it's light at just 1 lb 10 oz. just for that fact alone you give up some other comforts. i bought this to do long multi day adventures where i don't stop. the bivy is for weather that rolls in and stops me. so i have somewhere to hide rather than just a space blanket. it's light and does exactly what i bought it to do. however it is a bit tricky to get into, and i have to admit stupidity here - if you haven't set it up in a while it's not easy to figure out. me and phd took over an hour and had to come back to it on a hike through the enchantments (yes we had the instructions!). and of course there are compacted condensation issues with a smaller overall space inside. i think that is expected.my bottom line: it's perfect for adventures where you will need a bivy but don't wanna travel with the extra weight. but it's not easy to setup.

This is a great bivy for fast and light treks. I've used it for long trail runs where I plan on staying out overnight, and for regular backpacking trips. It packs down smaller than half a loaf of bread, and presumably weighs less too. The 3 pole setup (2 hoops, 1 spine) is easier after setting it up once or twice, but not difficult to begin with. It's great to be able to lay in there and look out at the stars through the mesh screen - find another bivy that can do that...

The reason it gets 4 stars - if it unzipped another 6" it would make getting in and out of the lightsabre way easier. Are you listening BD? Yeah, it might add half an ounce, but for anyone over 5'5" it'll make getting in and out of this bivy worlds easier. Seam sealing it after I got it wasn't exactly the most fun I've ever had either.

This is the first bivy I've owned and I sure am glad that I bought it. We encountered hail, rain, and snow all in the first night I used it. It held up great and seems to be pretty water resistant. It does get some condensation but it wasn't a big deal. Overall. . . it's great for the price. I didn't want to spend $300 for a fully waterproof one so I think this is the best for the price. I'm 6'2" and I could get in and out. I saw others complaining about it and it's not really that bad. I wouldn't want to have to get in and out of it all day long but once or twice a night isn't so bad.

I have been using this bivy for over 2 years and it is a fine piece of equipment. It is easy to set up, doesn't need to be staked out (though it can be), and is a fair price. Though there is certainly some condensation problems and a little leakage, it holds up well for something so light and small. It is a little hard to get into and out of (I am 6.0') and hard to move around in. Overall a great product!

I've used this bivy for 100+ nights (sometimes with a beta-light if it's really pouring rain), and it's pretty good. But it is a bivy. That means that it's tight (but way, way roomier than most bivy sacks), has condensation issues (just like most bivys since they rest right on your sleeping bag, inhibiting airflow), and isn't a tent (but that's why you buy these things, right?!)

Pluses -- the lightest, most compressable, roomiest bivy that I have seen. Minuses -- must be very carefully seam-sealed to be water-tight, not super-breathable, not super-weathertight.

As an old mountaineer, explorer and gear head, I do extensive research and purchase the best product for the $$$. I expect the best out of my toys and this sack performed superbly. Last fall 04, Scott and I embarked on the greatest "Motorcycle Mountaineering" exploration ever done to date (that we know of anyway). We call it the "7 Days & 7 Nights Super Loop". Over 1,000 dirt miles of single/double track mixed with some narly jeep trails. This secret route is part of an on site dirt-bike adventure I have been exploring for 10 years from Mexico thru the Rockies to Canada. Now keep in mind, that being compact and light is paramount when riding this kind of sick endurance adventure. Anyway, while riding at 9,000-11,550 feet for 12+ hours, we would find ourselves exhausted, and ready for bivi. We encountered freezing nighttime temperatures in nothing more than Black Diamond's Lightsabre bivi, Thermarest's Prolite 3 pad and an awesome ultra compact Mountain Hardware's Phantom 3 bag. This bivy is lighter and more compact than any I have found. It performed well in the unexpected snow storm, rain and even in the heat of the desert. It's dome sets up easily and has lots of headroom and thanks to the mesh feature, the mosquitoes went hungry. What more can I say. Try it you'll like it!!! J Hof.

Otherwise, you're going to be soaked in this thing.Condensation is terrible. Last weekend it rained all night, one night in the Eastern Sierra. Fortunately it was the last night of the trip.I might carry it again on any overnighter where I don't have to worry about drying out my sleeping bag. It's wretched to get into and out of. The zipper only goes partway down. Make sure you have a right side zipper on your bag. Don't buy a footprint. I use cheap plastic tablecloths that will last a week and only weigh a couple of ounces and cost a couple of bucks.I think I'll spend a bit more time on the Bowflex so I can haul a few more pounds of tent.

For traveling ultralight and compact this is a great unit. I didn't like the seam sealing process and wish they would have sent a thinner silicone or advised me to warm the silicone up a bit to make it flow easier. I found that it's best to not zip it up too tightly and make sure the vent at the feet doesn't get blocked, there is a small air space that is coming in contact with your sleeping bag and it can easily get very damp. I ended up with opposing zippers, sleeping bag on the left and bivy on the right, but it seems to work just fine with this bivy.

Went on 5 day 50 mile section hike on AT in VA...used this bivy 4 times. While I loved the weight, I did find it somewhat difficult to get in and out of this bivy. The head pole was curved down to help shed rain, but found the zippers did not go down as far from my head area as I would like (sure to save weight), so I had to wedge myself as far up into the head area, and then curl myself into a tight ball to work my feet out of the bivy. I am only 5'11", and felt that if the zippers would extend another foot this would have made all the difference to me. I plan to carry my clip flashlight on my next section hike because of this.

I used this bivy for a 5 day backpacking trip through the Sierra Nevadas and I am now looking for something more rugged. Its great if you are looking for sheer lightness and summertime use. I am only 5'3" and it was hard for me to get in & out of because of the short zipper and head overhang, I'm sure it would be even tougher for a tall man. It was waterproof (though I had to seamseal all seams myself). My other complaint is there was a ton of condensation on the inside of the bivy in the a.m. (even with the front wide open during sleep).

This is the best Bivy I have ever been in. Amazingly light, Easy to set up. Careful you don't bump your head on the pole getting in.

Haven't tried it in the rain...yet.
need to offer a footprint for it to protect the bottom.

I've been using this bivy for a few seasons of weekend backpacking trips and I have a bit of a love hate relationship with it. The nice part is that it's super light, packs down into a ridiculously small stuff sack, and it's easy to set up. I'm 6'2 and can't agree with all the folks saying it's hard to get in and out of this, I don't have much trouble, just scoot back a bit into the headspace and pull your knees up and out. Bivies are a minimalist option so folks expecting a roomy palace should get one of those 6 person Eureka tents, geez. Unfortunately this thing has issues with condensation, every night around 3 am I'm feeling sticky all over, sleeping with just the bug mesh closed seems to help marginally. The waterproofing seems adequate, but since I had to seam seal it myself I really don't trust this to keep me dry in a rainstorm.

I used the Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy Sack for some unexpected light snow camping on some cold nights at Green Lake in the Eastern Sierra. Neat little tent. Pretty easy to assemble. VERY light. Lots of head room. I loved it. And the price was great.

I really had a difficult time getting in and out of the darn thing and I am only 5'8". I am disappointed with the inability to adjust the tent part of the bivy. It would be much better if the angle of the opening was adjustable for star gazing. As it is, I felt cut off from the great outdoors. It also trapped condensation. I'm on the look out for something better.

The shortest tent pole - one at the foot of the tent - broke when I was pitching it for the second time!