Bivy Sack vs. Tent

[DArcyS]

I think it all comes down to personal preference.

Right. You should assess the extent you like to "rough it" and then decide from there. But I'd also second Kiefer's advice -- play it safe until you know your limits on comfort. Nobody's trip to the backcountry has been ruined because they were too comfortable (unless perhaps they overslept and missed their summit weather window).

Aside from the various opinions on tent versus bivy that indicate different people have various individual preferences -- surprise, surprise -- I might add that you should consider your future in mountaineering. If you're interested in expeditions or climbing 14ers in the winter, carrying a heavier pack will give you additional training or at least get you use to the idea of carrying something heavy on your back.

[timstich]

Go with the one person tent. The main benefit is that you don't sweat/condense moisture so much and soak your sleeping bag. I did the bivy sack camping below Lone Eagle Peak a year back and woke up completely drenched. It didn't soak through, but I did have to let everything dry in the sun while we climbed. I have had a few good nights in bivy sacks, though. They cay be really warm as you have little air to warm up from heat loss from the sleeping bag. Try it out sometime and see what you think.

[Dave B]

BD Beta Lite. 2 person. 19 oz.

[Cruiser]

I don't get out for as many overnights in the hills as I used to but I'm still firmly in the tent camp. I would rather bring the extra weight and know that I have a place to stay dry and bug free than go light and tolerate wet gear and mosquitoes while I'm trying to rest up.

[SoCool]

Fire kit.

+1

I hike with no bivy, tarp, or tent. Just because they keep the weather off you doesn't make them a silver bullet. If I need rest I can pull some hot stones from the coals, bury them under an inch of dirt and sleep soundly.

All jokes aside, I have slept this way a couple times. It's important to have some fresh stones in the coals to switch out during the night. It really takes some stones to try this.

[ezabielski]

Waterproof bivy bags aren't even particularly light compared to a lightweight tarp. A Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus (no bug net) + 10 Ti stakes + polycro groundsheet is 11.6 oz, which is lighter than most bivy bags and far more liveable. There are plenty of other trade offs to consider, but tarp vs tent has been discussed to death in that regard.

[Derek]

Just to add my 2 cents:

When there is snow (and Im solo) I prefer a bivy. Like to burrow down a platform into a snow drift , and I stay much warmer than in a tent. Usually (even in winter) Ill keep the bivy pretty open during the night because my "burrow" stays warm enough.

Summer/dry when temps arent an issue and rain can be, I prefer my tent.

I'm not all that weight conscious, so that doesnt really come into play for me. (If I was that worried about weight in the backcountry, I would just stop drinking beer so much.)

--D

[Conor]

I think bivy sacks have a place, but having used both I always vote for a light tent. I don't like getting a wet bag (if you seal a bivy in a storm, your breath has to go somewhere...), don't like hassling with bugs when I sleep, and like a place to get out of a storm or stow gear. Besides, my freestanding, double wall, seam sealed, screened tent with a small vestibule weighs 1lb 11 oz, an accurate measurement of the full package (tent, fly, poles, cords, tensioners, stakes, stuff sacks...no need for a footprint with a floored tent). It'll take a 40mph blow, sideways rain, doesn't condense, no bugs, etc. Works for me. My philosophy is that gear is just a tool to accomplish a task, I don't want to think too much about it. When I grab my tent, I know it will work great in all conceivable conditions, no gambling required. If you go the BS route (pun intended) at least consider the season. It might make more sense after the monsoon/bug season.

Oh, and my comments above are for my 3 season tent. In the dead of winter I use a Hilleberg. Unbelievably great design, but not ultralight (4lbs 4oz). But it's a bomb shelter and the design gives me 15+ degrees F of free warmth. As a result my winter bag is only 2lbs exactly, so it all evens out weight-wise. Works for me.

-Tom

You mind sharing what 3 season solo tent you're rolling with?

[spiderman]

I wouldn't recommend anything other than a free standing tent until you have a bunch of nights in the wilderness and know how to deal with the downsides of the other (lighter) options. Bugs, rain, lack of good spots, prolonged times inside the shelter, etc can make the other choices rather uncomfortable if you haven't mastered the nuances of bivy/tarp living. Sierra Trading Post (see link under the shop menu and search for additional 25% off coupons) has some reasonable choices and a good return policy if you set it up and find it horrible when you set it up the first time. None of the 14ers require longer than a 3 hour approach to set up a base camp. If you only plan to spend a few nights a year in the shelter, it doesn't matter much if you are lugging up 1 lb or 4 lbs. If you are considering trips that require 15+ mile approaches (Gannett, Olympus, Glacier, or multi-day backpacking trips for the sake of hiking a trail), consider investing $$$ in a sub-2 lb tent. Otherwise I would place affordability and comfort over weight.

I have been okay with a 3-season Marmot tent that weighs 4 lbs (2-person), but I would have bought a Big Agnes Fly Creek tent if money was no constraint.

[powhound]

I'm a tent guy. There are many good points already stated.

How do you normally sleep? Do you wake up at the slightest noise or discomfort, or can you sleep on a pile of rocks through a three alarm fire? Years ago, I used to be able to sleep through anything. Unfortunately, these days I never sleep that great, even in my cushy bed at home. One time camping bivy style, I woke up in the middle of the night with something moving around at the foot of my sleeping bag. We both freaked out and a mouse came rushing out, crawling right over my neck. Yikes. That's something you don't forget, or ever want to experience again. A tent gives me the best chance of getting some rest for the task at hand the next day.

