Why not have a 2-in-1 bivy/sleeping bag?

If you're going to be sleeping on the ground with a bivy over your sleeping bag, why not just combine it to give the sleeping bag a sturdy outer fabric and have a one piece shelter/sleep system?

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Two piece is good for stuffing your damp clothes in between your sleeping bag and bivvy cover in order to dry.

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    You need a laser operation to close your sweat pores first. So in the end its cheaper to just have two seperate pieces. But you can certainly go that route if you are a true body mod UL freak.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    What do you do if it’s raining when you wake up, or before going to bed? How do you change your clothes or eat breakfast?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      The bivvy I use isnt big enough to eat or change clothes or eat so I'm not sure what your point is. I either wait it out or suffer the rain.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        The point is you sacrifice a ton of utility and gain nothing. It’s why bivvys are trash and anyone pushing them hasn’t gone out much.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          There's tons of benefits to bivvies
          -They can be used in any terrain without having to be set up, tents need open space and hammocks need trees, a bivvy can be set up under a bush
          -They're low profile so if you're sleeping in a rural area you won't be noticed
          -They weigh less and take up less space than a tent (yes I know tarp defeats the purpose, but I only had the tarp for winter because it was cheaper to get the tarp and discard it later than to spend 800$ on a tent or however much they cost.
          -Which leads me to my final point is that bivvies are way cheaper than other shelters. Can get a very solid bivvy for less than 200$, while a good tent is very expensive

          They're not very comfortable so if you're a wimp it might not suit you, but they have widespread use in the military for a reason.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Also bivvies are better than tents in below freezing weather because they contribute more warmth

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Naturehike makes great tents for the low end market. $100-160 at around 4-5 lbs. I'm very happy with mine, but I have a durston xmid coming in February.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            First
            >if your a wimp
            >hurr hurr camping should be uncomfortable
            Bivys are only uncomfortable because they all have shit ventilation.
            >$200! So cheap!
            A Lunar Solo and XMid are both $250. That’s not exactly breaking the bank.
            >small footprint
            1P tents aren’t very big

            They are lighter though, but again, you lose out on a shit ton of utility. This is pretty apparent.

            [...]

            This type of logical fallacy is called an appeal to authority; “these people use it so it must be good!” Their job is to fight wars, not to sleep comfortably. You also didn’t bother to address the question of how you do anything in the rain other than lie down. I’m guessing you’ve never had that happen because you just stay inside. Those soldiers have, so I guess they just get wet, miserable, and pissed off. That’s how we know bivys are peak larp; if you go out enough, you’ll either wake up or get to camp while it’s raining.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              Sleep under tree coverage to minimise rainfall
              If your response to hearing someone say they want on a camping trip is 'lol kekw youre making it up' that's just you projecting. No normal person would hear something like that and doubt it

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                or, like I said, build a shelter. some builds are actually very easy to learn. An A-frame shelter is just one sturdy log or fallen tree propped up diagonally, logs branches intersected, then covered with moss. I slept in on in my bivy on top of a grass bed in the hills in northern Sweden during the spring, when it was still snowy and below freezing, and I was highly comfortable and warm. It was very pleasant

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              "lol no one sleeps in a bivy"
              "everyone in the military sleeps in a bivy"
              "APPEAL TO AUTHORITY"

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Humvees aren’t a good option for commuting to work because it’s impractical and creates more problems than it solves (fuel co sumptuous, parking issues, rides like shit.)

                “B-but people in the army do it every day and it works for them.”

                Again, their job isn’t to camp in the woods. It doesn’t even matter if they have to skip a meal or get soaking wet in the morning.

                Bivys are a trashy LARP option that don’t work worth a damn. Yes people who occasionally go out in fair weather use them. If you insist that they work while ignoring the problem of rain then your opinion is just noise and should absolutely be ignored.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            bivvies don't weigh less than tents at basically any price range or use case anymore. but everything else is true.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      oh but I had a tarp during the winter. I've also made a lot of shelters so I can make a simple A frame shelter pretty quickly for overnight use if necessary.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Just carry a tent then, you’re saving nothing with a tarp and bivy.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          you do save a small bit because you don't need poles. but it is moronic to do. I had a bivy and i hated it mostly for the reasons mentioned above, but also the lack of knee to foot space. I am a side sleeper so these are complete trash.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >What do you do if it’s raining when you wake up, or before going to bed? How do you change your clothes or eat breakfast?
      I change into a jacket inside the bivvy. I'm relatively flexible.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Have you ever been outside during the night?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      lol dude I just spent an entire year on backpacking trip camping outside every night - in the winter, in the rain, whatever the weather. Don't take up fortune telling my guy

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        BEAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
        >no I’m super serious this really did happen

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Oh yeah well I just got back from a 2 year backpacking trip and you don't know frick all. Matter of fact I'm still fricking out here I'm just going to live outside you will never catch up.

