Are you a lover of outdoor activities such as camping, overnight hiking and mountaineering? If you are looking for a lightweight tent-like bag, that you can sleep in an can keep your belongings dry – then look no further than getting a bivy tent.
some of the advantages of using a bivy tent when outdoors include how lightweight, cheap and affordable it is. They are well known among tourist, backpackers, hikers, and solo travellers, as an easy option to have with you when you need to lay your head down.
Before looking into more detail at the advantages of a bivy tent, let’s look in more detail into what a bivy tent is.
Bivy Tent
The bivy tent is a solo waterproof sack bag, known for its less weight and size reduction. The bivy tent can also be referred to as a rain jacket for your sleeping bag. It is totally different from the regular tent. Bivy tents have often been used by climbers who wanted a weightless and compactable shelter for protection against extreme weather elements like rain, wind and snow
Even the army uses it as an emergency shelter. Coined by the French, the word bivy is taken from a French word called “bivouac“.
One of the reasons why people choose to use a bivy tent when outdoors is because you can easily find a place to lay your head as it covers the same amount of space that your sleeping mat does.
Secondly, it is easy to pack and light in nature this is very suitable for climbers, cyclist and light hikers that need to cut down on the weight of their camping gear. Lastly, easy mobility (it is can be move easily).
The main reason why people choose bivy tents is because of its lightweight and small nature.
Now, let’s look in more details at some of the main advantages of a bivy tent.
- It is cheap and very affordable, it is an excellent option for low budget campers.
- You can bring your bivy bag as a carry-on on an aeroplane, so long-distance trips are allowed.
- It is very suitable for overnight hiking trips.
- It is a private kind of shelter system, it is just you, your sleeping bag and your surrounding.
- It has an amazing sit up view.
- It is very quick to set up and easy to pack away.
- It has a small opening that allows you to view your surroundings, and also do some stargazing before going to bed. Allowing you to be closer to nature.
- A large amount of space is not needed, as it can be used in limited areas.
- It is designed to be waterproof, so you can also enjoy camping during the wet season.
- Bivy tents do not need securing to the ground as conventional tents do. So you do not need stakes or poles.
- Bivy tents are best suited for strong weather conditions. They are built to survive the tough weather conditions deflecting wind, rain, snow, and cold weather easily.
- They are usually built to keep you warm when asleep, meaning there’s no need for insulation materials to retain heat to keep you warm and this would also help reduce the weight of your camp gear.
- Bivy tent help to keep the bugs away, as they often have a built-in bug net.
It goes without saying that whatever has an advantage would also have a disadvantage. A question often asked by a lot of camping enthusiasts and backpackers is “Do bivy tent build up condensation?”. The answer is yes, it does.
Condensation in bivy tent is something I have encountered as well, I will give you some possible causes of condensation and what I did to resolve them.
Dealing With Condensation
If you have spent a lot of time in a bivy tent that wasn’t breathable, then you would understand how unbearable and irritating condensation can be inside a bag. Most campers believe it is an unavoidable aspect of backpacking life.
What Causes Condensation?
Condensation is generated by cold weather and dew point. Cold nights are the major cause of what brings about our dreaded moist issue. At night, the temperature drops it is common for the drew point and temperature to reach the same level.
When this happens moisture began to collect along cool surfaces including insider your shelter, this would result in condensation lining up the inside of the bag fabric and this would accumulate to cause unpleasant dampness.
Other Causes Of Condensation
- Exhaling: This is one of the major causes of moisture inside the tent. As you exhale, the air that comes out is warmer than the tent fabric, which has already been cooled down by the cold night breeze. The moisture from your breath would start to accumulate inside your tent throughout the night, leading to condensation.
- Sweating at night: The difference in your body temperature is also an underlying cause of condensation. Even if you get cold due to the chilling night breeze, your body would try to keep you warm by generating heat automatically, and you will immediately start to sweat. This moisture like your breathing out will begin to condensate as well.
- Humidity: This is less of an issue in a warmer environment unless these environments are particularly humid. If your tent is warm rather than cool, then it might not collect dampness, but the natural moisture in the air when its humid could result in condensation.
All tent including the best bivy tent would need some occasional drying to reduce condensation. This would lead us to ways of reducing condensation.
How Do I Deal With Condensation
- Air it: This reduces humidity inside your bag. It will help you to reduce the amount of moisture that gets accumulated on the inside.
- Wear fewer Clothes at night: When you are about to go to sleep, reduce the number of clothes you wear. Too many clothes will increase the likelihood of your sweating which would lead to condensation.
- Let it breathe: Dampness can make the material and internal environment of your bag heavy, wet, cold, and unpleasant. This would worsen the longer you allow your bag to accumulate condensation, so let it breathe by creating an opening for air to flow in and out. I would suggest unzipping and hanging it up each morning.
It is important to remember that to reduce condensation, you should choose a bivy tent built with breathable and well – ventilated materials, just in case you embark on a long hiking or camping adventure.
