MLD Solomid XL with Bug Bivy 2

I had emailed Ron about a Solomid and Bug Bivy….his response was that it would not work out well.

The attachment points on the inside of the Mid are too close together and prevents a good pitch.

I have been considering a Solomid paired with an enlightened gear Recon Bivy.

https://enlightenedequipment.com/recon/

The XL that you are looking at might help, but I have doubts.

Best to email Ron at MLD….he really is good about getting back to people with questions they have.

Tony

Not the Bug Bivy 2, but I have used an EE Recon in a Duomid. It definitely isn’t ideal in terms of keeping the netting off of you. For a mid, I think having the tie out on the bivy be at chest/neck level, like the Superlight or Borah, would be more ideal. This is speculative, however, since I have not had a chance to test those.

If I was to buy another bivy, I would do something like this guy did (here are his pictures), but also include another loop to attach shock cord at the same place as the Superlight or a standard Borah. This would allow the net to be suspended directly above your head at the mid apex, but also keep the back of the bivy suspended to an internal loop on the head mid panel. I stuck a zpacks cuben sticky onto my Duomid while experimenting with the Recon.

I may try to rig some shock cord above my face somehow and see how the Recon does in the Duomid in that configuration, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Sorry for the long winded answer. Its something I have been thinking about for awhile.

I have a (regular sized) Solomid and a Bug Bivy 2 and it does not really work. There is no good place on the ‘mid’s walls where you can attach the bivy netting to keep it taut. I doubt the XL Solomid would improve matters much.

You could always let the netting sit on your face – it doesn’t bother me.

But if you’re under the pyramid tarp, then it’s probably raining or windy, in which case bugs would not be an issue. Then you can leave the bivy unzipped.

Thanks all for the replies.  I emailed Ron awhile back and he had a similar response.  I was just curious if anyone had figured out a way to make it work.  It seems like an inner net is the way to go.

I’ve had really good luck with the Sea to Summit Nano Pyramid net paired with an emergency blanket as a groundsheet. Combined it makes a nice sub 6 oz inner which saves about 5 oz off of the stock MLD Solo XL inner. Its not super spacious, but since you were originally thinking a bivy, it should be on par.

I did think about trying to use a setup similar to that but I think I would rather have a more weatherproof shelter with a bathtub floor.

So what’s the best way to use a bivy under a pyramid to maximise space/keep netting off the face? Chest level tie out up to the apex? Tie outs to the end walls from the feet and head of the bivy?

Superlight/Borah bivy in a mid works well. If you want more room then you should probably just go up the ounce or two and get an inner.

I tried using an MLD Bug Bivy I in my Deschutes for a while but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. The best results I got were when I put my pack above my head sort of standing up (water bottles in the side pocket helped) which kept it off my face mostly.