i love my bivy

im still kinda new to backpacking. i do try and get out for little weekend trips as much as i possibly can. this weekend i went for a short 3 day trip and traded in my tent for a gortex military issued bivy. since this bivy you sleep with your head out i was a little worried about something trying to crawl in with me. but wow. i wish i could describe just how amazing it was to sleep under the stars and feeling so close and one with nature. and not to mention the 4.2 pounds i saved on my back!!! wow!!! now i cant wait to hit the trails again soon with my bivy!!!

You don't have to describe it - I know that exact feeling. It was why I used a bivy/tarp combo until the really lightweight, all-mesh-inner tents like the Hubba from MSR and Seedhouse SL from Big Agnes came out. I'd only pitch the tarp when it looked like rain, or when I wanted to block some wind in cold weather. The rest of the time, it was just the bivy. I loved falling asleep under the stars, and a couple of times I woke up to find deer browsing just a few yards away.

I can do the same thing, more comfortably, now with the all-mesh tents (my current favorite: MSR Carbon Reflex 1) for about the same weight, so I've given up the bivy. But, if you're not ready to move to something like that, stick with the bivy and enjoy the stars!

I have the same bivy and use it in the winter. I personally wouldn't want to be in a rain storm with just this bivy, so don't use it in the summer. I also use a hammock in the summer and see no need for a bivy with my hammock. Anyways, I like the bivy in the winter. It is barely big enough for my winter bag, so perfect size.

finallyME-
i went on a short trip this weekend with the same bivy we have and i got stuck in high winds with a thick fog. the fog dripped all night. but the bivy kept me warm and dry. i woke up in the morning with a big puddle at my feet on the bivy. it sweat inside a little inside and i was nervous if it would hold up but it did alright. i would have to agree that i wouldnt want to get caught in the rain with it though. a curious little critter that night though pawed at my bivy. that however was one time that i have to admit i would have been more comfortable in a tent.

I've got a military bivy too...but I got a top zipper sewn on (most shoe repair places can do this kind of stuff...get a ykk zipper).

while a tent is going to be roomier it's also heavier and more cumbersome to put up (especially at night in the wind/rain)

I leave my air mattress (xllite) and my sleeping bag (feathered friends Hummingbird) in the bivy and roll the whole thing up and stuff it at the bottom of my pack.

with the bivy you just throw it out and dive in (zip up) then blow up your mattress while you're inside (extend the mattress on top of yourself...blow it up and then roll on top of it...super easy once you do it a couple of times).