CheapO bivy

I have an earlier incarnation of this, purchased approx winter 2006 after seeing it on Tinny's (MiniBullDesigns.com) gearlist as an all-in-one summer sleeping bag and bivy.

Used it on a 4 day Memorial Day weekend BWCAW trip the same year. It was unseasonably warm, low temps were above 50*F.

General impressions
* warm enough for that use
* not particularly durable, developed a short rip where the half length side entry opening ended, repaired with duct tape.
* quite non-breathable, warm and very clammy each night.

It's gathering dust in my gear closet, I've been tempted to use it in a survival kit for day hikes except that it's bulkier than I'd prefer for that.

All of which is making me think might show up in the gear swap forum soon.

For the cost, you can't beat the bivy I just finished making. Silnylon bottom, Momentum DWR top, 15" side zip, weighing in at 6oz and a cost of $30 and a lot of satisfaction from making it myself…perfect for under a tarp as, unlike the Adventure bivy, it has a breathable top and is more durable.

How did you make a Momentum topped bivy for $30? Even if you used the bare minimum of 2 yds of Momentum @ ~$12/yd and 2 yds of silnylon @ ~$6/yd, you are already at $36 and you haven't factored in the cost of the zipper/bug netting, etc.
If I were making a bivy I would need to order 3 yds each of Momentum and sil since I'm right at 6' and a 6' long bivy isn't going to cut it.
Did you get a great deal on some Momentum?

Adam

Sorry, yes I did get some on special. The silnylon was seconds for $2 per yard from Noah Lamport, Inc (I bought it in bulk for some tent projects), the momentum was $10/yard (I bought it in bulk as I've also made some sleeping bags), I had insect netting left over from a tent project, and the zipper was just lying around. And I am only 5'5", so I could get away with 2 yard of each. So, I guess 3 yards at full retail is looking more like $60+ for someone your size :(

Oh well, you'd end up with a very nice bivy as long as your sewing is not too shabby. But for an extra $30 you could just buy one from someplace like Titanium Goat, but now it's no longer in the CheapO category…

Michael wrote: what am I giving up for my situation by going cheap.

Not much…I purchased the AM bivy to see if I could handle bivies in general. After a few nights, I upgraded to a Ti Goat bivy. For $30 bucks, it's a good way to find out if you like sleeping in a "bag". Careful though, if it's bug season, there isn't much protection from them – one of my reasons for the upgrade.

Lucky you, getting such good deals on fabric! I've added up the cost of making a bivy so many times and with so many different options its scary. The $60 is what I've come up with for a bivy my size in Momentum/sil too. I know the Ti Goat bivy is cheaper than that, but it just uses regular ripstop DWR. I'm hoping that the Momentum is enough of an improvement to justify the little extra money (and lot more time).
So many choices…
Thanks for the response Allison!

Adam

You might want to bite the bullet and make your own bivy because Ti Goat redesigned and raised the price of their bivy to $90.

http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Bivy.html

Thanks for the heads up! That makes my decision much easier. Now to find extra time, money, and that pesky sewing machine…

Adam

I paid about $65 for the materials for my sil/Momentum .90 bivy last winter. Mine has a circumferential zipper that starts at the right shoulder and goes around the top to the left hip. The top third is noseeum mesh, so I didn't actually need the third yard of Momentum fabric, but live and learn. Used it for a 9-day trip in March in Tennessee/NC, and it was terrific. Awesome breathability, and extremely water resistant. My hiking partner was soaked from condensation inside his Epic bivy.

With the long-ish zipper it's exactly 8oz in its mesh stuff sack.