7D in a bivy
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I have! Nunatak Gear made me a short-sleeved, short and narrow APEX Raku with a normal-style hood made with the 7D shell. At some point I’m going to tape or seal the seams. I had it made this way so that if would serve as a bivy, a sleeping bag, and an insulation piece for fastpacking and ultra races. I have a cuben bivy from Borah Gear made from RSBTR’s 1.4 oz. 10D WPB material (not sure if this is the same as EE’s 10D option), and initially was going to have the Raku made with this material, but Nunatak made some good points in favor of the 7D; I avoid precipitation on these types of trips/runs, and the 7D material should be able to handle short downpours and light rain. Worst case scenario, the wet APEX should still keep me warm. I took it on my first fastpacking trip last weekend and we slept 20 feet from the Rogue River the second night and I had zero condensation (But I was also cowboy camping and had my VBL rain pants and jacket on). I’m taking it to the SoCal desert and Sierras for next weekend’s fastpacking trip so I’ll be testing it out again there. I have not tested it out in rain yet, but I don’t think it would hold up in a torrential, long downpour, given its hydrostatic head. I interpreted RSBTR’s specs as an HH of a minimum of 1,000mm, so if your bivy won’t see constant rain, you’re probably good. You’ll definitely be fine if you’re coupling the bivy with a tarp. The material feels fairly soft and comfy for a durable shell, but I still used a groundsheet on both nights, and intend to do so on all future multi-day runs, since this was a pretty penny. ;) I think the 10D feels slightly more durable and it has a greater hydrostatic head, but it’s also heavier, has a plasticy feel, and is less breathable. With the cuben bottom and no VBL clothing, my friend who borrowed my 10D bivy on last weekend’s trip got a lot of condensation dripping from the shell. But in my own experience with this material with good site placement and no VBL clothing, I haven’t had much if any condensation with this bivy, even with the cuben bottom. Her experience was probably just caused by sleeping next to the river. Personally, I’d go with the 7D if you’re not expecting heavy precipitation on your trips or if you’re planning on also using a tarp. But I don’t have any actual experience with this material in rain; I am just going off of the vague spec of a HH “>1,000mm” on RSBTR’s website. I believe Nunatak has had more experience with this material, and they’ve been super helpful in answering my Qs. You might shoot them an email! Or straight from the source: RSBTR has always been helpful and quick to respond. The material also has a few reviews from actual buyers. Maybe that’ll give you more info? Good luck and happy hiking!
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