Gatewood Cape Inner: Bivy or Net?

[Christian K]

Anyone made any good MYOG bivies specifically for the SMD Gatewood Cape?

I’m really digging the Borah Gear UL Bivy (side zip model) and from reviews it just seems like a really solid and simple option. I figure something like that is more versatile than making (or buying) a net tent and would be better on splashing. I don’t mind small spaces.

I’m thinking Argon 90 for the head and toe, probably 0.67 noseeum for the body, and either silnylon or silpoly for the bottom. Probably would attach 1 clip minimum (at the head) and maybe one at the foot and also one to the apex. Idk. Anyone think that having the body mostly Argon 90 w/ only face vent is better than having the body be noseeum?

Just saw someone on Reddit that someone added a perimeter net to their Gatewood. Pretty cool. I don’t think as functional for me personally as a separate bivy though.

And any other dire issues I might be missing?

[Monte Masterson]

The problem with bivies in a mid shaped tarp is that you can’t properly tie up the head end of the bivy pullout, which means you don’t keep the netting off your head and upper torso. The biggest drawback to mids is that when you lay down the fly is close to your face. Bivies are better for A-frames. I prefer an inner that conforms to the shape of the mid (or half pyramid in the case of the Gatewood). I’ve seen some people rig up 2.9 oz S2S nano mosquito nets inside of Gatewwods and  Pocket Tarps and say it works fine, but not me. The 11 oz SMD Serenity inner weighs a lot more than a bivy, however, as you know it provides far more protection. The Serenity used to weigh 8 oz, which wasn’t bad, before the weight creep set in.

I made a 6.5 oz net for Gatewoods and Pocket Tarps in .67 noseeum (zippered entry) and made with .50 noseeum I could get that down to 5 oz. Then just add a medium weight Gossamer Gear 100 mil polycro (.70) bathtub like floor and you’d be at 7 oz, and with MUCH more space than a bivy.

As far as perimeter netting on a Gatewood, no thanks. I can only imagine how badly the noseeum would tear and run when it rubs up against sticky brush in cape mode. IMO when wearing a Gatewood there is already a bit too much hanging off of you as it is.

 

[Adam Kilpatrick]

Weirdly Monte, I’ve noticed a lot of redditors saying they use the gatewood as shelter only…which doesnt make sense to me. Its a perfectly fine piece of raingear, really. Could be that the person that sewed on permiter netting only uses it for shelter.

[Monte Masterson]

Yea, come to think of it the Gatewood as shelter only doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea really because even though the Deschutes is only 2 oz more, its footprint is as big as the Lunar Solo, which is often so large it’s hard to find a suitable site to make camp. The smaller Gatewood footprint is much more to my liking, so I can see the logic of perimeter netting on the Gatewood if it’s not worn as rain gear.

[Matthew / BPL]

My favorite way to use my old Deschutes was with a Superlight Bivy and I like my son’s Borah bivy 99% as much as my Superlight. Part of the reason I like a bivy is I tend to not even set up the tarp most nights.

I agree the Deschutes (and presumably the Gatewood) don’t provide a great way to suspend the bivy but that hasn’t ever bothered me. I tend to stuff something above or next to my head to keep the mesh off my face.

Alternately you could sew a loop in the mid and seal it.

[Monte Masterson]

I could see a bivy being livable in a Deschutes, but the Gatewood is a lot smaller. Not shorter just much narrower. Seems like you could turn a bivy kind of diagonally in a Deschutes and do okay actually.

[Murali C]

I have the Borah bivy and used it in PCT-Washington for 21 days. This was the side zip – argon 67 or 90 – not sure. Having argon 67 or 90 should provide you some more insulation rather than having the bug net alone. Since Gatewood is so small – it is probably a good idea to get argon 67 or 90 for splash protection.

I never used the clips to attach to the tarp (Altaplex tarp which is huge/tall) – because I was always using it in cold weather and hence had woolen cap, my hooded down jacket and a neck gaiter which covered my nose/mouth etc – so the netting doesn’t fall on your face anyways. Also if you are not using the tarp – there is no easy place to clip. I didn’t mind it one bit with this setup. Also I go to sleep quickly! I could journal on my phone and read a book on the phone as well inside the tarp under the netting. I may have asked him to make it a little wider.

