Bivy Sacks

Reviewed by Xap

This bivy is light, durable and waterproof! The hoop gives you a nice sleep with no fabric getting in your face!

I purchased that bivy after a long research and have not regretted it yet! I have used it backpacking in Glacier National Park this past summer. The tent is light and easy to setup. I am quite small so I do not have any problems sleeping in it, have enough space. As I tend to be claustrophobic, the hoop was an absolute must! And it is great! Sometimes I wake up, cause the hoop shifted towards my head  but then I just set it up again and keep sleeping. On warm nights you don't have to zip up the bivy, but just leave it open with the mesh protecting you against mosquitos.

Read more: Black Diamond Big Wall Hooped Bivy review (1)

Featured review by Nuitsblanches

Very light and compact, easy to pack all the time for unexpected overnight stays in the boonies. Well made, durable, watertight—too watertight, actually; the top is not breathable, which means potentially lots of condensation inside the bag.

I have always used a tent, a hammock, or slept directly under the stars in pleasant weather. I recently experimented with a tarp, complemented with this light e-bivy by MSR, and enjoy that combo for summer and shoulder seasons, even here in the Pacific NorthWet. The e-bivy is extremely light (spec'ed at 230g/8oz, I didn't check, but it feels right), and compacts to a very small volume—maybe 1/2 a standard Backpacking Unit of Volume (aka Nalgene bottle.) Kleen Kanteen for size reference, e-bivy (NOT compressed), and an MSR wing tarp.

Read more: MSR E-Bivy reviews (2)

Reviewed by Kmsquared

I owned a Bibler Hooped Bivy but am claustrophobic and so moved up to a Bibler Bipod Bivy, which I used in California's Sierra for several years.I had also got very sick of how hard it was to get a sleeping pad and sleeping bag into the Hooped Bivy or any other ordinary bivy that loads only from the top.As bivvies go, the Bipod with its side-zip entry is vastly easier to enter/exit than ordinary, "top-loading" bivvies. It's also easier to get pad/bag into, too.When the head of the bivy is properly pitched out, the single pole really does a fine job of staying in place -- even with me, a serious tosser-and-turner, in it.I wish Bibler would put a little stash-pocket in the bivy.

Read more: Black Diamond Bipod Bivy review (1)

Featured review by GregM

Great shape and design with functioning waterproof breathable (WPB) material, but just not enough of it.

I bought the blue-yellow-black 2017 long sized model online, on sale for 35% off normal retail price. Overall, at that price point, I give this bivy a grade “good”, but NOT “very good”. Had I paid full retail price, I’d give it a lower grade due to top yellow patch not being breathable. The wet spot the yellow patch created on my bag was more noticeable, and took longer to dry than the minimal amount of moisture created by the black side material.  The 30D black side and bottom material is similar to that of my one-person tent and does accumulate some condensation just like my tent—so I do not consider it a con.

Read more: Sierra Designs Backcountry Bivy reviews (2)

Featured review by Graham Owen

Spacious lightweight bivy, waterproof, and breathable with minimal condensation issues.

I have spent almost two weeks in the Outdoor Research Helium Bivy and found it to be pretty acceptable for my use. I bought it from Massdrop for $148.07, and when received, tried it out on my back lawn without turning off the early morning sprinklers. I slept comfortably all night and did not get wet from the sprinklers, which were on for 20 minutes.  More recently, I took the bivy on an almost two-week trip to Shasta Trinity National Forest and slept in it almost every night. I was car camping and used it mostly as a bag cover to keep my sleeping pad, pillow, and sleeping bag clean.

Read more: Outdoor Research Helium Bivy reviews (3)

Featured review by George

I've been looking for a lightweight alternative to all the small tents on the market, but a conventional bivy sack is still a poor compromise: in good weather, being encased in a limited-breathable fabric is overkill, and in bad weather, you need a tarp or something covering the entrance, so you can get in and out of the bivy without soaking everything. I have found a better alternative. The OR Bug Bivy (available at Mountain Gear) is entirely mesh with a waterproof bottom. It's so light I got the double wide for the extra room.

Read more: Outdoor Research Bug Bivy reviews (2)

Reviewed by King Thurber

Figured out how to rig a 6x9' footprint into a water resistant, ventilated, and flying insect-resistant tarp bivy using hiking pole, tent pegs, a little para cord, and a light mesh.

6x9’ Tarp Bivy I used this groundcloth for bivouacking on nights before me and my buddies hiked the next morning. First time there was a lonely fly that kept buzzing around my head unless I pulled it over me reducing ventilation. The second time no fly buzzing, but I was soaked from the condensation, including my sleeping bag which thankfully was PolarGuard and water resistant. Thought I—hmmmm should be able to figure out some basic rig to reduce both pestering fly and condensation. Viola! (dark fiddle in the orchestra) I used my hiking pole, a little nylon line, some tent pegs, and a mesh laundry bag to craft a bivy.

Read more: DIY: 6'x9’ Footprint Tarp Bivy review (1)

Featured review by Randy

Why this bivy? I wanted to replace my three-season, two-man tent with something smaller and lighter, without sacrificing what I need to enjoy my trips. If you want rugged, solid performance in a bivy, this one is awesome. If you want ultralight minimalism, at the expense of strength, quality, and features, grab a plastic garbage sack and hit the trail.

Important to consider if/why you'd want a bivy sack. These are not tents, with vestibules and room to organize and ample headroom to sit up and change clothes. Bivys are little cocoons for your sleeping bag and... that's about it. I love mine, because I knew what to expect (and was ok with) having to adapt to such a small footprint. I'm hooked, I'm warm, and I'm set up and torn down enjoying my beverage long before my mates are done fumbling with their poles. Setup: Quick and easy. One pole and five stakes.

Read more: Outdoor Research Alpine Bivy reviews (9)