Emergency Bivy Bag

[groh__frog]

Do you have the old style of the bivvys? The older one was made out of an almost fuzzy, but waterproof and reflective fabric that had velcro/mesh vents at the feet. The new one feels like a plastic. Old = bulkier, not much heavier. New = lighter; plastic.

[JeffR]

have you looked into Bothy Bags? I was considering one of those, they look pretty functional, and they seem to pack fairly small.

[EagleRiverDee]

Old thread, but here's my 2 cents on a waterproof, breathable bivy sack- the Army/Navy surplus stores occasionally have the special forces sleep systems in stock, which they will sell complete or separately. I bought just the Gore-tex bivy sack, which is excellent. I used it many times for winter camping and I don't recall ever having a condensation problem with it. I do make a point to have a vent hole for my breath so that I'm not exhaling inside the sack, tho.

[Mr. Pid]

Breathable? I have an old REI GoreTex bivy bag that I use when fishing and hunting.

Non-breathable? My survival gear includes a couple of heavy duty zip-up bags made of something like space blanket material but thicker and much tougher. It's essentially a waterproof heat-reflective poly material sewn into an oversized sleeping bag. I vaccuum package them flat and they pack easily. They're sold at Eagle Enterprises in Anchorage.

[MacGyver]

Home made bive bag

When I looked into a bivy pack, I wanted it to be
water proof,
large enough to put my clothing in, if I wanted too,
light weight,
compressed into a small package,
breathable,
strong,
have a large flap to cover my head and keep rain or snow from getting in,
a 3/4 length zipper for ease of getting in and out of,
and cheap.

I made one out of TyVack

I don't personally like a emergency/space blanket in winter, they are to small, they are made to reflect heat, in winter -there is no heat, the reflective service conducts cold, if you sit on a space blanket it's like sitting on a piece of thin metal.

[BucknRut]

more bivy questions...

I don't know the first thing about them, but I've looked at 3 or 4 now and noticed that each one varied drastically in weight and size(stuffed). The same goes for emergency/space blankets. Any reasoning? Difference in materials? What criteria should I be looking at when choosing an emergency covering?

[Targetman]

Does anyone know of a quality, light-weight, breathable emergency bivy bag? The one I currently have is the Thermo-LiteŽ Bivvy Sack by Adventure Medical Kits. The main issue I have with it is that it condensates severely, just like a trash bag. What is the best one out there? Thanks,