Zpacks Splash Bivy or MLD Superlight Bivy?

I don't know about those two bivies.
But I would avoid anything cuben that touches the ground… especially something like a bivy where there is the potential for abrasion from tossing and turning. Cuben abrades and cuts easily. Though it may be okay if you have some kind of ground cloth to protected the cuben from the ground… though that extra weight sort of defeats the idea of cuben.

Billy

When did this happen? Must have been fairly recently that zpacks redesigned their bivy sack.

I currently have a MLD superlight cuben full net bivy, a katabatic gear sil bivy, and I had a zpacks bivy.

I sold the zpacks bivy that came through my house, nearly instantly. The old style of the bivy had a removable mesh window, which was SUPER annoying. The bivy had a center zip, but b/c of the nonzip mesh window, which was attached by Velcro and some loops half way down your hip, it was hard to install and definitely hard to unhook when trying to get out. The whole convenience of the center zip was destroyed.

Now it looks like zpacks has fixed the issue completely with having the mesh sewn into the bivy with a zipper through it. Super nice.

Though, it doesn't say on their product screen, but it looks like the bivy now tapers to the foot but it doesn't give the foot girth dimensions? The old version bivy was completely straight cut, so there was unnecessary material at the foot.

So….your decision ultimately rests with if you are trying to prioritize…weight or function.

The zpacks bivy is heavier, but if gives you 1.0oz cuben floor vs .74oz, more bathtub floor, and burlier material on the head and foot tops. Center zip is more convenient as well. You'll also save a few bucks with a zpacks bivy.

MLD is lighter by over an ounce, though you do get the option of having a full net hood.

Just as a counterpoint….I don't see a big issue with cuben floors.

1. They are super easy to repair with tape, even in the field.

2. Cuben still saves weight when you would be using a piece of polycryo always (like I do), whether you had a sil or cuben floor.

I don't have any useful insight, but have been looking at bivies myself and, in addition to the ones you listed, was also looking at Borah Gear's offerings:

http://borahgear.com/cubenbivy.html

They have both cuben and silnylon options. They have a larger bug net over the face than MLD or Z-Packs so might be better suited to 3-season use. They also have less features, but that translates into less weight and lower cost (unfortunately they removed the prices from their website while they are trekking in Nepal).

Not cuben floors but ones to look at because you need more choices, Rota Locura Wasatch Bivy or one of the 4 offerings by Titanium Goat

"Just as a counterpoint….I don't see a big issue with cuben floors.

1. They are super easy to repair with tape, even in the field. "

Sure.. but who wants to discover that hole via a soggy down bag in the middle of the night??? Try fixing it with tape in the middle of the night when everything is wet. The abrasions are hard to see sometimes even holding it up to the light. I have a cuben stuff sack and can not see the leak, but it sure does leak.

billy

Like I said, if you have a ground cloth or other layer under your cuben bivy, you're probably okay. But I always think of a bivy in the traditional sense… a stand alone shelter out in the rain. If you want a stand alone bivy, don't get one with a cuben floor.

billy

John, you've got quite the quiver of bivvies. How do you like the MLD bivy compared to the others? I see your spec differences, but what's your overall feel about the MLD?

Thx, David

It may depend on the normal hiking season weather in your area – though Yosemite is not quite the same as Ontario!

I have been using the MLD Superlight with full net hood for several years and am very happy with it. But temps in the southern Sierra and transverse ranges are relatively warm, and rain at night usually isn't an issue. Chill breezes at night (I pack a 40*F/5*C bag), and occasional bug fests (though nothing like what we had in Hay River, NWT) are the major reasons I carry the bivy. For these, the Superlight with net hood is ideal. If I normally hiked where there was a lot of rain (the AT perhaps?), the Zpacks bivy might be better.

For Yosemite, the Superlite, definitely. For Ontario, I really can't advise.

I've used both a MLD SL Bivy and a TiGoat Ptarmigan (both w/ full head nets) and both were well made and worked well (though I'd give the nod in overall construction quality to MLD and they are more willing to do custom work).
I used them both under a MLD Grace Solo but in different regions. The TiGoat saw many nights in the Olympics and I experienced condensation albeit minimal. The MLD was used in SoCal and only one time woke in the morning with condensation. The MLD fabric may breathe better but it was more likely a result of the climate/region.
I have no experience with the ZPacks Bivy but with the extra cuben at the head and footend it may be more prone to condensation (even though it uses breathable cuben it probably won't breathe as well as the Pertex).

