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Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Integral Designs South Col Bivy > Kelli Wise > Initial ReportIntegral Designs eVent South Col Bivy - Initial Report October 26, 2003
Personal biographical information Backpacking background: I've been car camping and hiking for 20 years and sport climbing for 10 years, but am new to backpacking. My backpacking style is lightweight but not ultralight. I am striving for a suitable compromise between safety and comfort. The majority of my hiking experience is in Western Washington so I get a lot of wet weather experience. Field information: Western Washington, coastal, lowlands and summer alpine hiking below 6000' (1829 m).
Product Information
Listed weight: 20 oz (567 g)
Features A little explanation of the eVent fabric is warranted here since it is one of the main features of the eVent South Col bivy. eVent is a "lightweight Direct Venting fabric" manufactured by BHA Technologies, Inc. The eVent fabric, unlike other ePTFE (expanded Polytetrafluoroethelene) laminated fabrics, does not require a continuous layer of polyurethane (PU) over the surface of the ePTFE to keep oils out hence reducing the breathability of the fabric. The eVent manufacturer calls this a "Dry System" and states that "Since there is no polyurethane layer covering the open-pore structure of the material or causing moisture to condense into it, perspiration vapor is free to pass directly through the fabric." This means that the fabric should stay dry on the inside.
First Impressions The weight of the bivy and stuff sack corresponds closely to the manufacturer’s specified weight. Of course, I had to take the bivy out and give it a good look. I've never used a bivy before but have looked at some of the mountaineering bivies on display at my local outfitters. The eVent South Col is a bright yellow color and the fabric is not stiff, like some bivies, and is about as thick as the laminated materials used in waterproof breathable jackets. The side zipper is a low profile waterproof zipper and the hood zip is a three-slider zipper that allows for a lot of venting adjustments. This is the first waterproof zipper I've used and it is very stiff but didn't bind up or snag on the bivy material. The hood zipper sliders all moved smoothly and I had some fun playing around with them. I inspected the outside seams carefully and they all looked good. Turning the bivy inside out, I inspected the seams on the inside. The first thing I noticed is that all of the seams are taped and that the workmanship was excellent. There were a couple of small thread tails on the hood zipper that could have been trimmed a little closer but they are not long enough to get caught in the zipper. The wire stiffener used in the hood is a vinyl coated, solid strand copper wire that is flexible enough to allow me to shape the wire. I measured the eVent South Col bivy for length, width and girth. There is some discrepancy between my measurements and the product specifications, but I would attribute that to problems measuring a large, rounded piece of fabric. The biggest discrepancy in my results is less than 3% of the specified dimension. I decided to give the eVent South Col bivy a tryout at home. Since bivy bags are used to extend the temperature rating of a sleeping system, and the eVent South Col is for occasional use as a solo shelter, I decided to use the bivy as the only shelter using my summer sleeping bag. The weather forecast was for clear skies, night time lows of 40 F (4.4 C), and calm winds. I sleep cold and my summer bag, rated at 35 F (1.7 C), does not keep me warm at 35 F (1.7 C) without a bag liner and 2 layers of clothing, one of which must be midweight fleece. I placed a 25" (64 cm) wide Ridgerest on my wood deck and placed the eVent South Col bivy on top of that. Inside the bivy, I placed a 25" (64 cm) wide, 3/4 length Therm-a-Rest and my 35 F (1.7 C) Primaloft insulated sleeping bag. A side note: my 3/4 length Therm-a-Rest is nearly as long as I am tall and only my feet hang off the bottom when sleeping, so I consider it to be a full length sleeping pad for me. I wore cotton sweat pants, a long sleeve cotton shirt, cotton socks and Integral Designs Hot Sox. The first thing I noticed is that the 22" (56 cm) side zipper is long enough for me to get into and out of the bivy, but not without some squirming. I understand that the zipper needs to be kept as short as possible to keep out the weather. I climbed into the bivy and zipped up the bivy side zipper, my bag side zipper, the bivy hood zippers, and adjusted the hood wire. Then I opened up each of the hood zipper sliders about 6" (15 cm) on each side for venting. While I was not expecting rain, I wanted to see how well the eVent fabric would deal with condensation during the night so I sealed up the bivy as though I were expecting bad weather. I'm not uncomfortable with small accommodations and the bivy didn't make me claustrophobic. I did note that having a 25" (64 cm) wide self-inflating mattress inside made the bivy very constricted around my hips and knees. I was pleased that the bivy did increase the temperature rating of my sleeping bag and that, even though the outside air low temperature for the night was 36 F (2.3 C), I slept warm in one layer of clothing without even wearing a hat. When I awoke in the morning, the only moisture inside the bivy was on the fabric just below my shoulders. There was very little moisture and it was just a small section. There was no dew on the outside of the bivy or the Ridgerest. The next night, I adjusted my sleeping system and moved the Therm-a-Rest to the outside and on top of the Ridgerest, still on my deck 3’ (91 cm) above ground. I also changed sleeping bags to my 15 F (-9.4 C) down bag with very high loft. I wanted to see if the bivy would allow the sleeping bag to fully loft and to see if, by sleeping even warmer I could perspire and transpire enough to cause significant condensation in the bivy. I did have to open the hood vents even more to make up for the extra warmth of the sleeping bag, but the weather forecast was for similar conditions as the previous night. I did change to a short sleeve cotton t-shirt and did not wear the Hot Sox. The sleeping bag easily slid into the bivy and was fully lofted. I slept very warm, perhaps a bit too warm, but did not sweat overmuch. By moving the Therm-a-Rest out of the bivy, the bivy was not as constricting in the hip and leg region. When I awoke, there was condensation on the inside of the eVent South Col bivy and my sleeping bag shell was slightly damp in places. The night time low temperature was 37.2 F (2.9 C) and when I awoke, there was a light fog layer above the ground and the weather station put the humidity at 93% with a dew point of 36 F (2.2 C). There was dew on the outside of the fabric and the inside of the eVent fabric was damp. The coated nylon fabric had a few drops of water beading up on the inside. My sleeping pads were both damp with dew. The conditions were quite a bit damper than the first night and not as damp as I can expect in the field.
Test Plan As a hammock camper, I will be looking to see how well it works with a hammock. How will I get in and out of the bivy while sleeping in a hammock? Will the eVent South Col bivy extend the hammock season into colder weather? Will it help to keep my sleeping bag dry even in foggy weather? I am also anticipating my first trip snow camping. I will use the bivy inside another tent and will be looking to see if the South Col bivy adds any warmth to the rating of my sleeping bag and helps to keep my bag dry.
I would like to thank Integral Designs and BGT for the opportunity to test the eVent South Col bivy.
Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Integral Designs South Col Bivy > Kelli Wise > Initial Report | |||