Ultimate Direction FK Bivy

[Monte Masterson]

 

I just noticed this new bivy on the gear websites. Looks interesting. The regular weighs 6.6 oz minimum, 7.2 oz packed. The Long is 8.8 oz and 9.3 oz packed. I like the fact that it has twin arch poles to keep the netting off your head. That would be nice under a low pitched tarp where there’s not really anything to hang  a bivy to.

The top is nylon micro ripstop light Cire with PU Kiss Coat. Supposed to be very breatheable, but of course not waterproof. The bottom is 20d nylon calendarized w/silicone outer and PU inner. I can’t seem to find out whether or not the bottom is supposed to be waterproof…I assume it is.

[Monte Masterson]

Oh yea, the top is a 7 denier

[Mordecai _]

From UD:

• Unique “frog-mouth” opening allows easy entry into sleeping bag regardless of zipper orientation

Not easy. It requires careful feet-first, butt-scooting entry while you are worn out from a long day on the move. Or inserting the poles after you are situated. If you have a moment of inattention, you will maybe break the wee little poles, by losing your balance or kicking them. And the zipper orientation point is disingenuous. It works for both orientations equally because it works not at all with either. Better to have no zipper at all.

In the pic above, I guess they poofed up the whole thing with like 3 quilts? Great. The person lying in that thing will be needing to pee, and having to work up the energy to either concentrate really hard to make the geometry work for the pee bottle, or wiggle out and wiggle back in. Maybe having to mess with poles all over again.

[Duane Hall]

Yeah . . . doesn’t look easy to get in and of to me.

[Monte Masterson]

I’ll bet UD wanted to call it the FKT Bivy, but realized that Ron at MLD already has one with that name.

Yea, the entry and exit is probably a hassle, but I’m at least glad to see a mainstream company trying to develop SUL gear. Of course UD targets the adventure race/ FKT crowd. I’m just afraid the FK Bivy (even the long) is just very small and tight. I can’t find any specs on how wide it is.

[Jeff McWilliams]

I agree that the lack of a long side zipper seems like a really poor design.  :-(

When I’ve used a bug bivy under a tarp, I was really glad to have a zipper that ran across the chest and then down the side.

Also, I wish MLD, Borah Gear, or SOMEONE would make a lightweight bivy with a “ventilation stripe” as a standard option.  i.e. a 10-12″ wide stripe of no-see-um mesh that runs along the top of the bivy, from the chest down to about 12-18″ from the foot end. I’ve seen multiple posts from people who have modified their bivies to have this, and reported that it greatly reduced condensation issues when using them.

 

 

[Link .]

Like THIS .

[John S.]

I doubt the weights.

[Greg F]

You can just ask Borah gear to do something like that and it would probably be like $20.  I had my net bivy with additional Sil nylon on the head and feet and he was happy to do it.

[HkNewman]

Looks like a lighter version OR Advanced Bivy system I used to use for almost 10 years, without the (for me) claustrophobic solid fabric overhead. I had no problem sleeping in the OR design, but started hating battening down that solid hood.

Using a tarp or other overhead shelter (saw one PCT hiker design her own “shroud” to go over her waterproof/breatheable REI bivy opening).

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