Initial impressions for Oware Hot Weather Bivysack (pics)

I know you've put a ton of thought into shelter weights, but with a tarp+bug bivy you're pushing towards that ~1 pound mark where you can start to find tarptent-like shelters that give you a lot more bug-free space.

I do love the versatility of a tarp+bivy setup, though, and how you can set up/bring one or the other or both depending on conditions.

Maybe it goes against the spirit of backpackingLIGHT, but I'd prefer to just carry the extra pound for my palatial TT rainbow when it gets really buggy, rather than hear eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 6 inches from my face all night :-p

Def a tradeoff w/ the "eeee" :p and I enjoy the versatility and ability to leave stuff at home when not needed, but what shelter do you think gets lower?
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhjLmk_trl6BdFMwQnljc1ZaVlVXM1M2NVZnbXdRbEE

11.56oz (tarp + groundsheet + bug bivy) or 10.44oz (tarp + bivy if I don't care about protecting bivy) or 5.99oz (when I can leave bug bivy home)

You know I'm always (well not always :o) willing to try something new. :)

Not being able to fully sit up isn't that big of a deal. Leave it open and wear your head net when you aren't sleeping and then draw it shut when you are ready to sleep.

A side zip is more convenient, but is it worth the extra weight.

You also won't have to worry about zipper failure.

Hey Bryce,

As you know I use an SMD Meteor under my tarp. Kinda the same idea.

I suspend the top with very thin bungee cord instead of line.
This allows for some give when I twist and turn during the night. I also have a second suspension loop closer to the foot of the bivy.
I often will suspend both ends, creating a bit of a ridge to increase air flow and helps keep the bug net taught.

I like the concept of flipping it over for extra protection when conditions get really wet an nasty in the middle of the night. Makes it so you don't have to get up and re-pitch your shelter.

It makes sense, I was never smart enough to think of that before.

Yeah, shock cord is key to have some give there in a small enclosure.

"what shelter do you think gets lower?"

Well I think it's only a matter of time until they start making tarptent-style shelters with cuben. I'm not familiar with everything that's available, but the Zpacks hexamid is listed at ~10oz with beak. That gets you to about the same weight as tarp+bug bivy but with a lot more bug-free space inside.

Of course, I guess the tradeoff is less rain-free space when compared to a tarp (less space but maybe more protection, at least compared to a flat tarp), and you also kinda give up the ability to pitch wherever the heck you want. The smaller footprint of just a bivy or groundsheet or something is nice for stealth camping.

At a certain point I suppose it just comes down to personal preference.

"Well I think it's only a matter of time until they start making tarptent-style shelters with cuben."

I've been wondering why this hasn't happened much yet also. I would think that a tarptent style cuben pyramid with cuben floor would be incredibly light, story worthy, and would require only 4 stakes. Is there something I'm missing? I would love a Cuben Contrail…

According to Henry, a TT Contrail would only be 3-4 oz lighter but far more expensive. The trade-off is not worth it.

If 0.51 oz cuben and 0.7 oz bug netting is used (like in the Hexamid) versus 1.1 oz silnylon, I would think the weight savings would be more, maybe 7 – 10 oz. If 0.75 oz cuben is used, then I would believe those numbers.

My main point is that a tarptent uses less material then a tarp + separate bug shelter and about the same material as a tarp with perimeter netting and a ground cloth, all at the cost of versatility I guess.

edit: Didn't mean to diverge the thread, Bryce. I've learned a lot from reading about your various shelter endeavors. You've tried and wrote about many of the options I've considered.

I'm with you, but according to Henry, the weight saving would not be that great v.s. the cost.

Z-packs has this market.

"Well I think it's only a matter of time until they start making tarptent-style shelters with cuben."

Agreed. The more the merrier! :)

"the Zpacks hexamid is listed at ~10oz with beak. That gets you to about the same weight as tarp+bug bivy but with a lot more bug-free space inside."

This is true on weight and bug free space, but if u go with either of the other two bug bivies I references above that gap gets closer. But you need to add in a ground sheet for the Hexamid (it has an all big netting floor). According to my calculations the difference between my combo and the hexamid w/ extended beak is .44oz in favor of the Hexamid. Where the separate tarp & bivy wins for me is:

– The ability to leave the bivy at home and save 5.57oz when no bugs…that's huge.
-IF I come across a shelter in the summer and am lazy/tired, I just pitch the bug bivy in the shelter and I'm done!
– From pitching my BearPaw Cub Den 1.5 (very similar to Hexamid, but slightly bigger) I have to say it's a bit of a pain to find enough flat real estate to pitch that sucker…with guy lines extending out everywhere! I don't have the same problem w/ an A-frame pitch that I can squeeze into a space by pitching it more steeply or an entirely diff. pitch altogether.
– Flexability in pitch.
– Less condensation than a tarp tent in general.

Where I lose vs. a Hexamid type:

– Bug free space
– Perhaps rain protection.(I am confident I can protect myself from the rain very well w/ the tarp. But I agree it takes some additional skill.)

"I've been wondering why this hasn't happened much yet also."

– I've been told working with cuben takes different skills and tooling/supplies to a certain extent. The major makers of Tarp Tents are doing fine with Sil, so they stick with it.

"My main point is that a tarptent uses less material then a tarp + separate bug shelter"

I don't agree. I have a tarptent in cuben and a cuben tarp + bivy. What will keep the weight of the bigger tarptents above a simple tarp and bug bivy is three-fold IMO:

– Perimeter bug netting. It's heavy when compared to cuben. If u look at the pics of my Oware Bug bivy… how much of the permiter of a decent sized Tarp tent do you think that would cover? Maybe a side and an end?

– Integrated ground sheets. The bigger the tarp tent, the bigger the integrated ground sheet. Even if it is made in cuben, that weighs more than a polycro ground sheet (that is replaceable on the cheap!) that covers my sleeping bag and a little bit more all the way around vs. a 9 x 7 tarp.

– Bonding/sewing. Every seam you have to bond or seam seal takes extra weight. A simple tarp has one major seam (in my tarp's case, it is perpendicular to the ridgeline so even shorter) and then finishing around the edges. A 3-d Tarp Tent has a more.

"Z-packs has this market."

– There is some truth to this, but I'd argue they have the ~sewn~ cuben market. They obviously perfected this method and are well respected. I still prefer durability of bonded seams and there are very similar Cuben shelters out there. I'll plug BearPaw at this time. :p

Who cares about thread divergence….it's all good. I love talking about this stuff and hearing differing opinions. I always think I'm "right" until I log on to the forum and read about someone going lighter or doing it better….then my opinion changes and I'm "right" again. :p I love it. :)