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RE: [pct-l] Bivy Sack

FWIT, I've been considering the Eureka Solitaire (if its the one with
aluminum rather than fiberglass poles) for a while.  It seems to me to
be an excellent choice from a size (easily big enough for one) and
weight (about 2 lbs, 8 oz).  Although its only 2'10" high (or is it 2'8"
and weighs 2 lb 10 oz?) its a bit short, but matches my height.  I don't
really consider it a bivy, but a good compromise between weight and
functionality of a "typical" tent.

My biggest concern is about Eureka's quality.  I just bought the Equinox
4, a family sized tent (some insist on being able to stand in a tent),
and while it held up well for 10 days in the Boundary Waters, there are
some things I didn't like.  The zippers were always hard to use (I
recall the same problem on a friend's Timberline in 1980), hanging up
every time I opened the door.  The poles supporting the rain fly awning
fit into grommets, which were open to mosquitoes (which are bad in the
BWCA) when the rain fly wasn't used.  The tent pegs were a joke, leaving
me wondering why Eureka even bothered to supply them with the tent.  (I
replaced them with the Kelty pegs based on the recent evaluation of tent
pegs by Backpacker, which worked well).  The stuff sack for the tent was
not very durable, and became cut in several places.  Even the stuff sack
for the tent poles, which was always rolled inside of the tent, inside
of the outer stuff sack, was cut by the poles, allowing the short poles
to slip out.  In contrast, the stuff sack from my Sierra Designs tent
has endured 4 months of the PCT without any holes.

My understanding of Gore Tex on tents is that it doesn't work that well.
I've been told that it is body heat that drives the water vapor
molecules through the pores, which is why it will work for rain suits
(if so, why is Gore Tex used for sleeping bags which should have the
same problem?).  A tent shouldn' t be close enough to you for your body
heat to be a factor.

Ed Acheson

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> Subject:	[pct-l] Bivy Sack
> 
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> Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 09:56:25 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Robert Knoth <robertkn@mdhost.cse.tek.com>
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> Subject: [pct-l] Bivy Sack
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> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am going to be doing some solo backpacking soon, and have been
> curious 
> about bivy sacks.  I have never used one, and found that outdoor
> stores 
> (REI, etc...) do not rent them.  So, what are people's general
> opinions 
> of them?  Besides the usual of very little space, and not good in a 
> blizzard, what are your experiences with them?  I am planning on also 
> rigging up a tarp to use as a mock vestibule.  I was looking at models
> 
> from Eureka (the Solitare), Slumberjack, and Outdoor Research's
> Advanced 
> Bivy.  Any horror stories?  Is condensation as much of a problem as I 
> have heard?    Would the gore-tex in the OR bivy help this, or is it 
> mostly hype?  Up to now the info I have read/heard is from Outdoor 
> research, and sales people.  I know OR wouldn't badmouth their own
> stuff, 
> and the sales people are not going to stop me from buying their big 
> ticket gore-tex bivy either.  So, any good third-party opinions? The
> weather 
> I am expecting is 3 season stuff in Oregon, mostly in the Cascades,
> but 
> who knows where else...
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Rob Knoth
> 
> (Opionions here do ont reflect those of employer, etc...)
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