Having grown up in the Finger Lakes Region of western NY (almost directly across Lake Ontario from Toronto) the summers can receive quite a bit of humidity and mosquitos/black flies/ect…are more of an issue during this period.
If this is going to be a bivy for late spring to early-mid fall, I'd look at a bug bivy (TiGoat, Borah Gear, ZPacks I'm sure will make one for you) as long as the Mid or Flat tarp is big enough to prevent splatters during an occasional rain. This will still help deflect some breezes, better diminish condensation during the high humidity months, and prevent insects.

Cheers

Thanks all for the comments and noting also that I Iive in Ontario. Though I live in Ontario, I've pretty much hit the limit on what I can/want to do locally. I intend to just fly to best destinations for two backpacking vacations a year.

My list includes Yosemite, Wind Rivers, Canadian Rockies, Wonderland, Bryce, Zion, then Europe for GR10, GR5, TGO Challenge and so on . . . quite the variety I suppose!

But I'm done with Ontario for backpacking. If it weren't for the great job and family life . . .

I have had a lot of bivies through my house.

Currently have:
1. MLD superlight cuben bivy, in size current medium (it was a size large when bought, but is now considered a medium). 5oz.

Excellent construction. When laid flat..its like…1-2 inches shorter than my katabatic in all dimensions. With my exped synmat ul 7, I just feel the tiniest bit that its a bit small in the foot, so I usually let my son use it (if we are using a Shangri la 2 type of shelter).

Its an all net hood, which usually isn't a problem for us (again, using Shangri la type or supermid type of shelter, there is plenty of protection from elements unlike a tarp which you have to worry about head/foot).

It does not have a large bathtub floor with the cuben.

I find the normal MLD size net opening too small (my hiking partner has that type)

2. Katabatic Gear bristlecone:
7.3 oz
6' regular width.
Superb construction quality. Just the right size for me, and I really like the size of the net opening (right inbetween a MLD full net and normal net opening).

Which is weird….the katabatic is supposed to have a 54" foot girth and the MLD a 56", but the MLD is tighter than the katabatic..I think b/c its slightly shorter but ?

Has slightly more bathtub floor than the MLD.

3. MYOG meteor bivy
6.2 oz …whoever made this bivy that I got on the swap deserves praise for their construction on it. Haven't used it yet, but would be great for high humidity or summer since there is so much net on it.

Now, I have had the following and caught and released them:
4. 2 titanium goat ptarmigan bivies, both with the full net hood option.
7 oz

I thought I would like the full net hood option so you can really have a modular system….all fabric hood, or just net, or a mix of both, etc. However, I found it clumsy with the two zippers (one for net hood and one for fabric) and clumsy to try and get a mix of fabric/net, or even using the net..you have to put the fabric "hood" on the bottom of the bivy …which its delicate fabric on top that you are putting now on the bottom so that is definitely a worry.

However…this bivy is tiny in the foot (48" foot girth). Nearly impossible to use a mattress inside the bivy with you..and I tried using a mummy style neoair and still didn't help.

5. Borah Gear M90 Regular/Wide side zip
7.15 oz
This thing was WIDE! Really huge. However….I was probably the most disappointed with the borah gear bivy out of all of them. No bathtub floor really, and sewing construction was subpar. Wish I had a picture of it.

6. Zpacks cuben bivy
6.55 oz
I talked about this earlier, but yeah…the older iteration of the bug fabric window killed this bivy.

Now that I see zpacks changed the opening design, I would really like to try and get my hands on one again. The thing was bomber….1.0 oz cuben bottom, and with by far the largest bathtub floor. You could have a lake under you and be fine. Combine with the fact that it has a chest zip, and if the new version has a tapered foot, even better.
And yes…I would accept the small weight penalty to have the bomber floor and bathtub that it has.

I should say though, lest I get complaints about this, that Ontario has incredible world class canoeing!

I'm surprised the Wasatch isn't more popular since it weighs only 4 ounces with stuff sack. I picked one up used but have only had 1 night in it with heavy frost/condensation. I was camped near a large stream/valley, temperatures in the low 20's in late fall. I was in the bag from about 4 or 5 pm until 7 am the next morning, so that didn't help. Not sure if it was just the conditions of whether the fabric on the Wasatch is less breathable than others.

Joe from Zpacks answered my questions about when they made the switch to the new version:

---

We updated it in October 2014. I believe the dimensions are the same as always. The foot was tapered before.

More specifically, it is about 58" girth at the very end of the foot.

---

Hmm…perhaps I am misremembering the zpacks bivy I had before….but it felt rectangular to me (untapered foot) but I guess I was wrong…

Anyway, even with the new splash bivy being $30 more than the old bivy, I still want to retry it now.

FWIW, I just received my MLD Cuben Superlight bivy with the new Mountain 10d, the fabric seems super nice and with the full net option it comes in at 4.4 oz on my scale, that really surprised me. I'm really looking forward to trying this out.

Wow….what size bivy did you order? (M, L, ?)