Why I'm ditching my bug bivy

#pacificnorthwest #hikewashington #tarpcamping #backpackinggear #backpackingtips #campingtips

[jbro]

The purspose of the tarp is to eliminate condensation with its superior ventilation. That way gear doesn't get wet on a multi-day hike. If your tent has sufficient ventilation or you're hiking in a very dry climate so gear doesn't get damp then take the tent. However, you can stay drier with a tarp while hiking in the rainy Northwest or any other high humidity environment.

[NigelThornbery]

Ultralight campers keep throwing away one piece of equipment that weighs ounces every month until they are just sleeping on the ground and eating bugs and pine cones. “I got rid of my freeze dried food to save weight”

[sio.carcamping]

I'm a Japanese hiker who loves Bivy because it's the best and easiest.
My regular OR helium Bivy felt big and heavy, and after exploring different information, I found the best Bivy for me!
That is the Borah Gear you are referring to.
I was so excited, because with Dyneema's Bivy, all I knew was MLD.
I hope to have him make me a custom Bivy someday!

[danebumstead]

Alternative option. I have a rectangular tarp from when I used to hammock camp. I took cheap mosquito netting and sewed about 8” of mosquito netting around the whole bottom edge of my tarp. Then sewed mosquito netting into the doors of the my tarp (both ends in A frame setup) I added magnets for convenient closing at the ends.

This setup allows me to comfortably sleep in black fly infested boreal forest way up north in the muskeg with no problems. There’s no floor and I weight down the edges of the mosquito netting with rocks or chunks of moss.

When I’m in bug free climates or the shoulder season I am free to cowboy camp or set the tarp up high. Alternatively I can set it up tent style with a stick in really cold weather.

I have a huge tarp it’s 13’ long, so I had to add a lot of netting. That combined with me going overboard with magnets and also netting up the triangles on the a frame ends added more weight than I planned. I used cheap heavy shitty netting from the sporting good store. Tarp weighed 0.9lbs with tie downs and rope prior to mods now weighs 1.6lbs with netting.

If you made the decision to only setup the tarp tent/toe style you could eliminate the mosquito netting on the ends and save a lot of weight. Cutting down on magnets would also have saved me a ton of weight

[RC-qfmp]

I disagree that it’s harder to find a good site with the tarp/bivy. Tents require a much larger footprint, and it must be flat, or you get all kinds of problems. With the bivy, you only need a space flat enough for your back, and the tarp can easily be modified around it. Tarps are more versatile that way.

[ohiovetoutdoors]

The wind drafts under that tarp in the bug net are probably a lot worse than in that tent too.

[brianfairweather]

I love the plex solo! I've been using it since it came out. It's a great choice for ultralight.

[Mike-vdqt]

Agree with that, I use a Tarptent Pro Trail model.

[danielkutcher]

Fewer bugs are a good thing. Btw, the opposite of "many" is "few." These terms apply to something that is measured in individual units.
"Less people" is especially hard to hear for someone who was taught the value of clear and concise communication habits.
Btw, I agree with his assessment. More space for less weight (fewer ounces/grams) is a win! 😊

[Hikecdt]

I went thru the same process and arrived at the same conclusion. But I still have the tarp and big net. 😊

[starrcampingsurvival]

Can i have that? I'm a camper from the Philippines 😊

[bradl]

One is none. Two is one. I’m keeping both. Almost identical setups. One in the car emergency bag. One for my bugout/solo hiking bag.