I didn’t have any condensation issues either in the 21 days in various kinds of weather – though take that with a grain of salt…as condensation avoidance is like black magic – nobody can tell when it is going to happen. Lots of theories. I used the bivy once in Mica lake on PCT-Washington without tarp – 30 to 40 feet away from the lake and wide open to the open clear skies…..no condensation in the morning.

Bivy without tarp on Mica lake – was camped on some rock faces – so, no place to pull the netting off of face.

(On the CT this year with a tarp and no bivy, I had frost in similar conditions for two days – wide open areas, no trees nearby, clear skies – so, if I had just bivy’d without tarp, my bivy would have had condensation…..though a little sun in the morning will dry it).

 

[David Gardner]

I’m very interested in this thread, as I just acquired a Gatewood Cape. The Serenity Net Tent is too darn heavy and expensive.

[Christian K]

Funny, Murali C, I actually think I bought my Gatewood Cape from you a year or so ago! And did you take those pictures? Looks like they’re on Borah Gear’s website too. I’ll make it out there one day.

It’s funny when we talk about a 21 oz double wall shelter being heavy. Same weight as an Arc Blast, I think. Only on BPL…. But yes, I agree. I like the idea of the bivy… seems more flexible as far as setup options go. One of the coolest nights sleep I had was in the Tetons where 4 or 5 of us cowboy camping on some big rocks. Perfect sky. Woke up to a fox sniffing a friend!

[Murali C]

Yep – your name sounded familiar. Yes – I took the picture. Borah gear was interested in getting some customer  pictures for his website.

Another option is to just use a bath tub sheet which is what I did on the CT hike…the bath tub ground sheet can be fixed to the tarp. This can also provide great splash protection. I have the Zpacks bath tub ground sheet. Here is a picture on the CT – you can zoom in to see how the bath tub is attached. I didn’t use any mosquito net etc. As except for my eyes, I am well covered from head to toe. Also the bath tub is big – so, you can lay out your stuff while unpacking easily. With the bivy, it is a little more painful as it is not wide open.

[Michael B]

Has anyone just added a loop to their gate wood cape to attach a bivvy to at the head end? It seems like that might be a pretty easy solution, as long as you didn’t mind the bivvy style camping in the first place. That is what got me. I had a bivvy in my tarp set up as an a-frame and I didn’t like it, so repurposed my bivvy as a net tent, which was more to my liking. I am still thinking about making a gatewood style shelter at some point, so I am keeping my mind open about the options.

[Matt Dirksen]

“Has anyone just added a loop to their gate wood cape to attach a bivvy to at the head end?”

Mine has a small loop above the head. It’s primarily used to roll up the parts of the cape when it’s in poncho mode. There’s another loop at the opposite end as well.

Regarding the need for a bivy, I’ve only found it useful to have a slightly longer groundsheet (& rainskirt) which I tuck up over the end of my quilt (with some velcro tabs) to make a burrito. Because the cape has such good coverage, it doesn’t need a full bivy whatsoever.

 

[MTN]

Another option would be to sew a strong magnetmagnet into a small holder that the bivy string could attach to and stick another magnet on to the other side of the tarp. This may you could get the bivy netting off of your face and would not have to sew, seal the tarp. Also you could move it around as you like to get the right positioning. Alternatively they have washer likes ones that you can just tie the bivy tie out to.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I have thought maybe the perimeter netting would be a great option if you can just attach it as needed. The only problem is that velcro is problematic around netting. You can really ruin your netting if it comes in contact with it. And also, I don’t have a gatewood cape, I have a doorless pocket tarp, so I would need netting around the front. Still, I have thought about doing it somehow.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I use the Gatewood with a Titanium Goat Ptarmigan bivy that has a waterproof bottom and breathable top with a head end bug net. A bivy with insect net top and waterproof bottom would be okay.

Using a bivy is lighter, often less expensive, and more versatile. If the weather is good , you can just cowboy camp with the bivy. It is like a wind shell for your sleep system and makes up for the open bottom on the Gatewood. It can be used in any other  tarp/tent shelter or in s trail shelter as well.

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