Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy?

[Lars]

ive been looking at this bivy sack and was wondering if anyone here has any experiences (good or bad) to share.

how about your opinion on the Epic shell?

[JoshK]

Let's see...the only reason I would carry a bivy is if I showers were a possibility. If the weather was supposed to be bomber I would go out. So with this option you are carrying a fairly heavy bivy that isn't even waterproof. Sounds like a pretty lame idea to me, but that is IMHO.

[Lars]

i am replacing a free standing solo tent so this option would cut the weight in half, even if i went with a bivy/tarp combination i would still be saving weight.

[rbw1966]

I have an epic bivvy sac (not BDEL) and contrary to Josh's post its pretty weather resistant. You won't stay dry in a downpour but in light rain/snow/damp fog etc I've stayed pretty dry. I used mine for 4 days in Bolivia and woke up one morning in 4" of snow. I was dry.

[JoshK]

I would think a sil-nylon tarp and a simple epic bivy would probably be a great combo. You would be quite protected from a downpour and the addition of the tarp would be enough so you could stick your head out, etc. so you probably wouldn't need the raised section in the lightsabre. This might be a good option to consider since it would be much more versitile. Just a thought...

[rbw1966]

Most epic bivvys--mine included--has a silnylon floor with an epic top. Mine has not even been seam-sealed and while laying inside of it as my wife sprayed me with a hose I was unable to find any leaking.

 

That was before I stepped on it with my crampons.

 

Epic is delicate fabric so be careful. I like having the epic bivy because its light enough that you c an take it anywhere (mine is about 14oz) and it has a mosquito net--something worth its weight in gold if you are bivvying by Ingalls this time of year.

[ananda]

I've been pretty impressed with the epic on my Lighthouse. It has kept me dry on several downpours, including about 12 hours of heavy dumping rain in the Olympics. I have sealed the seams.

[erewhon]

Piece of !#*#@ & nothin' else. Damn thing cant hold up to 20mph winds, and leaks through the seams.

I rely completely on my Hilleberg Nallo tent and if I want to shed weight Ill take out the inner tent. Sleeps 3 that way. Or just take a tarp or better yet stay home when its nasty.

Sorry but I do not believe the LSabre could hold up to 12 hours of REAL rain. Not from what Ive seen.

[ziffh]

I own a Bibler winter bivy made of epic. Its great as a sleeping bag cover under a tarp ,very breathable, but anyone who says it will stand actual rain is either a lier or a fool. Sorry but i've just read a load of bs about this item over on backpackgeartest.org and have realized that there is considerable disinformation afoot. i also own some Epic from golite, same story.

[darstog]

I used the BD Lightsabre for a 7-day canyoneering trip in SE Utah. I was remarkably impressed with the epic fabric. With even the slightest breeze there was no condensation, even if I had the door entirely zipped. When there was no breeze and I had the door zipped, there was some condensation, but there's no real need to zip the door when there's no wind, so that's sort of moot. I think the bivy could stand some improvement. First off, the canopy is too small to really make much of a difference in comfort. If it were just a few inches larger, there'd be enough room to sort of sit up or wiggle around a little more. As is, it's not that great to have such little room. It's nice that the canopy offers more surface area to dissipate condensation and you can hang a headlamp from the poles, but it's not that much nicer than being in a bivy without a pole structure. You also can't sit right up in the bivy. To sit up, you have to zip it open and then scoot down before you sit up. Then again, it's nice to not have the fabric on your face all night. If the poles were just a little bigger, you could really reap the benefits of the poled bivy. The BD is light, but it's not THAT light; my Wild Things bivy is lighter. If you're going to carry the extra ounces, maybe make it a little more worthwhile. The zipper on the opposite side of the entry could go all the way to the floor, giving you the ability to sleep on top of the bivy with your head underneath the canopy. Also, the more durable fabric on each end of the bivy could be extended a couple of inches. I had the bivy on a tarp each night and I still managed somehow to put a small hole in the sylnylon right beneath where the more duarble fabric ended. All-in-all the BD gets a positive review. With a few changes it could be a worthwhile buy, but as-is is sort of a nice niche product.

[Plinko]

SE Utah (read: desert) isn't the best indicator for condensation issues.