Bivy Sack suggestions

[Miles]

What do you do with your packs when it rains?

 Why not just use a pyramid type shelter and be done with it, rather than carrying a bivy that's stuffed size is 15 x 4 inches and then carrying a tarp on top of that?

I contemplated a set up like yours but then thought why not go with the tipi shelter for about 10 ounces more than your bivy weighs(this includes the stakes and poles), and I don't need a tarp.  With this set-up my bag and gear is inside and out of the elements, and I can basically stand up to get dressed in the morning.  

Instead of carrying a sleeping bag, pad, bivy, and tarp....I'm carrying a sleeping bag, pad, and shelter with 90 square feet of room that will remain dry and usable (for the same amount of weight).

Stake down 5 corners, throw the pole up in the middle, and you're done.  About the same amount of time that you take to tie off and stake down that tarp in your picture.

As far as the bivy being a waterproof sack to carry your bag in....they have waterproof compression sacks that weigh a couple ounces and actually take up less room, all the while compressing your bag to a smaller size.

[Skyvalhunter]

The main thing is keeping your stuff dry and if your sleeping system gets wet then it's no fun and you may end up cutting your hunt short. If you know the weather might not be too bad then a tarp might just work. But if it is a rain storm with wind you will want something to get out of the weather and stay dry to wait out the storm and this is where a teepee type or tent comes in handy.

[Special T]

I've tried all the different kinds of sleeping you guys are talking about.. If your worried about rain on your back pack, you get an industrial plastic sac to put over it and lean it up against a rock or a tree. For that matter a waterproog pack cover also works well for packing in the rain. Some areas are more conducive to tap tents, dome tents, small 2man tents and Bivies... I spent 1 month in NM in a 2 amn tent backpacking, and 2 months in a bivi in the Cascades and Olympics... If you worried about being wet and cold backpacking isn't for you, especially during hunting season on the westside. One of things i did to keep stuff dry, and now sent free, are Zip lock bags. One 1-3 gallon ziplocks from walmart or whevere else you find them work great, and save space. You put cloths in a zip lock force the air out then close it. Even if some stuff gets wet the rest is ok.. From the massive time i spent in the wood i liked the Bivi beacuse there was 0 setup time compared to finding a place to put a tent... find a rock/tree to tie to, or a place in there dirt where there were no rocks to put a tent stake.. 

[Skyvalhunter]

Yea its always nice to be in a bivy in -25 degree weather with snow as I did one deer/elk season in MT. Believe me it's not fun when you get snow and you are in a bivy. Then when you want to get out and put your boots on and it is pouring rain or snowing it is even more fun. But to each is own.

[Special T]

I like the snow and cold weather more than the rain... Rain pretty difficult period... I hunted in MT and it was -25 each day and -40 at night.. The only way to stay "warm" was moving. 

[bullchaser]

I put my gear in a garbage bag overnight. the rain in a bivi sucks but you stay dry (for the most part) you dont use a bivi for the fun of it except in the summer on those beautiful nights.

[MtnMuley]

Yea its always nice to be in a bivy in -25 degree weather with snow as I did one deer/elk season in MT. Believe me it's not fun when you get snow and you are in a bivy. Then when you want to get out and put your boots on and it is pouring rain or snowing it is even more fun. But to each is own.

Agree 100%.   Especially the older you get, and the more trips under your belt.  I will sacrifice a little more weight for a dry night and dry boots.

[JackOfAllTrades]

What do you do with your packs when it rains?

Why not just use a pyramid type shelter and be done with it, rather than carrying a bivy that's stuffed size is 15 x 4 inches and then carrying a tarp on top of that?

When you glass for deer are you only looking in the open meadows? No! We look under the bows of evergreens and overhanging bushes not to mention the sheltered faces of the hillside. Last year in the Pasayten the rain came while I was away from camp. And it poured. I found a nice low slung fir and crawled right in. Dry as a bone! I've rolled out my bivy in such spots before. No, you can't stand up, and yes the T-pee or other tent is nice for when you plan to experience the weather and will carry the weight. But when the weather is good, go lighter yet, and be prepaired to improvise if an unexpected weather system comes through. What do I do with my pack? Hang it if I can. Out of the weather.

Looking at Bullchaser's bivy/tarp camp photo,  That would not be me. My Bivy would be in a net hammock well back into those evergreens.

-Steve