[pct-l] Tent vs Bivy Sack

[John Abela]

>
> Does anyone have any wisdom related to using a bivy sack rather than a tent?
>

Hello Tim,

I spent the better part of the 2011 hiking season in a bivy. Probably
well over 600+ miles using one. I used the MLD Superlight Bivy with a
Cuben Fiber bottom and a M55 top. Probably the finest of the finest
bivy that has never been made.

The more I used a bivy in diverse every changing weather conditions
the more I grew to hate it. (not the MLD bivy, just the bivy in
general, I had others that I used at times)

There is a nice thread over at BPL talking about this matter, and I
posted my thoughts therein, so I will just link to it rather than
repeat it all here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=51359&skip_to_post=491831#491831

Suffice to say, there are times a bivy is really nice, and there are
times a bivy really sucks. Given that you will be facing changing
conditions, potentially massive bug issues, and so on and so forth, my
suggestion to you is to just buy a fully enclosed shelter.

I wrote an article a couple weeks ago that compares the lightest of
the lightest options out there for solo fully enclosed shelters that
are sub 20 ounces. It might be of interest to you:
http://hikelighter.com/2011/12/29/sulxul-enclosed-shelter-comparisons/

I know others on here love their bivy, and I did too for the first few
months, but the more nights I spent in one that more I came to not
like them for the small but massive issues that come with them.

John