Bivy sacks & intimacy with the open sky

I’ve been following a very good bivy thread over on trek-lite.com. As some state, a minimal tarp with a WPB bivy is logical. For only 3 to 4 oz and 1.3 mm spectra lines it makes riding out a sustained rain (not inside bivy) infinitely better than sitting around with just a rain jacket and rain pants. Sure, it adds a little weight and takes a few minutes to set up, but well worth it IMO. And it’s not as if you HAVE TO set the tarp up, only if you have the time and energy. https://www.trek-lite.com/index.php?threads/bivvy-benefit-bivy-bivi.15143/

I have used a bivy (wpb) for a grand total of 1 night (last weekend) 🙂. So, all I can write about is why I want to. 2 reasons are about joy, 2 are about survival.

Joy first-

1. I only recently started taking a chair; it was a revelation in a way. Ive always sat easily on the ground etc to cook and eat. But the chair let me watch the world for ages – clouds across the moon, trees and grasses moving  – I didn’t want to shut myself in a tent.

2. Beautiful places to spend a night (+ sunset and sunrise) where I can’t set up a tent.

Survival/ safety

3. I mostly walk solo off-track. Its often tricky to find space for my tent (tho it has a small footprint) and I have walked into the night to find space which is also sheltered enough.

Plus

4. I like off-track high places- which are often windy. Ive damaged a tent in wind. Im planning a walk along a ridge where there are lots of reports of tent damage/struggles with wind. Ive been thinking how I could use my tent in ‘poles out’ state if I needed to.

and – the recent threads here at BPL helped me take the leap and buy one – was going to make it myself, but fabric costs etc led me not to.

My one night involved a full moon to start and rain to finish. Perfect test.

I was planning to do what Monte suggests with a small tarp. Like onhttps://scramblekit.uk/review/index.php?id=outdoor&post=scramble-geer-mod-ultralight-sil-nylon-tarp-quick-shelter-modular-tent-porch

🙂

(I cant seem to upload a photo)

1. Simplicity for me.

2. The connection to earth and nature all around, below and above at all times.

3. Stealth sleeping is a bonus.

Simple to find a place to sleep pretty much anywhere at anytime.  Ridiculously easy and fast to make my bed and also pack up in the morning.  Nothing to misplace or break or forget.  I am surrounded by earth and all of the elements at all times.  I can see all around me in every direction.  If needed,  I can pretty much sleep unseen or noticed.  But it all just goes back to Simplicity and being that much closer to earth and nature for me.

I like sitting under a tarp when it rains or when I need a little shade. It’s good to block the wind. I could go without a tent or bivy, though they both supply a bit of reassurance against bug infestation and bad weather. I like carrying a tarp anyway which makes a tent the heavier choice.

Used a WPB bivy for years. Absolutely loved being out in the open. Hated the condensation. Almost killed me and that was the end of that system.

Yeah, that’s why a more breathable bivy can be good.

Not so good if it rains, but protects from dew and frost