goretex bivy???

**Wags** · 06-05-2009, 13:31

my current set up from top down:
OES deluxe tarp
40+ sleeping bag (have a 20+ for colder temps, but didn't start hammocking until april

)
claytor expedition
blue walmart pad (torso length). keeps me decently warm but not very comfy

well i've thought up an idea as to using a goretex bivy (army surplus) inside my hammock when weather gets cold. or perhaps rigging up some sore of underquilt out of it (doubling as a splash guard)???

i scored the bivy for $15 and i'm hoping it can block enough wind and heat loss out of the bottom of my hammock. my top quilt is covered (PUN)

i'd really love to buy one of warbonnet's 3 season yeti's, but i have no bread (spent the last of my money saved on brian's spinn tarp)! just graduated from college WOO HOO...

thoughts?

will i run into condensation issues?

will the goretex just get cold and serve no purpose other than windblock?

**Wags** · 06-05-2009, 23:21

a further idea came to me.

if i can somehow figure a way to attach the bottom 1/2 of the bivy onto the bottom of the hammock, couldn't i simply cut some insulation to shape, and slide it in b/t the goretex and my hammock? essentially utilizing the same principle as double bottom hammock pad sleeves?

**east_stingray** · 06-05-2009, 23:31

Originally Posted by swoosh

a further idea came to me.

if i can somehow figure a way to attach the bottom 1/2 of the bivy onto the bottom of the hammock, couldn't i simply cut some insulation to shape, and slide it in b/t the goretex and my hammock? essentially utilizing the same principle as double bottom hammock pad sleeves?

Yeah, it might take some engineering, but it would be possible.

I have the same bivy... I've used it many nights with the matched nesting military sleeping bags. My setup actually got heavier when I started hammocking, because I was carrying that bivy instead of a tent.

I don't know that I'd want to carry a hammock AND the bivy... the thing weighs over 2lbs if I remember correctly. Those bivys only let so much moisture out... any time it rained and I had to put my face inside it, my bag would be pretty wet in the morning. It's also only rated for an extra 10 or 15 degrees of warmth, and I personally think that was a bit of an overestimate.

**HitchHiking** · 06-05-2009, 23:31

not much experince my self with goretex although I have sold many products for a few years now. ahaha

.I dont think it would have much insulative properties as it breathes and is very thin. Used for the weatherproof layer and then you wear a thermal layer under that. there may be a condensation issue on the inside of it.

Not to sure. Im sure someone round here has jumped in their hammock with a bivy.

**SuperTramp** · 06-06-2009, 06:57

i have and use the army bivy (e-bay special) and yes i do use it on cold nights in the hammock.i like to put my pad inside with my sleeping bag and i have had no condensation issue with it yet ,although once i used an emergency bivy and it was just horrible.i keep the bivy,pad and sleepingbag together always and just role them up together and strap them tight.i do own a super shelter but to me i like to keep things as simple as possible and this seems to work .p.s-don't tell anyone here but with this set-up i sometimes like to take the roll and sleep on the ground beside the fire with it-shhh

**Take-a-knee** · 06-06-2009, 07:44

That bivy is a good piece of gear, it would be a shame to hack it up when you can buy a driducks poncho that will do the same thing for not much money.

**Darkstar214** · 06-17-2009, 07:13

Although the military gore-tex bivy is heavy (about 2 lbs), I find that I carry it most of the year. The thing is impenetrable! I have slept on the ground in thunderstorms and woken up with my feet in a puddle. Inside the bivy, my feet & bag were dry. I always use the bivy in the winter with a bag/pad inside it or as the complete modular sleep system. I have slept comfortably in single digit temps with a ground pad and the complete system. I think its rated from -30 to -50 with both bags and the bivy. Anyways, I have not had any moisture issues at all. I would say the greatest benefit of using the bivy in the hammock is that it blocks all wind from sucking precious heat away. I think someone is selling these bivys on whiteblaze for cheap. like $15....

**oldsoldier** · 06-17-2009, 11:58

A bivy is a great idea, but you will still lose heat to convection underneath you, without insulation. As long as you have that, then the bivy is great.
I used my issue one in many, many weather conditions, and woke up more than a few times to ice & snow...I like it so much I wrote it off as a "loss" when I got out of the service

Its stayed with me since, although is relegated to my jeep emergency gear.

**Darkstar214** · 06-18-2009, 12:47

This thread has me thinking of making an underquilt out of an extra bivy and old 20deg sleeping bag.

here's a pic of the bivy...
http://www.qm-supply.com/zenstore/im...leepingbag.jpg

I may cut the footbox, hood, zippers, and snaps off and go from there. hmmm...I bet it would end up warm but heavy...where's my scissors....

**dbriggs9** · 06-18-2009, 18:12

This was kinda brought up earlier, but don't let the "breathability" goretex fool you, it's still very easy to get condensation inside the bivy, potentially damaging your bag, assuming it's down.