        And shove your fricking bivy bag up your fricking ass sideway that shit is DUMB AS FRICK of an idea.

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I had this and used it for a few years. Worked great in coastal California where I never really had to worry about rain, only heavy dew. Probably not ideal other places but its better than having nothing be waterpoof.

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I have the 3 layer ECWS bag, never used the whole thing at once, but I have regularly used the lightest innermost bag. So I think its nice to be able take it apart and use whatever pieces you want at any given time.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      thanks, that looks cool, might get one when I can afford it

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous
    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I repeat.
      If a bivvy suits your needs, use it, if you don't like them, don't use them. The original topic wasn't even about whether bivvies are good or ont.

  8. 1 year ago
    OP

    [...]

    >for this system to work you also need a tarp
    Thanks for making my point for me.

  9. 1 year ago
    OP

    [...]

    >adds a tarp
    >loses every advantage he had over a tent
    >still a condensation nightmare
    Ok

  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    And yes, they are LARP trash that no one actually uses

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >no rain
    No need for a tent, tarp, or bivy.

    >rain
    Need a tarp (as admitted). The bivy is extraneous in that situation.

    What’s the purpose of the bivy?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Careful, you’ll be accused of being me, as only one person can hold this opinion.

      Yeah, I posted before updating 😀
      t.

      What's the point of a bivy if you're using a tarp and a ground sheet? I'd think that the bivy just adds a layer that catches condensation.

  12. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >my nice tent was heavier than my military issued bivy and tarp
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    What's the point of a bivy if you're using a tarp and a ground sheet? I'd think that the bivy just adds a layer that catches condensation.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Careful, you’ll be accused of being me, as only one person can hold this opinion.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      [...]
      >no rain
      No need for a tent, tarp, or bivy.

      >rain
      Need a tarp (as admitted). The bivy is extraneous in that situation.

      What’s the purpose of the bivy?

      Maybe the bivvy would be good either if it's extremely cold or if it's very windy.
      I have no idea, never needed one.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Love mine for winter camping. More space to bring more clothes and food. Hate tents, simple as

      The bivvy is the ground sheet

  14. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I watch two different long range hikers and they both use a bivvy. It isn't a 2 in 1 but it's made me consider getting one. My tent is extremely low profile UL and it wouldn't be much of a change to get a bivvy.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Are you in a desert or exclusively hiking in an otherwise arid environment? If not, you have to consider rain and condensation issues.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Is condensation an issue for a bivvy which is separate to the sleeping bag? I currently have a snugpak ionosphere which I like and it handles extremely heavy rain very well I've awoken once completely dry with flooding all around me before.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          The Ionosphere is a tent. It just identifies as a bivy.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Is there any reason for me to switch from the iono to a bivvy or am I being autistic just wanting new gear.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              There’s never a good reason to use an actual bivy outside of emergency use or some very case specific stuff.

              If it’s not going to rain, you don’t need a shelter. If it does rain, you need a tarp for various camp chores as mentioned.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Or you can just wear a rain coat, and any tasks that can't be done in the rain can wait until it stops raining

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Yeah you’ve never actually been hiking. Thanks for playing.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Hiked in Scotland, Sweden, and Germany recently. I hiked the West Highland Way. It rained almost the entire time. I had a shitty cheap poncho and a bivy.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >I just ate in the rain and had no reprieve because I hate tents as much as I hate myself

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                I was at an outdoor 10 hour folk music festival that rained all day. Some people had umbrellas, some (old people btw) just walked around in rain coats all day. Believe it or not, you can survive getting rained on a bit as long as you have a change of socks to avoid trenchfoot.

  15. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    condensation

  16. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    No, it's not required to have a tarp with a bivy. A bivy is waterproof. That's the whole point of the bivy. To protect you from rain.

    If you haven't made a shelter and want extra rain protection you can sleep under dense canopy.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      See:

      What do you do if it’s raining when you wake up, or before going to bed? How do you change your clothes or eat breakfast?

      >just sleep under trees
      That doesn’t solve those problems. Do you think the trees just absorb all of the rain that hits them, or do you think the same amount falling from the sky trickles down the leaves and falls to the ground?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        You don't get as much rainfall under trees or bushes. Their shape tends to shed water away from the center. And if it's very thick coverage it will take a lot of rainfall before it starts to penetrate.

  17. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >point out innate problems and issues with your bullshit LARP gear
    >”REEEEEEE!”
    No real arguments then?

  18. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I do everything before the rains come.

