I''m going to embark on a hiking trip across Canada. (see The Canada Experience) i would love to use a bivy sack and hammock the entire way. Given Canada''s extreme conditions in the winter do you think this would be possible? Can i get a reliable four season bivy and hammock, or will i need a tent? If you know of any specific products that you would recommend please let me know.

Assuming you are actually serious about this, you will need at least a tarp to over your hammock and bivy. There is no way you are going to avoid storms.

No one here can tell what works for you. Only you have the answer to that. It depends on what fits your style. Get some experience with the bivy and especially the hammock before you leave. Each has its own advantages over a tent, and each has its drawbacks. If you do decide to go with this system have a backup tent that can be sent to you just in case. There will be sections of the route where a tent is more appropriate.

I took a look at your link and all I can say is, you are trying to bite off a very large mouthful and I wish you luck in your endeavor. But there is a wise saying that luck favors the well-prepared.

I would strongly advise you to do as much planning, training and preparing as you possibly can - with a big emphasis on practising in the environment you will be hiking in -- or as near to it as you can come. If you expect to carry a heavy pack for long distances, put a heavy pack on your back and carry it long distances ahead of time. If you buy gear, practise using it - especially using it outdoors in similar conditions to what you expect.

It is possible to attempt something exceptionally difficult for the first time and succeed with little more than grit and spit - but the more difficult it is, the more elusive that success becomes. In this case, the penalty for failure could be your life, so prepare accordingly.

Good luck.

Tom
It says you are a Canadian, and it also says you just started "walking". Have you ever hiked/camped in Canada? I think you will need to read everything you can from this site and others. I also think your chances of survival are not great, but there are Canadians on this group who can offer much more specific advice than I can. Mt St Alias is in some extremely rugged territory requiring good supply lines and a LOT of wilderness/animal knowledge. How tough are you? This trip will break you if it doesn't kill you. Good luck.

As for a bivy/hammock trip through Canada in winter - NO, especially not in the north west, you would become grizzly food.
Jim

I'm not sure why you want to do this trip but I hope that you plan to do shorter trips and get a little experience under your belt before you make an attempt.

I have a fair idea of what it would take to do the Pacific Crest Trail, and had to abandon that plan due to the financial difficulties of it. What you are planning is far more ambitious, not to mention dangerous.

Backpackers don't generally have managers or publicists, by the way.

No, not in winter - Mr Grizz is a hibernating then.

spring->fall you can have bear issues of course.

But I think it is important to bear in mind that much of his route is not wilderness trail. This is not the pct. most of it is road walking.

If you are talking about middle of winter, particularly up north north, you're probably not going to want to be hammocking. I hammock a lot in canada, and I get into "shoulder season" down to about -15C at the very coldest. I've camped down to -35 but only on the ground, and you will be warmer there.

Now having said that, I think you should really plan your trip around avoiding winter - or break it into sections where winter bits can be done in populated areas. You'll have a very hard time doing winter in northern Alberta/BC/Yukon if you are taking the northern route on that trail.

I might also add that you will probably want to consider different gear for different parts of the season. For example trying to carry a winter weight sleeping bag and four season tent through summer is just silly. You need to think carefully about what you would use in what conditions.

hehe....bear



Wow, now this sounds like fun.

Tom,

It looks like an interesting trip. I don't have the experience in the extreme weather/mammals/insects that you will face up there, but I do think you have one thing going for you...youth. Your body will probably be able to handle the adventure, but will your mind? It will take a lot of mental strength to do that whole trip and even more mental strength to know when you have reached your limit.

Anyway, good luck and I like your outlook and approach.

Although the TCT is a lot of road walking, I hope to stick to back-country as much as possible and will most likely map out sections where I’m close to the trail but not on the road.
Thank you for the information, its really helping me get a better idea of my trip, and how I need to prepare.
I was looking at Granite Gear's tarp system to accompany my bivy, but for the winter I will follow your advice and take a good four season tent to make sure I’m prepared. It looks like I may be taking a pulk sled to accommodate all my winter food and gear!
I do not intend to avoid winter; I want to do the trip straight through. I know this is not recommended but I want to challenge myself and prepare for it; the last thing I want to do is go in under-prepared, that’s why I’m giving myself over a year before I start.

If *I* were doing that trip, I'd be hammocking spring->fall and then carrying a bombproof 4 season tent when it got closer to winter.. I'd also be ensuring I had a support system dropping food off for me and being along on the road as help.

But I think you may be underestimating the time it may take you to go that far if you're not actually following the established trail. If you plan on tripping throught the backcountry to do this I think you have an overeaggerated romantic notion of how long this will take you.. just a word of caution

Have you ever spent much time in a bivy during a rainstorm? I have spent time in a small two person tent in the rain-both by myself and with another person. I cannot imagine how unpleasant that would have been in a bivy. You can find very lightweight tents or tarpents made by Tarptent, Terra Nova (UK) and other small companies that would weigh the same or less as some bivies, yet give you more protection.

I've never tried a hammock, but I know they have their fans, so no recommendation one way or another on that. But for bad weather, I would reconsider the bivy idea or at least test it out before gearing up for the big trip.