This was the first bivy sack I ever bought. Despite my friends commenting that I look like a bear burrito, this thing does the trick. It’s big enough for me to hide inside (5′11″) with most of my stuff and it’s light and cheap. If you want to see how you like a bivy or want to get something minimal for those warm summer trips, this can inexpensively fill that roll.

i’ll add that this can combine with one or two sleeping bag liners(silk/flannel) to make a really compact, really light sleep system for 40 degrees+, or 50+ comfortably. i put a small tear in mine the first night i used it, but it is repairable.

This is a great bivy bag for relatively dry conditions. I have used mine on dozens of nights out. It doesn’t breath very well (no bivy bags do), so often I just use it as a ground tarp. If I get a little cold at night or, heaven forbid, it starts raining, I’ll jump inside it.

I have weathered a few downpours in it, and it’s alright, but I much prefer a tarp system to keep the rain off. In combination with a small tarp, this bag is a very comfortable setup.

Look for the new “version 2″ of this bag (pictured above). Besides being 30% stronger, it’s also tapered at the foot, making it smaller/lighter. On average the old versions lasted me about 2 years each (and many nights out) before I’d tear them. So far so good on the newer stronger version.

A good emergency bivvy, and a fantastic value. I bring a tarp or something else when I expect rain, but this thing is so small and cheap, you can bring it on long day adventures just in case.

I’ve used this one some and the lighter (garbage bag style) version more. This one is more comfortable to actually try sleeping in. It seems durable. I usually carry the lighter one as an emergency option. It sometimes get used as a ground sheet, sometimes to add a bit of weatherproofness to my sleeping bag (usually just around my feet), and sometimes I’ve slept in it. Sweaty and uncomfortable, but I’m still alive.

This is an indespensible item for light-weight bikepacking. I’ve used one on many cool, high altitude nights in Colorado along with a light down bag. I wonder what you could do with 3 of them… super-light & packable. I’ll bet this technology is going to get better!

Although it’s pretty decent for dry nights and the occasional downpour, I just weathered an awful hailstorm with the version shown above. Because of the velcro closures and 3/4 side entry, hail managed to find its way into the sack, providing a very cold and sleepless night. The cheaper version may not last as long but it’s trash bag style without the 3/4 side entry is much more impervious to the wet weather.

I guess that’s why it’s called an “emergency” bivy though, as it did get me through a 30 degree night with a very wet down sleeping bag. I would have been in trouble without it.

I’d like to update my impressions, after having actually used the smaller 3 oz version for an unplanned bivouac (ie just it, cycling clothes, and a fire). It provided a surprising amount of warmth. It alone would have made the summer night (in Utah, at 8800′) doable. It with the fire meant I actually slept fairly well. I did have to discard it after, the fire had melted it a bit.

Mandatory gear, cannot imagine more warmth for the weight.