The financial world we live in is just as wild, if not more, than the mountains and woods we walk through. We are told that the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but we can feel that something is wrong. My unique financial background and survival passion make Financial Survivalist and excellent place to learn and share.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

How to Make Your Own Bivy

Welcome To
How To Tuesday!

Today on How To Tuesday we will discuss how to make your own Bivy. I have tried several styles of bivy in the past, from the one time use Emergency Bivy to the most expensive Tent Like Bivy. They each have their positives and negatives. For example the Emergency Bivy will keep you warm, but moisture is trapped and condenses on the inside of the bag.

I was looking for something that would keep me dry from weather and condensation, didn't make me feel claustrophobic, and was cheap. After much research I decided that I was either going to spend big or make it myself.

I looked into homemade bivys and discovered Tyvek is a popular material used. Tyvek allows for water vapor to escape, but liquid water cannot not pass. My father in-law is a chemical engineer for Dupont and works on Tyvek all the time, so I gave him a call and got some insider tips. Then I purchased a piece of Tyvek house wrap on ebay.

I found a very thorough but poorly done Instructable, on making a bivy from Tyvek. Then I did my own spin on it. 
I decided to keep it simple. I folded it into a taco or burrito and sealed the seams with Tyvek tape. At the top I left an extra flap because most bivy's make me feel claustrophobic.

I designed it so I could tie that flap to a tree, allowing for extra ventilation, and preventing the feeling of claustrophobia. I also added netting from the fabric store for mosquito protection.
I designed it so that if the weather got really bad I could just tuck that flap under the bivy and stay dry. Because tyvek breathes there isn't as much need for ventilation, though I'm sure under these conditions it might get stuffy.
It rolls up pretty compact. 
All in all it's exactly what I wanted. I probably spent $25 on the whole thing. I haven't used it yet, but I may very soon. I have a winter bug out coming up. I will likely test it and let you know how it does.

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3 comments:

  1. I tried it out on a MBO last week. Camped in about 8" of snow. The bivy offers almost nothing in the way of insulation. However, it did keep the wind off me and the snow. There was a little condensation on the inside of the bag, but that's because it was so cold that my breath instantly condensed. I look forward to using it in warmer conditions and seing how it does.

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  2. What do you mean Instructables is a really bad website?

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  3. Good point. I should clarify that a bit. I love Instructables.com, I just didn't really like this one. I actually used the bivy again last month on a trip with Dan from TheDailyPrep.com. It worked really well. I was very happy with it. However, moisture did condense on the inside.

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