Re: [pct-l] Tent vs Bivy Sack

[Bighummel@aol.com]

Tent vs Bivy Sack vs Tarp has been discussed and debated on the list quite a 
bit.  I and many others have found that a two man tent affords the luxury of 
having your gear in the tent with you in inclement weather/conditions.  This 
is great in persistent rain, snow, mosquitos, flies, wind, crowds (for 
privacy) etc.  My hiking partner and I considered sending one of our two man 
tents (we were each carrying one when we partnered up in Burney Falls) back 
to save weight.  However, after some horrific mosquitos and persistent rain, 
we found that it was a pleasure having room in the tent for our gear and not 
to have each other on top of one another.  Under stressful situations like 
these it takes the edge off.  We even put all the gear in one tent and played 
cards in the other at times.  I haven't seen a good bivy that can also handle 
the gear.  The Nomad, a quasi bivy / tarp looks like it could.

As JoAnne mentioned, the stress is cumulative.  Don't let the mighty quest 
for light weight compromise your safety or comfort to an unacceptable level.  
You may think that you can put up with a lot of inconvenience, but over time 
(let's see, maybe around Nth California perhaps) the inconvenience may build 
up into burnout.  

My vote is for a light weight (less than four pounds) two man tent.  There 
are several of these available, the Stevenson being what I would say is the 
best and probably most expensive.

IMHO,

Greg "Strider" Hummel
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