Fresh Air: The Borah Bivy

I have used a Borah Side Zip Bivy for a lot of my summer trips and it is worked out swimmingly. It has a sil nylon bottom that is all one piece and is sewn in a bathtub form to prevent water from leaking in. On the top it has M90 fabric on the top that has a high thread count to make it more breathable while being highly water resistant.  From about mid chest to above the head is a really thin mesh that is used to keep out the bugs and dirt while allowing you to see the stars and increases breathability. On the top of the netting has a small loop that I attached a elastic cord with a bit of velcro that I tie onto a tree limb, the inside of my tarp or my trekking pole to keep the netting off my face. The advantages to this type of bivy is that it is very lightweight (8 ounces), offers great breathability and has eliminated most condensation. It can be staked down to limit the sliding around that can happen on top of you sleeping pad and I seam sealed it and put traction lines on the bottom of the bivy to keep it in place and on top of my groundsheet, this adds about a 1/2 an ounce. The disadvantage I found is that the M90 fabric does not seal in the heat as well as other materials I have used in bivy sacks before (Terra Tex, Event, Nylon), on the plus side, the M90 is very soft to the touch. All in all, I found that the Borah Bivy is a very fine product made with loving craftsmanship that will certainly last for years to come.

Here is a link to Borah’s site: http://borahgear.com/sidebivy.html

The Borah Bivy under a tarp

The bivy in its stuff sack