When it comes to backpacking, some people are obsessive-compulsive about lightweight gear. Others (like me) don’t mind bending under the weight of a heavier pack for a more comfortable experience in the mountains. A lot of progress has been made in an effort to make outdoor gear both lightweight and comfortable. But when the choice between tents and bivy sacks is made, nothing is lighter than a bivy, such as the Brooks-Range Ultralite Alpini Bivy Sack.
The Brooks Range Ultralite Alpini Bivy Sack is a one-person bag, made from a lightweight waterproof and breathable ripstop fabric that is only available from Brooks-Range. It features a floor that is a totally waterproof, made from a coated nylon material, uses a short zipper for simple entry, and has a huge cowl that covers the head and cinches with an elastic drawcord. This bivy sack is water-resistant (not water proof) so is suitable only for dry summer treks in the mountains.
Before I begin this review, I’ll be honest and say I’ve never used a bivy sack before. So when Brooks-Range sent me the Ultralite Alpini, I was both skeptical and excited to try it out. I left the tent behind and spent my first backpacking excursions of the season with the bivy and a sleeping bag. Surprisingly, sleeping in a bivy sack wasn’t as bad as I had feared. But there are some drawbacks.
First, the good. The Brooks-Range Ultralite Alpini Bivy Sack is so light at 15 ounces, and packs away so small, that it was a joy to throw in my pack and not even notice it. The whole thing stuffs inside an attached clam-shell pocket to the size of a grapefruit. In fact, it’s almost a miracle all that bivy material can fit into something so tiny. So not only did the bivy reduce weight in my setup, it also allowed me to use a smaller pack.
After cruising up trails in the Wasatch thanks to all that weight saved, I would spread out the bivy sack on an inflatable camping mat, and put a 40-degree synthetic sleeping bag inside. After dinner and watching the sunset, I would crawl in for an early night. Setting up camp with the bivy sack was so fast and simple, I had more time to take photos,write in my journal, and just enjoy my surroundings.
Now for the not-so-good. Initially, I felt a little claustrophobic inside the bivy sack, mostly because of the oversized cowl that covered my head. But after a few minutes, and realizing I could still breathe, I relaxed and propped the cowl open, leaving a hole for fresh air and to reduce condensation inside the bag. I felt comfortable, but would have long nights with little sleep.
The main problems I faced in the bivy sack was that the cowl kept shifting and falling onto my face, which is highly annoying. I usually woke up from material falling on my eyelids and was able to rearrange the bivy to a better configuration, but the times I didn’t wake up, the lack of a hole for my breath to escape caused the much-feared condensation inside.
In the mornings, I woke up with a damp sleeping bag. I’m sure this is due to the hood reducing breathability, as overnight temperatures usually fell to around 40 degrees and I felt chilled… so sweat wasn’t the reason, especially since I made sure to change out of my sweaty hiking clothes before bed.
Some backpackers are bivy people, some are tent people. For now, I think I’m going to stick with tents while sleeping in the woods. However, the basic utility of owning a bivy sack like the Brooks-Range Ultralite Alpini makes it a piece of survival gear one should carry around anyway. The sack stuffs into such a small size and is so light, that throwing it into the pack for any outdoor adventure would be insurance against spending a cold, wet night outdoors without any shelter. For that purpose, the Brooks-Range Ultralite Alpini has you covered.
Here are the Ultralite Alpini Bivy Sack specs from Brooks-Range:
Weight: 15 ounces (410 g)
Size: Max Dimension: 42 x 98″ (106.7 x 248.9 cm)
Pack Size: 5.1 x 8.3″ (13 x 21cm)
Typical Operating Temperature: Alpine
Color: Frame Red, Royal Blue, Yellow (colors vary)
Made in USA
You can purchase the Brooks-Range Ultralite Alpini Bivy Sack on their website.
Emergency shelter is one of the ten essentials when going out in the outdoors. This one is a good option for day hikes, just in case you got lost.