Turkey222

bought an Outdoor Research Helium bivy from REI awhile back. The weight reduction isn't worth losing the tent especially in humid/mosquitoes environments. I also tend to camp under pavilion type shelters at parks and churches.

zandoval 

One thing I learned in the military that applies well to minimalist campers...
It does not rain in the military. It rains on the military. And when it rains on the military, the military gets wet.

To be more direct, if its hard rain or prolonged rain you are going to get wet. You most likely already know this. I use a two man light weight tent call the Segaro that does not cost much. That way when I get it all messed up its not a big loss. I am a fat guy. So a two man allows me to get me and my gear inside the tent.

The Wenzel Starlight and the TexSport Willow Bend both come in at about 3.5 pounds and are cheap. The WIllow Bend is not much more than a rain-fly and ground cloth with mosquito doors. Both will not keep out hard rain, but a thin sheet of plastic over the top of them will. I am mentioning these cheap tents because these are the ones I have seen survive Boy Scout camp outs. That's not to say they looked very good a year or two out.

As for the original post I am sure there is a water proof sleeping bag that works but I have not seen one and I am pretty sure I could not afford it if it did exist.

headwind15

I have done a lot of studying/looking at tents and have found a few things that in my opinion are a make or brake in regards to tents. A. Side entry: Once you try a side entry tent, you quickly realize that they are so much nicer/ easier to get in and out of, there's no going back to an end entry type. B. Color: because I do stealth camp/ wild camp/ sneak camp or whatever you wish to call it, I feel more hidden/safer in a (dark) stealth colored tent (certainly not yellow.) C. Pack size: Because the options for placing a tent are somewhat limited, pole length can play a factor in where one places the tent/ places the tent poles. D. Price: I see a lot of tourists with those (obserdly overpriced) Big Anus tents. Really good marketing, I presume. The first tent that I bought was a North Face Flashlight, back in the early 80's for over $300.(i think) Now, if you check into it, there are such nice tents for so much less.

I am actually really tickled by the Nature Hike: Hike & Bike One Man Tent (that I recently purchased). It's a freestanding, side entry type, has short 14" poles. It has 360 degree mosquito netting, which means the best air ventilation if you are stuck in Iowa (or anywhere else), when it's in the 90's at night and humid, and want maximum air flow. Comes with a beautiful stealth green rain fly, and for only $107. (usd).
I might just stay with the tent and give up on the rainproof bag?

VicBC_Biker

I have a NatureHike Cloud Peak which I bought for possible kayak camping. It seems like a pretty good tent - especailly for the money. It's a knock-off of the Hilleberg Allak 2 ($1000+ tent).

So that NaureHike Cycling Backpack tent looks like a good bet and a definite step up from a bivy sac.

imi

For six years (1978-84) I lived on the road, hitch-hiking year round, mostly near the Mediterranean sea. I had a sleeping bag and a sheet of garden plastic (1.75m x 2.5m x 2mm). No tent or sleeping pad. Never went to a campsite.

I slept on the doubled-over plastic and when it rained, pulled it up over me and my bag.

Nowadays I have a Hilleberg Soulo tent and a sleeping pad. The tent has an optional footprint. I bought two of them, sewed them together with an opening (like a sleeping bag liner) as a replacement for my garden plastic, as I still prefer to sleep under the stars on a beach, but by the Mediterranean there can often be a light rainfall in the early hours even in summer.

The footprints pack much lighter and smaller than my plastic sheet.

staehpj1

FWIW, If you go to a hooped bivy like the a OR Helium it weighs as much as a tiny tent with mesh and a fly that has much better ventilation.

The OR Helium weighs more than a bug bivy and tarp and has much poorer ventilation.

I also like the hoop-less bivys better than hooped ones like the Helium since they too can be lighter even with a tarp and allow the bivy to move with you.

Just me, but I tend to think of the hooped bivys as being more like very uncomfortable little tents than as bivys.

GhostRider62

Dual side entry with two vestibules is nice, especially in a 21 oz package.

djb

Well on a side note, I've seen the NatureHike knockoff stuff online, and let's face it, buying this sort of stuff, and tons of other made in China copyright theft or whatever you want to call it, plus of course all kinds of regular stuff that we all have and buy that's made in China, we certainly are helping pay for the Chinese Space program....
To be clear, it's really more the copy and stamp aspect of the Chinese business model that concerns me.

And yes, being in a truly waterproof sleeping bag would be pretty gross and damp pretty quickly.
Heck being in a totally damp tent for a long time is damp feeling.

andrewclaus

A pretty good compromise between a tent and a bivy is a hybrid tarptent. Single wall, with netting, with or without floor, not too expensive, examples at Tarptent.com. Light and compact, fast and easy pitch. There's a learning curve in dealing with condensation vs a two wall tent, where it stays mostly on the fly.

gauvins

Curious: what kind of rain can you deal with by simply pulling a tarp over your bivy (drizzle, brief downpour, all-nighter -- as long as there's not much wind, you stay dry?) I am quite interested in trying out something like that. Are you in the habit of staking one side of your tarp, just in case, or simply use it as a blanket if the need arises?

base2 

Thumbs down on the waterproof sleeping bag idea. Like everyone else has said, it's gotta breathe. Here is what I use/used most recently:

https://zpacks.com/products/30f-classic-sleeping-bag Medium, standard, 390 grams.

https://seatosummitusa.com/products/...-extreme-liner 396 grams

https://zpacks.com/products/altaplex-tent For a person less than 6 & ½ foot tall, 437 grams

https://www.thermarest.com/sleeping-...ir-xtherm.html
6.9 R-value, 2.5 inches thick. 566 grams.

