Bushwalk Australia

I'm looking for a bivy to pair with a tarp. Gatewood Cape.

My main priorities is that it be UL 150-250 grams would be good, very compact and keep the mozzies away from my face.

Ideally shower proof as well so it can deal with tarp condensation and the odd bit of rain blowing in.

Needs to be more durable than a SOL emergency bivy.

Whats my best options? Prefer sourced in Australia due to shipping delays at present.

I've never encountered one that didn't generate excessive condensation for me.

Watching with interest.

stry wrote:I've never encountered one that didn't generate excessive condensation for me.

Watching with interest.

Been doing some research and yes,reading that condensation can be a significant issue depending on the conditions. Im considering a full mesh bug bivy instead now to minimise that issue. My main desire is to keep leeches and mosquitos away.. a bit of splash protection was a bonus.

Sounds like you need a full mesh tent rather than a biivy but I'm not aware of any that work with a Gatewood. I'm probably wrong tho.
Evan at TerraRosa makes a mesh topped Tyvek bag protector tho
https://terrarosagear.com/collections/b ... ing-covers

Moondog55 wrote:Sounds like you need a full mesh tent rather than a biivy but I'm not aware of any that work with a Gatewood. I'm probably wrong tho.
Evan at TerraRosa makes a mesh topped Tyvek bag protector tho
https://terrarosagear.com/collections/b ... ing-covers

Im chatting to Evan at the moment about his full mesh bivy.

My challenge is im sometimes camping in places which have minimal space, are sloped and have lots of undergrowth. So a tent isnt a great solution. A bivy you can sleep wedged between rocks and roots/undergrowth with the tarp over the top.

Have you thought about a hammock ?
Could be a good option for those difficult types of campsite.

I've used a terra Rosa tyvek bag cover for the last four years under a tarp. Keeps the wind and spray off but I went for the basic one without mozzie net. Worth a look as they do a bunch of different ones and made in Aus

Hi. The MSR mesh house 1 is on my radar, should be some available in a February shipment. It is the best design I have seen for my use, with a couple of improvements evident and as reviewed. The zip orientation and flat low end. I could live with or modify those easy enough.

I have used quite a few bivy tarp combinations over the years.

I have a Borah gear wide bivy but find it slightly small with a Neoair pad and 5"loft sleeping bag.
I have also tried a MLD bug bivy which is OK but not as protective

I would suggest this bivy https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/bug-bivy-2/ as its quite roomy, would stop splash yet won't feel too claustrophobic.

I ended up getting the Terra Rosa full mesh bivy.

Aussie made and I should get it in a few days. Looking forward to seeing how it packs down. It's 220grams so light enough for my purposes.

That MLD bug bivy looks very interesting. Impressed with the low weight and pack size. Alas a overseas purchase is fraught with shipping challenges at present.

The MSR mesh house also looked good but wouldn't be that compatible with the Gatewood tarp, as it needs my trekking pole as well.

@turfa
Hammock would have been a out of the box solution. I like the idea but bit worried I wouldn't find suitable trees quickly. (Though that's probably due to my inexperience with hammocks)

Main reason I wanted a bivy/Gatewood combo is it works just about anywhere. And setup is only a minute or so.