SpinnTwinn and bivy?

Mclane,

I've had the Spinntwinn for about 3 years now and have used mine quite a bit with a MYOG Meteor style bivy – about the top third is netting. In very heavy rain with 2 people under the tarp I've had a small amount of splash-up on my feet, I'm not quite sure I'd trust a netting top only bivy. I'm 6' tall so if your a little shorter or if you'll be able to pitch the tarp a little tighter to the ground for solo use or if you don't camp in downpoars you may be just fine. The tarp really does have a huge amount of coverage for the weight and I love mine.

Thanks Andrew! I've also looked at the Meteor but thought if I'd go half net, why not full net and save some weight? I'm 6' myself, so having the foot box makes a lot of sense. I think your thoughts are right on. Much appreciated.

Anyone else?

Not sure how helpful this reply will be since I haven't actually used my new gear yet, but I went through the same thought process a couple months ago and wound up buying the Meteor Bivy to go along with my SpinnTwinn. I originally bought an MLD Bug Bivy on Gear Swap, but it was a little bit to small for me….and the Meteor is just about the right size for me (I'm 6'3" and use a large neoair). I also like the additional protection on the bottom half of the Meteor. For me, the extra size and protection are worth the weight penalty, which I think was about 2oz.

I'm a SpinnTwinn user (and love the size of it, even as I dream about going to a smaller cuben fiber tarp). I've used mine very successfully with an MLD Superlight with full net hood for three-season trips, and now with an MLD Alpine Bivy for winter backpacking. In the summer I thought this combination was the best for weather and bug protection without being hot or confining.

The other things to consider may be where you intend to use the shelter and if your bag/quilt is insulated with down or synthetic fill.

On the exposed mountain plateaus here on the wet west coast of Norway I use a Katabatic Bristlecone bivy with less netting because I want to ensure I keep my down quilt dry. My SpinnTwinn is a fantastic tarp offering plenty of protection, especially when used solo but when the wind is swirling and the rain is blowing in under the edges I like the fuller protection offered by a bivy with a Pertex top and just a bug-netting window. Below the tree-line, when bugs are more of a nuisances than rain I'd say go for the netting option.

I tend to use the Meteor far more than my full coverage bivy as it is comfier in anything but very cold weather. There is more ventilation as well so condensation in your bivy is less of an issue.

You may have to re-situate yourself or lower the pitch near the head when rain or snow blows hard, but it does a fairly good job of keeping the water out.

I have a TiGoat Ptarmigan bivy with the full net hood and a SpinnTwin. I think it is a good combo and would definitely want at least the netting on the TiGoat or something more. If you are solo under the SpinnTwin, you will have plenty of coverage but agree with the above that some splash protection for the feet is nice just in case.

Also, my comfort level for a bivy is just ok; I'm fine for sleeping but don't really want to hang out in camp for a while in a bivy. Think about adding an Alpinlite, MLD or GoLite net for bug season (and leave it behind when the bugs are gone). I got a GoLite Shangri-La 1 Nest, which I found for $50.00 online and has a 3000mm waterproof nylon floor, so you could potentially save weight by not taking a groundcloth.

For most 3 season use the SpinnTwinn, properly pitched, should be fine without a bivy for keeping everything dry. However, if something unplanned happens, such as camping in a depression that floods, you can have a serious problem. If I anticipate a lot of rain and cold temperatures, I bring a bivy. Never bring a bivy for most summer trips in Calif. In some conditions, you need to be concerned with bivy condensation.

Bugs are another subject.

I definitely feel comfortable leaving the bivy home during the bug-free, snow-free seasons (I like to camp high in the winter and find the bivy is an important wind-snow-cold assistance to my quilt-based sleep system). The SpinnTwinn provides phenomenal coverage from precipitation.

But bugs are not fun.

Last spring/summer I pushed the SpinnTwinn sans bivy or any other bug protection as far as I could go, almost into June, and then just had to bring the full-net hood bivy for protection. Too many ticks crawling on the ground, too many flying insects around my body, too many. . . you get the picture. I'm jealous of you folks who camp for most of the year in bug-free conditions.