High side bivy or sleep in a bag

[chimpac]

I think half the battle is keeping it all together. With a bivy all your insulation is kept by you. The little animals are kept out with high sides even with an open top in summer. Without a bivy I have had a little critter with sharp claws racing around on my face as I tried to sleep. I have not seen any high side bivys for sale. I just use the full 60” material for 20” bottom and 2. 20” sides. I taper the sides and ends in so the top opening is something like 10” wide.

[SD_Motak]

Looks like you are 50% on the way to using a hammock which has the advantage of being up and away from almost all critters, bugs, etc.

[Kinguq]

Looks like a coffin to me. Never have understood the aversion many hold to sleeping on the ground.

Kinguq.

[chimpac]

I lIke to travel light even when I car camp and that means sleeping on the ground. That’s the only pictures I had already taken of the bivy on the cot. When I go with the family I have to be more civilized and use chairs and cots.
i find sitting on the ground more comfortable because you can lay back at anytime and have a nap. I need the bivy when on the ground to be safe from little crawling running things. The bivy keeps your bedding all tucked close and away from wet ground.
The bivy would be good for kids that squirm and travel in and out of their bags. One morning when we were camping found my grandson asleep 10’ outside my tarp.

[SD_Motak]

One morning when we were camping found my grandson asleep 10’ outside my tarp.

Now that's a sound sleeper! I'll bet he slept great.

[chimpac]

So maybe I should add my ideas about traveling light in winter.
I say sell the expensive winter sleeping bag or any sleeping bag if you want to travel as light as possible. Why carry 2 outfits to keep warm, like warm clothes that we walk around in when it blizzards or rains and a sleeping bag to keep us warm without walk around warm clothes.
If we get in the bivy on a warm pad how much more cover does it take to keep us warm when we sleep. Take your boots off, keep felts on.
I love the very warm down winter parka and down filled pants I got a few years ago. It has long enough sleeves to cover my hands. If I want I can pull my arms out of the sleeves when I sleep and pull the sleeves (inside out) inside.

[SD_Motak]

I like the ideas you have about sleeping surrounded by the down clothing you wear. It kinda makes sense. Down is down whether in a sleeping bag or in your clothing, I especially liked your description of pulling in your sleeves. Hadn't thought of that before. If your clothing gets sweaty (for whatever reason), what do you do? Or is that a non factor in your experience?

[chimpac]

Yes, moisture in a shelter or sleeping bag can be a problem. We have to appreciate the moisture our hot bodies give off whether we like it or not. So we have to ventilate body. tent and bag without giving up to much precious warmth. A cold weather traveller has to be careful not to get to sweated up then chilled (evaporation causes cooling like a fridge in your house works) and tired that he can’t make it back to camp and freezes to death on the trail. All winter clothing should be breathable not waterproof. Felts need to come out of boots every chance we get. It is harder to keep feet warm with damp or wet felts.

To keep sleeping, feet warm I made a down bag foot bag out of an old down jacket.