[pct-l] RE: Bivy

[Paul.C.Griffith at bankofamerica.com (Griffith, Paul C)]

Consider the combination of a very light bivy and a poncho/tarp.  Google "Equinox bivy" for reviews and ads for a 6.5oz bivy bag.  Combine it with a 7oz poncho/tarp for a total weight of 1 pound with a few light stakes.  If you don't expect heavy rain, just use the bivy and save the effort of rigging the poncho/tarp.  The bivy makes you sleep warmer, so you can carry a lighter sleeping bag or quilt. The poncho replaces your rain gear, gives you extra protection for heavy rains, and a tarp to sit and cook under.  The bivy protects you from rain blowing under your little tarp.  And, if you manage to lose one, you can survive with the other.  I've never had problems with condensation in a water proof/breathable bivy.  I used a home-made one-piece poncho/tarp/bivy in the Sierras last year, and a 5x8 tarp through the Cascades.  The light bivy combined with a poncho would be twice the protection I had.  Long rainy spells are best spent in a motel. :-)