Gear Review - tents and bivy's

One of your big three is the shelter (other two being pack and sleeping bag). You may have noticed I am using the word shelter and not tent. This is because I am not sure what is the best shelter.

Tents, Bivy's and huts all have there advantages and challenges.

Huts when available are luxury and should be availed. It is sacrilegious not using them. If you have a trek planned with huts nothing like it. You can get rid of things like a tent, quite a bit of food and cooking gear and other things. You will have the advantage of carrying other stuff like a tablet. The operator of a hut will provide you with warm meals.

You may ask with huts on a trek where is the adventure? Where is the sense of wilderness? Trust me you will get loads of it, the advantage of huts will be a comfy warm bed to sleep in and warm meal to build your strength. With huts having staff you get more time to relax.

Before we go any further one quick tip for any shared accommodation. Carry ear plugs, there is always a snorer in the group.

In the remainder of discussion we will talk about small one person tents and bivy's. This is because we are talking about personal gear. If a trek operator is providing a trek, they would have large tents which multiple people will share.

Coming back to our small tents and one person bivy, it is a tough discussion. I am finding it harder and harder to justify use of bivy given tents are getting lighter and have more space. In any case I will tell you about the tent and the bivy  I own and you may make your decision.

My Bivy - The Outdoor Research Advanced Bivy 

I own an OR Advanced Bivy, this is perhaps one of the best four season bivy out there, sturdy, light, breathable and has an arch so you won't feel closterfobic. It has quite a bit of space and can pack really small. Bivy's are simple to pitch and pack. I know of people who have done entire Everest Base camp with Bivy.

Some people put there air mat inside the bivy and pack them together, Saving even more space.

With all this there are some disadvantages of using a bivy

• My pack will have to stay out
• I will have to cook under the elements
• They are not as comfortable 

So to close this Bivy discussion what are the reasons of using it?
Well other than weight I am unable to come up with any reason to use it.

My Tent - Black Diamond Hi-Light Tent and its ground cloth (and not Vestibule)

The Black Diamond Hi-Light is one of the lightest tents available, when I had bought it, it was the lightest. It is single walled but due to its breathable fabric that is not an issue, comes with a mesh window for those hot nights. The tent is not seem sealed and it is a pain to seal the same. I found the tent to be spacious and great as a one person tent. I have not used it with a  buddy but I think it will be cramped.

I use the ground cloth to protect my tent however have not found the need or use of a vestibule. I bring my pack inside.

It is hard to come up with a reason not to use this tent, except based on what I have read in very heavy rain this tent wont meet expectations.

On making drainage moat around the tent

I am aware that making drainage moat's is frowned upon, and I carry a tent with a floor and a ground cloth. However I believe if the time calls for it a drainage moat should be dug around the tent.

You may learn more about this at this link (embed is disabled for this link).