An all weather sleep & shelter system at under 1900 grams...& there is even lighter, more fair weather systems available; I just don't like being cold. The Thermarest would be the easiest place to save weight by swapping it for a https://klymit.com/products/inertia-...31722981425242 if warmer temps are expected & you are stuck on having a full length pad.
I have the half length version. ~160 grams or so. It works well. Albeit a bit weird looking.

You could also easily save another 276 grams (10.5 ounces) over the Sea to Summit Reactor liner by switching to a Rab silk liner. Making both changes (liner & pad) would net you a 1.2 kilo full fair weather sleep/shelter system.

I've used them all. The 30 degree bag just needed leggings, pants & a coat with wool socks to be comfortable with a Sea to Summit liner when it was 27 degrees & frosty at Yellowstone 12 days ago. With the cuban fiber tent nothing got wet when the rain set in.

I would've brought the 10 degree bag I own, but the overnight lows were to be in the 50's in Provo earlier this week. When I got to Provo, I just slept in the Sea to Summit liner on the Klymit pad & used the bag as a blanket.

VicBC_Biker

I've spent a lot of nights in sleeping bags - mostly in tents - but I've never bikepacked or toured on my bike.

I'm assuming that most bikers are using down bags to keep the packed volume low?

With a down bag, I'd advise doing everything you can to avoid getting the down damp. I'd be very careful not to put anything waterproof directly on the bag, since that encourages condensation. If you are camping where you can get everything completely dried out after a rain passes, it's not such an issue. If you are dealing with multi-day cool rain, things can get miserable with a wet bag. Even 'Dri-Down' bags can get wet.
A good synthetic bag is better in the wet, but they are a lot more bulky.
A vapour barrier bag liner or VB sleep clothing can help, but not everybody likes them.

Happy Feet

I don't use a down bag. Haven't since the 1980s.
As stated: in a damp climate, multiple nights with a wet down bag can be a downer. I'm usually following an itinerary and can't afford sitting for 1/2 a day to let bags dry out - if they could in continuing rain.

Volume does not equal weight.
While the UL thing is fun to talk about on forums, irl I don't see riders that concerned to the point of forgoing practicality. I would rather over pack a bit and be prepared for changing conditions if they are anticipated rather than trying to shave so close that I risk ruining an entire vacation cycle by bailing due to discomfort. Last year I did a trip with someone who was unprepared for conditions and became negative part way in for the duration. It made for an uncomfortable trip.

I find down best when the weather is cold enough that the precipitation comes in the form of snow.

headwind15

You are right. The downside to the Nature hike tent is the single (side) entry and honestly the inability to zip open both sides of the rain fly, If you want more airflow. I would consider buying a zipper and sewing it into the other side of the rain fly. What do you mean by "especially in a 21 oz package" ???

indyfabz

While I did add a water resistant down bag to my collection maybe 4 years ago to reduce volume (It fits inside the pannier with all my off-bike clothes with plenty of room to spare.), I agree with the above. Maybe I will feel differently about the bag if it ever gets wet. I am hoping that will never happen since it goes in a waterproof pannier and can be unpacked and stuff inside my tent which (I hope) never leaks.

GhostRider62

Light is better than heavy. A 5 pound tent with two "doors" isn't much help, I am not sure what you are asking.

21 oz = 1 pound 5 oz = 595 grams

staehpj1

Lots of factors come into play, but in the bivy or even the bug bivy the protection has always been good enough. Then again I only take the chance when it looks pretty safe to do so. I have never had to tough out a real all night deluge that way. I have toughed out a couple fairly hard showers, never all night hard rain.

PaulRivers

1. You bring a bag that keeps you warm at 60f in a tent. It's 75f so leave it partially unzipped. Next night it's 80 so you sleep on top of it.

What do you do with a waterproof bag? Leave it partially opened or fully opened and get eaten by bugs all night? Or what if it's raining - but the center of a 60f sleeping bag burrito at 80f sounds horrible bordering on medical issues like heat exhaustion.

2. Are you going to get naked publicly in front of everyone else to change your underwear? What about larger items like pants or shirts? Usually you just do that in the tent.

3. If it ever gets wet and you have to pack it up wet it is going to be wet through and through for the rest of the trip. Like sleeping in a wet bag after all?

It seems like a good idea at first but there's a lot of practical problems with it.



3.

headwind15

Thank you for your perspective. You definitely have some valid points. I posted this thread for advise. I do live in Arizona, so your comments about heat at night are spot on. I do use a knee length "sleeping shirt" for bicycle touring/ after shower/ nighttime use/ for privacy, but I do really prefer getting dressed in a tent in the mornings (when it's cold.) Sort of a funny thing that some of the bike packers either forget about what they wear at night and leave sleeping attire off their packing list, or they sleep in the buff. Another example, as to why to stick with a tent is illustrated by tourist in MSN.