OR GoreTex Advanced Bivy Bag
Many folks use bivies to travel ultralight but others have trouble sleeping with fabric directly on their face. If one of these is you, then this is your bivy. The most exciting innovation in our Advanced Bivy is the patented combination of a pole over the top at the shoulder position, with a circumferential pole around the head of the sack. The circumferential pole turns the entire head section of the sack into an awning, so the zipper can be wide open, with the lower edge of the roof several inches off the ground. Rain or snow runs down the roof, off the wide storm flap and onto the ground. If the wind kicks up, the zipper opening can be reduced to prevent moisture blowing in. By adjusting the pole positions on the inside of the bivy, you can vary the size of the opening from roughly a 45° angle to full-on stargazing mode—all with the removeable no-see-um netting in place to keep bugs out. Extra room under the roof is also a great place to store boots, etc., to keep them dry. Sleeping pad straps are included.
This bivy is the one to take when you want to go lighter than a tent, but the thought of being confined in a regular bivy
is not attractive. The Advanced Bivy Sack’s ability to get the overhead material off your face and provide terrific
ventilation in any weather has made it popular with a wide array of users.
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 1 lbs. 15 oz. / 880 g complete; 1 lb. 6 oz. / 625 g without poles & netting Length: 90 in./229 cm Pole height: 19 in./48 cm Width at shoulder: 25 in./64 cm Max. shoulder circumference: 78 in./198 cm Width at foot: 21 in./53 cm Max. foot circumference: 56 in./142 cm
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Delrin overhead pole
Each of the two poles is made of shock-corded sections of custom-molded Delrin tubing with a separate end section.
Each end section is aluminum with a snap on its end. This arrangement is important in allowing the length of the overhead
pole to vary when the circumferential pole is switched between its two positions.
The removable end sections make for easier pole threading. One extra is supplied with each bivy sack.
This pole is responsible for creating the space over the head of the occupant. It is held in place by a tunnel of nylon webbing on the outside of the bivy sack, and snapped into place on the outside edge of the floor material.
Combined with the overhead pole, this pole turns the end of the sack into an awning that sheds rain and snow while allowing terrific ventilation. Also provides a place outside the bivy for muddy boots.
Two snap positions for each end of the pole (patented).
High position
Allows the pole to drop into its low, awning-like position.
Low position
This snap position is slightly forward, forcing the pole to be held in an upright position. Several different open angles for the front of the bivy can be achieved with this snap position.
By flipping the circumferential pole back while pushing the awning material over the outside of the overhead pole, the end of the sack will be held open wide for maximum ventilation, (with no-see-um netting in place).
3-layer, 1.1-oz. Ripstop Gore-Tex® upper
Waterproof, vapor permeable, and totally windproof
Ultralight lamination keeps weight down
Three layer maintains strength of the material
Extends all the way to the ground to provide the highest vapor permeability possible. This is a very important point. Many
bivy sacks have been designed in such a way as to wrap the coated floor material up the sides of the sack, in a "bathtub"
configuration, reducing the amount of Gore-Tex significantly. In this type of a sack the resulting condensation can be a
big problem. The design of OR Bivy Sacks reduces condensation by increasing ventilation and vapor permeable fabric
overhead.
End-opening zipper
60 in. / 192 cm opening
This large zipper opening makes getting in and out of the sack very easy.
When fully open, ventilation is excellent.
3-in. wide storm flap directs rainwater past the zipper and onto the ground whether the zipper is open or closed.
Fully taped seams
Our Gore-Tex bivy sacks are totally seam-sealed with Gore-Seam tape. Because of the thorough taping, Hydroseal floor fabric, and the inherently rain-repelling designs, these bivies were the first to pass Gore's stringent rain room test and earn the "Guaranteed To Keep You Dry" certification. The process of seam sealing is an excellent study in OR's attention to detail. There are many different types of tape available for seam sealing, and the most important thing is matching the characteristics of the tape to the fabric or fabrics to be sealed. This match is most important when two different fabrics are being sealed with the same strip of tape, such as the interface between the floor and the upper fabric. The seam sealing job is carefully controlled and performed by OR operators in our Seattle manufacturing facility to ensure the greatest sealing quality.
1.7 oz. taffeta, Hydroseal-200® coated floor material
Taffeta provides the perfect combination of durability and light weight. It is coated with our exclusive Hydroseal-200 coating. On top of all this, it is fully factory taped with W.L. Gore seam tape for total waterproofness.
Small internal zippered mesh pocket
At the head of the sack, on the inside, is a small zippered mesh pocket to hold eyeglasses and other small items.
Guy line loops
These loops provide tethering points for lines.
They are located at the following places for a total of six:
– one at ground level seam front
– two at ground level seam rear/foot section
– one at top of overhead pole
– two at front of circumferential pole
They can be very helpful when leaving the sack for a time, when the wind might blow it away.
Allows the bivy to be strung from trees, ski poles, etc. when travelling without bivy poles. Note: These are light duty loops and are not as strong as those placed in tents.
High-volume foot section
The foot section has enough volume to allow the sleeping bag to maintain full loft at the feet. Many sacks are not designed with anything but a flat seam at the feet, allowing no room for the sleeping bag to loft.
Large no-see-um netting section, removable
When fully opened, the front of the bivy exposes a broad section of no-see-um netting.
On warm evenings when bug protection is the main objective, this large area provides great ventilation.
For trips where bugs will not be an issue and reduced weight is important, the netting is removable. The zipper slider is
backed off of the zipper for removal.
Sleeping pad straps on floor
Two sets of Velcro straps on the floor secure the sleeping pad in place so it can't move onto the Gore-Tex upper and inhibit vapor permeability or grind the Gore-Tex fabric against the ground.
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
The main feature that must be emphasized here is the configuration of the poles. Their performance is radically different from any bivy on the market. The most readily noticeable advantage to such a sack is the decidedly less claustrophobic feeling once you're zipped into it. For many people this is a major thing. In a non-pole-supported bivy sack the claustrophobe will wake up in the night and have a fit trying to escape the confines of the sack. This frightening scene is avoided for almost everyone in both the Advanced and the Deluxe Bivy Sacks because the overhead pole holds the fabric away from the face of the occupant.
The circumferential pole gives rise to another unique advantage over all competition. The main zipper can be open over its entire length even in a rain storm and provide an awning under which boots and other items can be stowed out of the rain but also out of the bivy sack. It also lets the occupant enjoy full venting of vapor and/or cooling when needed. In other bivy sacks that utilize an overlap-style opening, it is virtually impossible to achieve sufficient ventilation in a rain storm without serious leakage. The circumferential pole can be moved from one position to another from inside the sack in seconds to vary the amount of ventilation. Remember that the circumferential pole is designed to be moved from one snap position to another from inside the sack and that when this operation is performed from outside the sack it is not as convenient.
In inclement weather these are the most comfortable bivy sacks on the market. The combination of ventilation and pole supported canopy creates a more comfortable living space than other sacks provide. Just like the other pole supported sacks in the OR bivy lineup, the poles can be left at home to lighten the load and reduce bulk.
Colors: Black, Midnight Blue, Yellow, Forest