Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy Sack

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.

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.

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 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).

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.