Bivy Sacks Products including Top Brands like Outdoor Research, Big Agnes, Sierra Designs, Survive Outdoors Longer and More! — 10 products / 16 models — Page 1

They go by many names: bivy sacks, bivvy tents/bivvy shelters, bivy bags, bivouac sacks, and the ominous-sounding "body bags". Although they're technically slightly different, they're close enough that we decided to keep both bivy sacks and bivvy tents here on the same page. If you're serious about going ultralight on that next backcountry backpacking trip, the minimalist design of a bivvy will definitely fit the bill.

What is a bivy sack and why is it used?

A bivy sack is essentially a water-resistant cover that goes over your sleeping bag to protect you against the elements. They provide weather protection on ultralight backpacking trips and serve as an emergency shelter if things go south quickly and you can't make it back to basecamp.

There are various reasons people may carry a bivvy. It may be an integral part of their camping gear's sleep system since they're so lightweight and take up minimal volume in a backpack. Many alpine adventurers, particularly winter campers who plan to use snow shelters against the cold weather will choose a bivy bag to keep a layer between them and the snow floor of such a shelter. Combined with proper sleeping bags and sleeping pads, this can make for a surprisingly comfortable night in a snow cave or quinzee.

As mentioned, there are also outdoor enthusiasts who keep an emergency bivy even on short day trips, just in case things don't go as planned.

Are bivy sacks worth it?

If you want to cut weight and go ultralight on your shelter system, a bivvy is a top contender. As a core part of your shelter and sleep system, or just as an emergency backup, a bivvy is hard to beat. Even if you didn't bring a sleeping bag, a bivy bag can still help you weather the storm.

Are bivy sacks warmer than tents?

Bivy sacks actually are warmer than tents. A tent has a lot of excess space for headroom and moving around, which is great from a comfort standpoint but leaves voids that are difficult for body heat alone to compensate for. Bivy bags don't have those voids, since they slip over your sleeping bag, retaining as much heat as possible while maintaining water resistance.

What is the difference between a bivy and a tent?

This can be a little tricky since there are both bivy sacks AND bivvy tents. A bivvy tent is just like the bivy bags described above, but it has a hooped pole over the headspace and guylines to hoist it up off your face. This easily qualifies as making it the ultracompact and ultralight one-person tent.

Buy Bivy Sacks from OpticsPlanet!

Shop OpticsPlanet for Bivy Sacks (or Bivvy Sacks)! You can learn more about bivy sacks, emergency shelters, tents, and a whole bunch of other camping-related subjects in our Camping Equipment How-To Guides and Articles, written by our in-house experts and enthusiasts.

Other categories you may be interested in: Backpacking Tents, Camping Shelters, Tent Accessories, and Tents.