REI Minimalist — any experience w/Elements breathability?

I’ve used this bivy a few times. I liked the zipper arrangement, and the weight. I never really worried about the waterproof fabric; I slept under a tarp (rain) or under the stars – I only wanted it to turn the spray or dew, which it did nicely.

The one time I used it in the summer, the night started out hot (80s), then cooled down to about 60. I started out with just the bivy, zipped up (bugs were bad), and found myself getting pretty sweaty at first. However, by not moving around and settling down, the sweatiness went away after about an hour and the bivy seemed fine. Later, I pulled the sleeping bag over me loosely, and no heat/humidity problems.

The weakness of the bivy is that it only has one small bug mesh window, from your forehead to the tops of your shoulders. If the bag opening (which reaches to your waist, on both sides) was fully backed by mesh, this would be a wonderfully comfortable, light bivy. As it is, there is that initial discomfort.

There’s one other factor: in summer, bivies are inconvenient – so much so, that I’m now back using a solo tent (Zoid 1 or Hubba – not quite certain yet which I prefer.) Bivies are tight quarters; they work best (in terms of convenience) if you take everything you need into the bivy with you – i.e., the sleeping bag. But, with no extra space, you end up either lying on it or wadding it up beside you. Either way, with the bivy zipped (as it must be for bug protection), the sleeping bag adds to the amount of heat retained inside the bivy. If you don’t take the bag in with you, you end up unzipping in the middle of the night, getting the bag out of your pack, spreading it inside the bivy, then getting back in – at which point, I’m fully awake and a good night’s sleep is ruined.

The couple of times I used this bivy in cooler weather, starting out in the bag, I really liked the way the bivy performed. No condensation issues whatsoever – one night under the tarp, two nights under the stars.

Other than those few things – all of which may occur uniquely in the hot, humid Midwest summer where I live and hike, and may not occur where you hike – this bivy is well worth the regular price, and any sale makes it a very good deal indeed.