  19. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    Again:

    >rain
    Need the tap, so no need for a bivy

    >no rain
    Don’t need the tarp, so no need for a bivy

    When do you need the bivy?

  20. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >not an answer
    If it’s going to rain, you need the tarp from your super modular system. If it’s not going to rain, you leave the tarp but bring a waterproof bivy. Why?

    >show more modular system
    Just leave the bivy at home and you solve your condensation problem and take out any guess work in the weather.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Sorry, this is dumb. You can go without the tarp but not without the bivy. Go ahead and put your sleeping bag on the wet ground with no protection and wait til it gets holes in it.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >I don’t know what a ground sheet is
        BEAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  21. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >I don't necessarily know whether it will rain
    So I guess your system isn’t modular after all and you always have to bring the tarp. That was your argument; that you can leave pieces behind dependent upon the weather (hence “modular”).

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Repeat after me, since you're evidently deaf. You do not have to bring a tarp in the rain. The bivy is meant to protect you from rain

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        And here we are again, where you have no place to eat, review maps for the next day, change your clothes, or even just sit there and relax if it’s raining, and you have no explanation as to what you do in this common circumstance.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          I was at an outdoor 10 hour folk music festival that rained all day. Some people had umbrellas, some (old people btw) just walked around in rain coats all day. Believe it or not, you can survive getting rained on a bit as long as you have a change of socks to avoid trenchfoot.

  22. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >doesn’t have an argument
    >always brings every part of his modular system because he can’t predict the weather
    >insists that it really is modular though
    >always had a tarp, which is waterproof, well ventilated, and protects adequately against wind
    >also brings his trusty military issued bivy as a security blanket
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHANANAHA!

  23. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >totally abandons his “modular” argument
    Tarp, ground sheet, pad (or inflatable), sleeping bag (or quilt). Leave the bivy at home.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      You still need the right spot to set up the tarp and the time to do it. So I still prefer the bivy since it works anywhere and takes no time

  24. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    You think condensation issues will be worse under a tarp than they are in a bivy? You think a ground sheet is “less waterproof” because your campsite selection is garbage?
    >definition of modular
    You literally have to bring every piece of your supposedly modular kit because you don’t necessarily know whether it will rain (your words).

  25. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    If you have to take every piece of a kit, it’s not modular.
    >I need my tarp in the rain
    >I don’t know if it will rain because I’m not a wizard.

    >knowing how to properly select a campsite means just sleeping in nice places
    Yeah, I don’t camp in spots that will flood or otherwise frick up a good time (unless I’m in a national park, lol). Get on my level, newbie.

  26. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >doesn’t understand the basics of campsite selection
    >just plops down wherever
    I knew the public space is limited in Europe but I didn’t think it was that bad

    Here’s my appeal to authority:
    https://andrewskurka.com/tag/five-star-campsite-selection/

  27. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    No, going to agree with bivy-hater anon. A setup which never gets broken up isn't modular setup. Being flexible in the field isn't quite the same, otherwise me not putting the fly on a tent is 'modular'.

    The campsite selection thing brings you back to the niche thing. Sure in a military application being able to choose shit sites is a great boon, and if you do get yourself into shit areas regularly it might be a consideration. On the practical side, virtually no ones purposely on any random camping does this if it can be avoided, and if they do they don't argue about a very purpose driven solution on an Indian blanket enthusiast forum. Seriously, why would you look at a flood-prone ditch and say 'yeah this is the breasts'. Like its a neat flex if you survive but this is the 'exclusive 200 dollar shit' meme if you're just doing it for no reason.

    I use a bivy and tarp, but the bivy is lightweight and more of a bug and wind screen, the tarp is primary. Standing around in a torrent for 10 hrs to do a task out of the rain sounds completely smooth brained.

  28. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    I dunno man. If you have to take everything then there’s no flexibility or variety of use. Like the other Anon said, it’s like claiming a tent is versatile because you don’t use the fly. Why not just leave the bivy and only use the tarp?

  29. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >im done here
    >let me just quote the dictionary
    You ok?

  30. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >how do you think he sleeps innawoods?
    you dont because you're almost assuredly sitting in a patrol base doing night ops, fueled entirely on dip and anger, passing in and out of conciousness while pulling security until about 3am. then you take your 2 hour powernap under your woobie and wake up to pull stand-to at 5am. then power through the day on cigarettes and smuggled bangs hoping sergeant major doesnt see you drinking energy drinks in the field.

  31. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    i don't want to put dry sleeping bag outside of my bag during the day when i hike
    i don't want to put wet bivy inside my pack after the first day of rain
    works out better to have them separate but the combo ones are great for a quick overnighter. roll up your clothes inside them too.

  32. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Because I actually go outdoors

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