good waterproof sleeping bag cover / overbag

[undermind]

I'm looking for a fairly lightweight waterproof sleeping bag cover. Montbell makes some 2 layer Goretex covers under 10 oz. Wild Things and Integral Designs both make Event covers, but are heavier.

 

I've got a good lightweight bag that doesn't have a W/P shell, and would like to wake up with a dry outer shell on my bag.

 

Thanks

[darstog]

you may want to check out

integral designs endurance bag cover

 

Bibler used to make a winter bivy, out of the epic fabric, at 9 ounces, MEC makes some cool overbags...

[dbconlin]

bibler winter bivy. It is still available and costs only $99.

[mattp]

I've said this before on this site, but please forgive me for repeating myself: what you want is a tent or a tarp.

 

Seriously: I don't use a sleeping bag cover or bivy bag, but I've always used a down bag. I've done most of my climbing and hiking in the ever-wet Northwest, and I've been on dozens of trips lasting three weeks or more. For eight years, I worked for Outward Bound and spent over 100 days each year sleeping under a tarp or in a snow cave. I know everybody uses bivvy bags, but I don't really see the utility. Two bivvy bags weigh no less than a tarp or lightweight tent, and the tent or tarp are far more comfortable.

 

It takes a little bit of care to keep your down bag dry in wet conditions without a waterproor cover, but it realy only takes a LITLE bit of care.

[undermind]

mattp, I'm not looking for a bivy. My original post says nothing about a bivy.

 

I just want a cover/overbag. I always use a tent, but still wake up with damp shell fabric. It's basically because the bag is ultralight and has no water resistant shell fabric. So I can afford a little more weight for water resistence. But not a lot because I still need to carry a tent.

 

So.. What I need is something lightweight that will keep my actual sleeping bag dry inside. I don't need any fancy structure like in a a lot of bivy's.

[undermind]

Hey that Bibler Winter Bivy looks pretty cool. Simple and light. I don't know how it would compare to the montbell UL covers. They use 2 layer Gore. But the Bibler is about as light and much cheaper. I know the epic fabric is a bit of a step down from event, but can anyone comment on it? vs Gore?

Basically, I'm not going to be actually IN the elements with it, unless for emergency. I don't even mind if the outside gets damp with condensation, as long as there is not any buildup on the inside.

[lummox]

hefty.

[chucK]

I just want a cover/overbag. I always use a tent, but still wake up with damp shell fabric. It's basically because the bag is ultralight and has no water resistant shell fabric.

 

If you sleep in a tent and the outside of your bag is damp, then the dampness could be (probably is?) from your body vapor condensing as it hits the cold air outside your bag.

 

If this is really a concern, then perhaps what you should try is a vapor barrier inside the bag.

 

Like Lummox suggested, a Hefty might be something to try first, or perhaps one of those space-blanket bags. This'll keep your bag dry, but your body will be good n' clammy in the morning .

[mattp]

Sorry to misunderstand you, Undermind, but your original post said nothing about using it inside a tent or under a tarp, either. In these settings, I think you may find that the addition of a goretex sleeping bag cover will cause moisture to condense inside the shell and it may sometimes actually makes your sleeping bag wetter than going without --- assuming you ventilate your tent and set a tarp well. If it is water coming in from outside the perimeter of the tarp that is getting your bag wet, the extra pound that your sleeping bag cover will add would probably be better spent in carrying a slightly larger tarp.