the easiest and cheapest one, even over MYOG (at least for me) so I will pick that up. Will also do more research on the MLD bivy. Are the waits for the bivys as long as everything else, a few weeks? Maybe I have to get a used one here on BPL gear swap…so much gear to get, so little time!!

[Author]

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