Where will you be camping? I've only done a few of the "pack in" 14ers, but I've noticed a disturbing trend. These places are so popular that the critters, both big and small, have become used to humans, have no fear and come right up close and personal. For Kit Carson I've had mice come right next to me looking for crumbs while I was cooking breakfast. (see above mouse comment) At SCL (Crestones) the bighorns surrounded me in camp licking their chops over the salty soup I was eating. In remote backcountry camps the critters are afraid of humans and keep their distance.

How big of a guy are you? No one seems to ever mention this, but the overall weight you carry is relative to your own weight. Are you 150 lbs or 200 lbs.? I'm pretty average, a little over 175lbs. I notice when I haul more than 25% of my body weight (44 lbs) it gets uncomfortable. I can still do it, but I'd rather not. What are your strongest physical attributes? Ex: I have broad strong shoulders and strong legs. I seem to be built for backpacking, which allows me to haul in excess of 50 lbs on those dry backpacks when you have to carry a lot of excess water weight. On the other hand, my arms are thin and are anything but 'guns'. I could never do pull-ups or moves climbing rock that require great arm strength. I have noticed that guys I've gone backpacking with that prefer the lightweight approach tend to be smaller guys. Make sense. Gear weighs the same whether you are big and burly or short and lightweight.

My first trip there I carried a one-person tent and my buddy, who will remain unnamed, only carried a bivy. An hour and a half into the storm I hear "hey , dude, is there room in your tent for both of us to sit?"

Funny but true. Lightweight style guys always seems to mooch my stuff, be it stove/fuel, better food, alcohol, or camp comfort items, such as a rain tarp or backpacking chair.

Speaking of a backpacking chair, that was one of the criteria for the purchase of a tent. It had to have enough head room where I could sit upright in it, waiting out long storms. I went with the Big Agnes Copper Spur 2. It is supposed to be a two man tent but there is no way. Maybe a one man one woman tent, but not two dudes. It is roomy for one and allows you to keep busy during storms organizing gear for the following day, drying things out or cooking meals in the vestibule. All while sitting comfortably in my chair! I know a lot of folks will give me crap for such an indulgence, but this goes back to the physical attribute comment above. Although my upper back is strong, my lower back has had some issues through the years, and the chair allows it to relax and get some rest. Also my knees don't bend like they used to, and there is no way in hell I can sit upright with my legs crossed for more than a few minutes, I need back support for long periods of idle sitting.

If you're interested in expeditions or climbing 14ers in the winter, carrying a heavier pack will give you additional training or at least get you use to the idea of carrying something heavy on your back.

+1
I've seen otherwise strong (but lightweight style) hikers wilt and drag when they have to carry a pack with substantial weight, as in winter. Nothing wrong with keeping in condition to haul some weight when you have to.

So, I'm not exactly the poster child for GoLite, but I like to be prepared, and as you age you seem to require a bit more comfort. Ok ... all you lightweight style guys can get out your pitchforks now ...

[TomPierce]

Conor: Oh geez. Keep in mind (a) you asked, and (b) I am a compulsive backcountry gear tinkerer. There must be a 12 Step Program for gear geeks like me, but I haven't found it. Here goes:

Tent: The core of the tent is a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1. A one person tent, probably works best for those under...6'2"? Small vestibule will fit a UL type pack, allows cramped cooking in a rain storm (fwiw, I use an Esbit Ti stove when solo, no big flames). It's the older version tent, the inner tent has solid nylon halfway up the sides, will sustain sideways rain. All tags are cut off, zip pulls (MSR glo-in-the-darks) only on one of the zippers (why are there 2 zips on a UL tent??). The fly is off a BA Fly Creek Platinum version (amazing what you can find on eBay...). All seams on the fly are already sealed, and all seams on the fly and tent body have also had Scotchgard sprayed onto the exterior; it'll soak the seam threads from the outside. I also spray 6" up the side of the main tent body and the crown of the fly; once dry I then iron in it on a low setting. "Bakes" the Scotchgard, really makes water bead. Keep in mind this is a one-time thing, i.e. once done I don't repeat this. Tent stakes are shepherd's crook Ti stakes (Trail Designs? REI??); that hooked design keeps the cords snug in blow. Stake loops are tied with a dbl fisherman's knot on each tab on the tent with Gossamer Gear EZ2C reflective cord (super reflective); a drop of superglue on each knot, they will never unravel. Same arrangement on short side guy lines, with micro cord tensioners (Z Packs?). Finally, a cuben fiber stuff sack (Hyperlite Mountain Gear) and cuben tent stake bag (probably not needed, but also probably protects the tent/fly from poke-thrus from the stakes). Poles are a semi-custom carbon fiber "Y" connected by internal shock cords, it copies the original. From Fibertech? The outfit in TN, I think. I've wrapped a 1" section of reflective tape on the main pole in the event they pop out of the side pocket on my pack and I lose them at night along a trail (the poles are black, so...). I think that's it. You asked...

Yep, obviously I'm compulsive about gear, and t's more expensive than stock for sure. But I've used it a lot, except for full winter, it's light and surprisingly rugged. Only one patch on the floor from cactus needles in the high desert. I just pick up the stuff sack/poles and go, I don't think about it or worry, and I sleep pretty well during storms unless it's super noisy outside. It's taken stiff winds (above and below tree line), rain so bad I had splattered mud on top of a pot that was on top of my stove outside. Really no condensation. I'm obviously a big fan, but readily concede it weighs a more than a bivy sack/tarp. Just my preference.

-Tom

[SkaredShtles]

I'm going to agree with the "personal preference" crowd. But I will say - the vast majority of humans will prefer the tent.

I would recommend either renting or borrowing a bivy sack just prior to say, a really wet 3 day period and get out there and see if you can tolerate it.

I have a bivy sack and to tell you the truth - hanging out in it when it's raining SUCKS. YMMV.