Bivy vs tent.

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Hey guys need some help and insight on the bivy vs tent. I like the idea of the bivy but I am concerned about not being able to get my gear and bow out of the element... is the couple extras pounds worth it to have the piece of mind?


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Wrench

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The uber hard core guys made bivy hunting sound glamorous.

It sucks if the weather isn't cooperative. If you want to try to rough it enough for gram pics, rock on. If you want to sleep at night without mice crawling on your face and having wet everything, leave out 3 granola bars and bring a tent.
 

sneaky

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Yeah, the number of good, solid tents you can get in the 2-2.5lb range makes a bivy obsolete. Unless you're kicking out a deer bed to sleep in every night, then do your thing. Only time I take a bivy is when I'm rocking my patrol tarp or a floorless shelter so it keeps my quilt and pad together.

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Joined
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You’re not hardcore unless you live hard core....

You could always use a pack cover for your pack, bow and boots while your in your bivy to keep them out of the elements or take a tarp.

I’ve ran a bivy and my quilt during September hunts under a tarp several times over the last few years with no real issues. The reality is that you wont know if you’ll like it unless you try it.
 
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Get a 5 ounce bug bivy from Borah and a tarp from SO or Warbonnet. That’s a 22-24 ounce shelter for about $200. You could really accommodate two under that tarp and save weight as a group.
 

OXN939

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Get a 5 ounce bug bivy from Borah and a tarp from SO or Warbonnet. That’s a 22-24 ounce shelter for about $200. You could really accommodate two under that tarp and save weight as a group.

My Nemo Hornet tent weights the same amount and costs only a few bucks more on sale. It also keeps bugs out, provides insulation and is able to be guyed out for storms
 

Brendan

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For hunting season, I don't like tents. Would much rather have a floorless shelter that I don't have to worry about taking my boots off in, cooking inside and worrying about spilling, burning the floor with a stove, and they'll be lighter when you're pitching with trekking poles you're already carrying, or just use a couple branches. And when it gets cold and wet, I can add a stove.

I do have a tent for summer backpacking where bugs are a problem, but much prefer the floorless with a UL bivy or just pad and a piece of Tyvek where possible.

And, when you wake up in the middle of the night and it's pouring rain, you can just piss on floor. Game changer!
 

AgentVenom

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My hunting party is usually 3 or sometimes 4 of us. I own the Copper Spur UL4. Divide among three packs it’s less then 2 lbs each and if it’s not buggy or inclement with higher winds can pitch it with just the rain fly frame and floor. Then it’s just a hair over 1 pound per pack. With four people even less. I started out with bivy camp/ hunting. Now I can’t justify it.
 
OP
emarquez10
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Yeah, the number of good, solid tents you can get in the 2-2.5lb range makes a bivy obsolete. Unless you're kicking out a deer bed to sleep in every night, then do your thing. Only time I take a bivy is when I'm rocking my patrol tarp or a floorless shelter so it keeps my quilt and pad together.

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What kind tent set up do you run?


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OP
emarquez10
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The uber hard core guys made bivy hunting sound glamorous.

It sucks if the weather isn't cooperative. If you want to try to rough it enough for gram pics, rock on. If you want to sleep at night without mice crawling on your face and having wet everything, leave out 3 granola bars and bring a tent.

That’s what I figured. What is you tent setup if you don’t mind me asking. I’ll be spending 5 nights up at 11,000ft + in CO


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Poser

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I do a bivy + tarp combo. I really like the versatility and packability of it. I do sleep out in just a bivy sack regularly, but only when I’m sure the weather will hold up, which is almost never in the high country. If I’m above Treeline, I’m sleeping under something.

The tarp I’m using has enough room for gear, so that hit a big deal. A pack cover and/or a
Simple contractor bag would address your gear concerns about exposure.

Upsides to a bivy:

The night sky. Seriously. Staring at the stars on a clear night from 11,000 feet is just astounding. I guess you can do this from tent without a vestibule, too, but you probably won’t during cold weather.

Simplicity. It’s kind of a minimalist mindset.

Being able to sleep in a deer bed. As is often the case, that’s the only flat ground, and it’s a bit of a bathtub at that. Usually too close to a tree to set up a tent. Hammock’s shine here, but at higher elevations, the trees are too stunted, so that’s what you have to work with and you might have to descend 800 feet to find a bench big enough for a tent. That sucks.

