Making a emergency bivy out of Polycro?

since it’s not breathable, you’ll get a lot of condensation on the inside of it.  And that will get your quilt wet

Yeah.. most bivies have tendency to create condensation.. an all plastic (polcryo) bivy may be a little nasty inside.. like a greenhouse affect??

For that, why not just use one of those emergency sol blankets. I believe the solo weighs 2.9 ounces? It could double as your ground sheet or wrap up burrito style or just as a blanket.. emergency.  It is pretty durable. Costs only like $5. If true emergency the bright orange could use for signal help. .. may work better then polycryo in all instances?

Once upon a time I was camped under a flat tarp in the mountains in summer, and it got cold and breezy during the night.  To try to stay a little warmer by keeping the breeze from blowing across my sleeping bag, I spread my open rain jacket loosely across my torso.  This helped a lot but my feet and lower legs were still getting chilled.  So I stuck the foot end into my GG pack liner and pulled it about up to my knees.  That kept the breeze off the lower part of my sleeping bag housing my lower legs and feet.  In the morning, oh my!  The part of my sleeping bag inside the pack liner bag was all wet.  Upper body part was fine and dry.  I won’t do that again!

Ok….I get it.  Condensation is our enemy for sure.

I was trying to stay away from adding a bivy to my kit.  I’ve never owned one and just didn’t want to add the weight.  Looks like it might be back to the bathtub floor for me.

So you dont camp with a tent or tarp but you bring Gatewood cape ( I LOVE mine ) for emergency use. No groundcloth.. you dont want a bivy.. so you mostly just commando cowboy camp?

Ha!  I know.  A bit of a circle.  I’ve been backpacking for over 40 years and have used most combinations. Ultimately, my favorite way to sleep is cowboy camping under the stars.  As backups, I’ve carried Integral Designs Sil  Poncho and then a Sil Shelter.  In later years I moved to the Gatewood Cape, with an A16 bug Bivy if going to a really buggy place.  I loved that the cape was my pack cover, rain gear and shelter if needed.  But, I’m ready to move back to my rain gear, and for that reason, to a Hexamid Pocket Tarp.

I think my key is to mess around long enough till I find the Polycro bathtub floor setup I like the most.  One that’s removable, to sleep on as a ground cloth most nights, and that can attach to the Hexamid when I need the protection of the bathtub walls.

Gotcha!  Now I see..