camping in a Bivy help

[motrapper]

should one setup under trees next to a log what does one look for
i will be above 10,000 this weekend and most of next week the forecast is rain then significant snow on saturday night and sunday ending on monday just wondering if anyone with experience in this type of situation and any recommendations are welcome
thank
sid

 

[ol mike]

Motrapper ,

Howdy - have you ever camped in the conditions you mentioned above ?

10,000' in elevation at this time of year -w/ foul weather predicted can be very rough ,I'm -not- talking from expierence b/c i haven't had good luck/expierence w/ bivies.
Down bags are the only bag as far as i'm concerned ,i don't think bivies have enough volume to be able to vent themselves ---too damp !!
The body puts off lots of moisture and down bags and moisture don't go hand in hand at all nor do synthetic bags..

I'm more of a lightweight tarp or tent guy myself -i'd sway way towards an ultralight tent if it were me ,can't imagine trying to wait out bad weather a whole day much less a few days in a bivy.

As a - bare minimum- i'd include a lightweight tarp 8'x10' minimum .
Give us some more info. on your set-up .-Mike

 

[motrapper]

ok its a outdoor reasearch alpine bivy its gortex and say very breathable also have a good mat and a 0 degree northface bag good base layers and wool sweater pretty decent rain gear etc. also is it best to setup under trees the weather sounds somewhat tough in the high uintas but i believe it will get the elk moving so it should be good to be their also whisperlite international stove miniworks water filter and mountain supply dehydrated food mendiel alaska boots eberlestock 107m pack spotting scope 700 xcr 338rum good knife etcc...
just never stayed that high with snow and rain and ice i will be just south of Mountain View wyoming the answer is no not in these exact conditions
sid

 

[royinidaho]

Motrapper,

I find a bivy quite nifty during November and snow. Mostly because its easier to haul out when the new snow reaches a foot. I dislike hauling out on snow shoes.

I've spent 3 days in and around it. Except for my poor choice of food it was a very comfortable experience.

After the game gets in the freezer, we otta get a group together and do the rifle golf thing. I bet we do better the second time.

Good luck on the hunt.

 

[Guy M]

I like my bivvy bag for camping when conditions are pretty nice. For rain, snow and 10,000' elevation - I like my tent a lot more...

 

[CoachChris]

The bivy you have is awesome! One of my 2 favs. Bivys suck in the rain! At 10,000' you should only get snow. I wouldn't set up under a tree. That could get ugly with big winds, limbs falling etc... You might want to carry an extra tarp for a kitchen/eating area and make a footprint for your bivy out of plastic sheeting. Two sleeping pads are a must for cold ground.light bulbYou have a good gear list. Should be a great time. Good luck!

 

[jeff 300]

I dont know much about camping/hunting like this but i sure want to sounds like a lot of fun. How far from the tail head will you be?

 

[Pdvdh]

Well you should be out and about by now. Best of luck to ya.

I've slept in a number of different bivy bags before and have always been fortunate to have pretty decent weather. Woke up to 6" snow once but only at about 4500' elevation. But my brother spent 3 straight days in a bivy once in a continuous downpour. About drove him nuts. I'll use bivies for 1-2 night trips. I take tents for anything planned longer than 1-2 nights at a time. A tent is a lot nicer in foul weather.

BTW, I currently use a Bibler bivy tent and it's the best I've used to date. I've tried Integral Designs and it's just too cramped to allow my sleeping bag to remain lofted. It compresses my bag and I get cold at night. Plus the Integral Designs (Canadian Company) doesn't provide any head room. The Bibler I have is similar to yours in shape except I enter throught the top in mine. It looks like you have to slide in from the end in the Outdoor Research bivy?

 

[Dewey]

This is an older question, but, the topic is an on-going one on BP hunting forums, so, here is my two-bits worth.

I always carry a bivy when anywhere away from my vehicle and a light siltarp with it. I have three different I.D. bivies and have had several others, I.D. makes the best bivies I know of, by far.

These are for EMERGENCY camps and not really designed for lonef term camping. Mine are the yellow eVent Bugaboo plus yellow Silshelter, for winter hiking, green eVent South Col plus green I.D. poncho for early season o-nights if caught too far from my truck and my original Unishelter plus Moss Wing tarp or another Siltarp for whatever, I seldom use this now.

My favourite rig for about any shortterm hunting is my I.D. Mega Sola in O.D. plus an I.D. Silwing in O.D., fast and easy to set up and bombproof, but, not the lightest combo out there. This will handle any weather that I will even think about going out it and is my usual choice for hunting.

For trips longer than o-nite or MAYBE two nights in moderate rain or really crappy B.C.-Alaskan type weather, I go with my Hilleberg tents and a light tarp and will use my Kifaru 8-man tipi with stove whenever I can get it to where I will be hunting. For ONE combo that will do it all in harsh weather, a Hilleberg Jannu tent plus an I.D. eVent Unishelter and Siltarp II or III is the best available option I know of; this is pricey gear, but, well worth it for use in vile conditions and longterm situations.

 

[Pdvdh]

If I had gotten the ID Mega Solo, I would have probably been a happy bivyer. Their standard size bivy compresses my sleeping bag, leaving me with a cold night's sleep. Also, the way the end of their standard size Solo bivy pinches down over my head... - I've never slept very comfortably in it. My son uses it now. I think the Mega Solo by Integral Designs would be a good one if it provided enough clearance to allow the sleeping bag to fully loft up.

So I switched to a Bibler Bivy and it provides a comfortable space over my head and clearance over the top of my sleeping bag - avoiding the cold nights I experienced in the Intergral Designs standard size bivy. BTW, I'm 5' 10" and weigh 165-170 lbs.