That’s probably about it and the 3rd example only applies to people who are camping at higher elevations anyway. Modern tents are fast to pitch and very light. My simple tarp takes longer to set up. Bivy sacks tend to heavier than you think they should be across the board. I also think that bivying out is something you need to graduate to, working your way through the ranks of different shelter systems and finding what works for your style and mindset. It may also be the case that raw bivying has more benefits for climbing, backcountry skiing and bike touring than it does for hunting, so it makes more sense as a transferable skill if you do one or more of those sports.

Anyway, here’s a setup I’ve been using lately. I think it will work perfectly for me in the Fall. We’ve hit “monsoon” season recently and it’s probably too rainy for this setup at the moment, but I have about 25 nights in it since the Spring.

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Rizzy

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If you go the tent route, get a free standing 2 man. It will be easier to pitch and fit all your stuff. I really like the hilleberg niak for bug season.
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One thing I like about my tarp/bivy combo is the redundancy in shelters it provides. If one fails you still have the other. In early spring and fall a tarp/bivy is all that’s needed a lot of the time
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sneaky

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What kind tent set up do you run?


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Depends on the time of year. Early season I may be under my MLD patrol tarp duo with an EE Recon bivy. Maybe a Nemo Dragonfly or Tarptent of some variation. Late season I'll run floorless with a stove. When it gets dark early later in the season a stove is a game changer. I've slept in deer beds with the EE bivy, they have their place, but if you have space for a tent then they're pretty annoying.

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Wrench

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That’s what I figured. What is you tent setup if you don’t mind me asking. I’ll be spending 5 nights up at 11,000ft + in CO


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I have a bunch of tents and tipis. I am not sure what to suggest about Colorado as I don't have experience over 8ish k feet. I tend to like my megalight when it is fair weather and shift to enclosed tents when it gets purely crappy.... and when it gets cold I like the tipi stove combo. I currently have a Wyoming and Ti goat tipi.

There should be enough guys familiar with your area to be able to lie you in on what doesn't work in your area.
 

BBob

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I used to do a pure bivy setup on hunts but it sucked when it rained or was snowing. I carried a piece of tyvek to drape over my gear and used it over me when I got in and out of the bivy in an attempt to stay dry. It mostly worked but was a pain especially when it came time to take your boots on or off or change out some clothes. With all the new light DCF tarps and tents I'm actually carrying less weight than the older bivy's and I'm way more comfortable. Depending on the hunt and particular situation I'll carry either a 1 man DCF tent or a DCF tarp bivy combo. Single pole mid-tarp bivy setups are more flexible for limited situations/locations than a tent will be for sure. For a quick simple overnight scout trip with good weather I'll go straight bivy with one of the ultralight's.
 
OP
emarquez10
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Thank you everyone for the insight. Bivy is still not out of the question for sure. I’m about 35 days out from my hunt and looks monsoon season is going to be late and hit during my hunt. Does a tarp really provide enough protection during a down pour over a Bivy?


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HoneyDew

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Depending on what tent you would run as an alternate a tarp/bivy is usually** lighter. Tarp also allows you to have day shelter from sun/rain/wind/etc for glassing or waiting for the weather to pass. Just pick your poison and give it a try. I wouldn’t run a bivy as my main shelter without a tarp and vice versa . But that’s me.
 

sneaky

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Thank you everyone for the insight. Bivy is still not out of the question for sure. I’m about 35 days out from my hunt and looks monsoon season is going to be late and hit during my hunt. Does a tarp really provide enough protection during a down pour over a Bivy?


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Absolutely. At least under a tarp you can move around and stretch out. In a bivy during a storm you're in your own personal coffin. Best combo is an UL bivy and a tarp. Then you're covered regardless.

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Jimss

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If you want the best of both worlds buy a 4 season tent that is designed for extreme snow and wind. For early season hunting use just the fly. I use a Hilleberg Nallo and the fly used alone is bomber=proof. I'm pretty sure just the fly, stakes, etc only weigh around 2 1/2 lbs. I often bring painters plastic for a floor. I've used this setup for everything from Alaska dall sheep to Wyo elk to Colo bighorns and it works extremely well!
 
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