water resistant/proof sleeping bag or bivy?

[Night goat]

my sleeping bag is an REI igneo 17 which is an ultralight down bag good to 17deg and it has been treated with some sort of water resistant coating, whatever it was from the factory.... never been out with it in a super dew-y situation but have dealt with condensation, seems to stay dry but, haven't had it backpacking yet

do you guys go the bivy sack route or go with a ground tarp and let whatever coating is on the bag do its job?

I used to have a military surplus Gore-Tex bivy bag that I used on my us army mountain sleeping bag (good to zero deg, but weighs a ton) and wouldn't worry about anything but use was limited.


I have an ultralight inflatable sleeping pad which im contemplating replacing with foam, but haven't made my mind up on that, both have their pros and cons... one can pop, one is reliable, the other is small, one is bulky....


was thinking with a bivy I wouldn't have to worry about rolling off the pad in the middle of the night


the tent im thinking of is something comparable to the kifaru sawtooth or seek cimaron, haven't totally decided but, 3-4 man hot tipi  havent fully decided, but want a hot tent. i know in my alaknak ive woke up drenched in sweat (and subsequently freezing) if i fell asleep with the fire too hot and let it burn out, especially if it flared up, but figure one of those pack stoves in a hot tent wont hold coals nearly as long, definatley not going to hold coals all night long... figure condensation and dew would be a factor after the fire dies down


whats the best route?       

[banishd]

I have a cimmaron, it is a 2 man shelter with the stove. 3 would be doable but mostly suck. You want a little room to dry out. I use plastic painters tarp cut down to size for the ground. Can use tyvek as well but have no complaints except plastic is slippery. Could fix that with dabs of silicone or something but been too lazy to do it. Condensation really was not much of a problem as long as you can keep some room from the tent walls. If you add a bivy it needs to be highly breathable or the moisture seems to stay in/on your bag instead of on the tipi walls. Helps if you use a baclava/beanie instead of sleeping bag zipped all the up to your face. All of my hot tent backpacking has been in very wet conditions though. I have a sierra designs 12* dri-down bag for cold weather and costco down throw diy quilt for warmer weather.

I use an inflatable pad and you are spot on about slipping and sliding. Thats exactly why I tried using a bivy. Think i may end up with a diy "bivy" just to keep the two together. I used foam pads forever but the bulkiness/comfort/warmth disparities were too much not to make the switch to high r value ultralight blow up. Just bring tenacious tape in case of a hole because silnet does not set well in cooler temps. Hot tents are amazing, despite the cons. They keep you on the mountain when everyone else bails out. Well worth the learning curve. Also, a 4 person hot tent sounds like it would be miserable, 2 stinky dudes are more than enough for me.

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

If I’m running floorless, I usually run with a bivy sack.  But mostly that’s for “containment” issues as I tend to flop around.

Otherwise, I’m an enclosed freestanding tent I’ll just sleep on the pad.


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[7mmfan]

I can't speak to the bag, I don't have a bunch of experience there.

I have a 4 man shelter similar to the Sawtooth. 2 guys with gear is comfortable. Beyond that it's crowded. If you can store gear outside, then 3 guys could comfortably sleep in it. The stove I have is the large Seek Outside box stove. If you load it tough with large diameter wood, and then shut it down, it will put out heat for 3+ hours. It's not the same kind of heat as a wall tent stove though. It's very direct and as soon as the flames begin to die down, the heat dies substantially as well.

Condensation in those kinds of shelters can be minimized by setting your tent with a couple of inches of air space between the bottom and the ground. This allows air to circulate through the tent as you sleep, minimizing condensation. It doesn't eliminate though.

[BD1]

No expert here but my buddy used an REI Cyclops Bivy for years and years.  Slept in rain, snow....whatever.  We were always amazed at where we would find him in the morning 

[Night goat]

If I’m running floorless, I usually run with a bivy sack.  But mostly that’s for “containment” issues as I tend to flop around.

Thats kinda my other motivation..... Ive been known to chase after my pad in the middle of the night, it tends to grow legs and run around the tent all night.

[boneaddict]

I go groundcloth only.  If I were to use a bivy it would be for a different situation.