goretex bivy bags

[Night goat]

so im considering going to a floorless shelter, probably one of those Luxe tents just because i can afford one, and ultimatley a wood stove to go with it, however, the key word is floorless...

i have an alaknak 12x12 and ive kind of gotten spoiled, and like having a stove. the alaknak has earned the title of my portable cabin, but, unless we are taking my jeep up into somewhere, its kind of impractical for alot of things and limits what kind of camping we can do, and we have started taking up backpacking and have definatley gotten more serious about it. with a floorless shelter that has a small pack stove, it keeps her happy

i am eyeballing a US military surplus goretex bivy bag (not a bivy shelter) in lieu of a ground cloth/tarp, mainly so i dont have to spend all night chasing after my sleeping pad, which is known to happen. i tent to roll around alot and usually break up the night into 3 or 4 naps because i cant sleep for squat to begin with, and every time i fall asleep its in a different position. weight isnt ideal, but the price is, and considering i have to buy two... has alot more appeal

https://www.loadup.com/u-s-military-issue-woodland-goretex-bivy-cover.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwJG9hIK25AIVB9tkCh3YoQ5eEAQYAyABEgI8EfD_BwE

thats the style i am looking at

perhaps i am relying on the title of us military surplus for some reliability and quality... i mean, if its good enough for the troops, its certainly good enough for me

however i know there are some better options out there.

the girlfriend and i both have ultralight down bags (2lbs), rated to about 18ish deg, and was thinking a bivy would add 5-10 deg extra protection, there seems to be alot of options out there, and the other thing im trying to figure out is the condensation issue. i know goretex is kind of old technology these days, but, it has been around forever...

the military bivy seems to be a little heavier duty than alot of the other stuff... i bought one a few years ago, but my buddy had to have it and offered me alot more than i paid for it, so i let it go to him without using it. that bivy is 2lbs and some change, which is a little heavy, figure with pad, bivy and sleeping bag, its going to be around 5lbs but, thats all weather protection down to the mid to low teens which isnt uncommon for us to encounter later in the season.

we are taking mushroom picking a little more serious this year too because of her career in a high end restaurant where they actually buy from us, so, it makes trips a little more worth it.

the other consideration is the dog. its not uncommon for the dog to get cold and try to snuggle in with her, and figure a larger bag would allow the dog to get stuffed into the bottom of it, which is kind of a win win because it would keep the girlfriend warmer too (hate to admit that)

those are my thoughts and considerations and would love to hear some input

[Fl0und3rz]

I have one, a floorless shelter, and I have used both, with and without a ground cloth.  If wet, I might go with a ground cloth, too.

[Night goat]

I have one, a floorless shelter, and I have used both, with and without a ground cloth.  If wet, I might go with a ground cloth, too.

any condensation issues?

[Fl0und3rz]

Not on the bivy. But it was early and mid summer.  On the floorless, yes, but it cleared out during the day. No wet weather cold season experience with stove, yet.

[Stein]

I used to have one back in my mountaineering days that I slept in at -20 one time in MT and was only very mildly cold.  They work great, but are like a coffin and hard to get all your stuff together - bivy, two pads, bag, you.  The other issue is you don't have anywhere to put anything else and it will be in the weather.

For the weight, you can't beat them and I did like them in the winter.  In the fall, they aren't that fun to use in a rainstorm though.

The one I had would add at least 10-20 degrees of warmth on my sleeping bag.

[Bone collector 13]

I work in fire and we run those on the crew, never had a issue or heard of any complaints, and the dudes spend probably 30 nights a year in them

[Odell]

I use a super light Jimmy Tarps bivy in my floorless shelter because of condensation under the tarp. I can keep my down bag dry and clean

[yakimanoob]

OK, it sounds like you're searching for a solution to two problems:
1) You want a barrier between you and the ground to keep your sleep system dry
2) You want to prevent yourself from sliding off your sleeping pad.
Do I have that right?


A bivy would work well enough for the first issue, although I'd say it's overkill.  I use an OR Helium bivy shelter, and in my experience, yes, you could say it adds 10-20°F warmth to your system.  For those two features though, you might consider a simple vapor barrier (tyvek, plastic, etc) from the hardware store for a groundsheet, and a sleeping bag liner.  That seems like it would get you to the same place for less weight, and give you a lot more flexibility.   

For the issue of sliding off your pad, honestly I don't see a bivy doing much for you.  Unless the bag is TIGHT, it's not going to prevent you from sliding off...  Maybe I'm missing the way you're planning to use the bag? 

[Fl0und3rz]

I was thinking the pad was going inside the bivy.

[bracer40]

I still have the goretex bivy bag I bought about 30 years ago. It was great for winter camping in a snow cave or igloo. Also helped boost the sleeping bag warmth when we used tents instead of snowshelters.
I never used it outside of winter though. Overkill and other, better options. I just knew it would really suck trying to get clothes and boots on in the rain, so always opted for tents or hammocks depending on the weather.

[Magnum_Willys]

I used a space blanket type bivy this summer - wholey cripes it was dry out but my bag was sopping wet in a couple hours from condensation.      Guess the bivy better breathe well! 

[Night goat]

I was thinking the pad was going inside the bivy.

 

Im more or less thinking its just a way to keep the sleeping bag dry and clean considering im 99.9% sure im going with a floorless tent like luxe hexipeak or seek Cimarron with the woodstove. 

For all of my non hunting adventures i need a tent.to contain. The dog at night