Is there a Market for a Sub 10 oz Hooped Bivy?

Hey Kevin,

I would freaking love to have the option to get a hoop on the TiGoat Bug Bivy that I have, and combine it together with my 80 gram tarp.

While not sub 10 ounces, yet under 20 ounces, Dave from MilesGear makes a couple of hoop tyvek bivouacs.

+John Abela
HikeLighter.Com
facebook.com/hikelighter
@hikelighter

Some would say unnecessary weight when the hooped sleeping bag cover is not your primary waterproof shelter. Already made are those that have extra fabric that can be raised with cordage.

Kevin,

My MLD Soul Side Zip Bivy has a Ti Wire built into the hood portion of the bivy that is removable.

It does not make the hood area free standing, but helps create more headroom and keeps the bug netting off my face.

I cross my poles above the hood area and tie off a cord from the bivy's built in loop on the hood to my poles to keep the hood suspended above me.

Not exactly what you are looking for, but close.

In my case, I have the eVent fabric, which pushes my weight to 13 oz.

Tony

I have looked at the Miles Gear set ups both are nice. I really think that you could cut the weight down substantially using something like the Tigoat or Borah side zip bivies with an optional hoop.
I use the cordage to lift up the net on my Borah bivy which works ok. IMO a hoop opens the shoulder and head area up so much more.
Looking at all of the fabric options in cuben and WPB cuben/eVent tells me that a 10-12 ounce hooped bivy is perfectly feasible.

A .74 oz cuben bottom and WPB cuben and head netting with Delrin hoop is what I see as hitting the10 ozish mark?
I could certainly be wrong but I see the next evolution of UL bivies is Hooped.

The Outdoor Research bivies use a light Delrin rod to hold the canopy up. Adding one to an UL design shouldn't be a big deal; it just takes a tunnel and maybe a reinforced pocket at each end. It won't take a snow load, but will keep it off your face and shoulders.

I want a stand alone waterproof vented bivy with bug screen mode.

Bearpaw makes this one which I have.
http://www.bearpawwd.com/shelters_floors/bug_bivy.html
I'm sure he could make it out of other material. It provides a very nice space at your shoulders and head

Bearpaw makes a hooped bug bivy that I am sure John can easily modify into a full coverage bivy since he can do that with all his other inners.

Edited to say great minds think alike!

Kevin – probably possible with the W/B Cuben to get down to that weight, and it is going to be mighty spendy, so the market is probably very small. The W/B cuben that zpacks sells is four times the cost of eVent fabric, and with eVent bivies starting at $160 I see a hooped cuben job at probably $400 and up.

I guy here in the PNW here came up with this system for a hoop, which I thought was pretty snazzy.

http://www.williswall.com/willis-wall-blog/2012/1/18/fastpackers-notebook-10-oz-shelter-system.html

Always thought that would be nice to have in a bug bivy

I tried that hoop with the same materials in my borah bivy and didn't have much success used in that manner. Instead I use a 2' piece of the delrin (or a found stick if going megalight) and run it on the inside of the bivy through a loop I sewed in on the back side of the head hang loop. Gives me much more head room inside when hung from the loop now, but free standing it is not.

Why not just get a net tent? Smd makes one of the lightest ones at 7.9oz.

I have and use the BPW bug bivy. If I'm not mistaken, mine weighs in at 9 or 10 ounces, I forget exact weight. I love it for summer spring and fall. If it going to rain, I pitch my MLD Patrol Shelter over it. I like that I can pitch it anywhere and the hoop keeps it well of my face and upper body. I do not need to use my hiking poles or any other obsticales to pitch this bivy either. Sets up quickly and breaks down quickly and it packs down very small taking up minimal pack space.