Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

This bivy is unlike traditional bivies in that it uses poles and gives structure and room in the head area.

Good things
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1 - Plenty of head room for reading and other activities.
2 - Great ventilation when the hood is opened all the way.
3 - Entremely light compared to a Gore-Tex bivy.
4 - Easy set up
5 - Compact storage

Bad
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1 - Any bivy, no matter what material its made of requires it to be ventilated. Why? Because the surface area of the bivy is not enough to keep out the humidity caused by the human breath.

Having said that. The bivy can not have the hood unzipped during rain and wind. The rain comes in and soaks the sleeper in the face. I got soaked when I fell asleep during a rain storm and left the hood open just a little bit.

2 - If one sleeps with the hood closed it can be stuffy and humid. The humidity condenses on the ceiling. And because the sleeping bag touches the ceiling, the sleeping bag gets wet.

3 - There is no place to hook or store anything reasonably in the head area.

4 - There is no lid for the vent at the foot section. Hence, if it should snow and wind, the drift will get into the bivy. The bivy handles rain fine at the foot vent.

Conclusion -

If this bivy is used with a small tarp, just big enough to cover the head area, one can fully vent the bivy without worrying about rain getting in.

A small piece of nylond flay and some velcro at the foot vent can prevent snow from getting in while still proviing some ventilation.

Its important for people using bivies to know that their breath should always be released outside. Meaning, dont close the hood! A person exhales a cup or more water during the night.

When I once used a space blanket as a bivy I woke up with about a cup of water pooled at the foot if the bivy.

Seem sealing the bivy was a pain, I dont believe a tent or a bivy should have to be seam sealed. One of the reasons I like Mountain Hardwear tents.

My test was done on a mountain top. The mountain was next to a large river and we had one of the worst storms of the years. Summer, temp was about 50 degrees. Wind gusts at about 50 mph.

If Black Diamond could make the hood over hang larger and the ability to draw it back for entry and exit it would be great. Furthermore a flap for the foot vent.

Despite the drawbacks, this is one of the best bivies.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

I love my Lightsabre Bivy. It's lightweight, doesn't take up much room in my pack, and it's fast and easy to setup and teardown.

I haven't had a condensation problem but I don't zip up the outer shell above my face unless the temperature is in the 20's. Even then I leave an inch or two open to vent the moisture in my breath. I haven't used it in rain.

My only complaint is that the side zipper is about 6 inches too short and I have to push my knees tightly into my chest while stabbing myself in the back with the center pole to get my feet in and out of the bivy. (I'm 6' tall.)

I made my own ground cloth out of lightweight SilNyl fabric. I cut it to fit the footprint of the bivy with a 3'x3' extra area by the entry. That gives me someplace clean and dry to take off my boots and brush dirt or sand off my clothes before climbing in.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

Seeking a lightweight bivy option for hiking the AT, I was attracted by the claims that "it resists water penetration in all but the most extreme conditions"--[*]! I was in a light-to-medium rain, nothing extreme, and I got drenched. The problem was not with the seam sealing, which I had applied correctly, but with the material itself. As I lay in my tent in the morning, every single raindrop would plunk against the fabric and split into a fine spray of 100 little droplets on the inside of the bivy. Aside from the water torture and trying to sleep with rain spraying on my face, my sleeping bag was soaked. It is irresponsible for Black Diamond OR REI to claim that this bivy even remotely withstands any weather, as wet gear can lead to a life-threatening situation.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

Let me start by saying that if are 6'or taller, I would look somewhere else. This product is probably not for you.
Also; THIS IS A BIVY, NOT A TENT. Furthermore, it is one made out of ultralight materials. You need to know what you are getting into before you purchase this item.

I really think this is a great product, IF you know what you are getting. I have the last generation of this product from about a year ago; and I actually prefer it to the current model. It did not have the extra features in the foot box (that I feel are completely unnecessary) and as a result came in 1/4 pound lighter.

Setting up the poles on this guy is not too easy, but it does get better the more you use it. I recommend setting it up at home and leaving it setup for a week or so to help stretch it out a bit. I normally only use 1-2 stakes with this guy, really just to keep it where I want it. NONE are actually needed for my generation. It is a bit small inside; but lets keep in mind you are in a BIVY. In comparison to any other model I have seen, this is a mansion inside. It it very sturdy, and well constructed. I got stuck in a bad situation in a canyon and had to use this guy in a location I was sure it was going to rip and for that matter puncture my air mattress. Woke up in the morning and it didn't have so much as a scratch. I have used it in rain, snow and summer heat. I love that it has the outer door and mesh door, its a cinch to make sure you have no condensation and no bugs.

The only reasons I see for not giving this a five star review are that it excludes larger people, and the poles are a bit of a bear. Otherwise, this guy is as good as it gets.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

Assuming the ground affords you the chance to stake it down, this bivy is great in cold temperatures but not so great for warm temperatures, as condensation forms on the inside to the point that you may question whether it is even waterproof. A very specific item - don't buy unless you know exactly what you need it for.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

I used this on hike of the JMT in 2006. Very light, very compact and very easy to setup. Tight, but comfortable for a bivy - the extra headroom is really nice. However, condensation inside makes this almost useless. I think I slept at over 10,000 feet almost every night of the trip and woke up every morning in a sleeping bag that was wet and frozen solid. Even when I left the head almost totally open (which left me very cold), I had condensation and ice around the feet and legs.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

Everything I read says that this is THE bivy to get if you're in the market for one. It lives up to the hype. It's incredibly light vs. even a one man tent; and allowing that bivys by nature are a bit snug, the Black Diamond bivy is comfortable. In other words, if you're not into bivys or are clausterphobic, this isn't the product for you; but as bivys go, this one's got a fair amount of room, especially in the head cavity where it counts.The only con I experienced with the Lightsabre is that it doesn't offer its inhabitant 100% dryness in a downpour. To be fair, I've not seen anything that claims it does, but this fact bears mentioning nevertheless. Perhaps the Black Diamond folks could develop a rain fly for this product in the future. That would make it 100% satisfactory to me.To get around this limitation, I rigged up an impromptu ultralight tarp wide enough to cover the bivy and my gear. Of course, this issue of over-night gear storage is another limitation with respect to bivys; but as I suggest, I overcame this with the tarp.Even packing the tarp and the bivy, I saved oodles of weight. Thus, even with this one limitation, the Black Diamond bivy is worth the price. And considering the ratio of sleep-time to pack-carrying time, the weight factor alone make the BD bivy a no-brainer for those long-distance treks.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

I am 5'6" woman with an athletic build (wide shoulders) and this fits me fine. Too much taller however, would be a no-go. I have room at the top and bottom of the sack to keep my boots and camera inside - I do miss having a fly. The compact size and weight make up for it except in very wet weather. If you think you may get stuck in your tent for a period of bad weather - this setup may neccesitate psychatric care for claustrophobia when you return home. This is probably best used by someone very familiar with backpacking who knows what they need to be comfortable. I would NOT recommend this to a novice backpacker.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

I used this bivy when i worked for the forest service as a trails worker, it was issued to me out of the gear room. This little guy is incredibly strong and weatherproof, it proved itself in 50+ mph winds on top of a mountain! It handles snow, rain, wind, sun, and just about anything short of angry bears. This was forest service equipment so it had seen years of abuse before i got to use it and only one seam leaked which i fixed easily with some sealant. the only bad thing is it will always have some condensation in the hood. overall and incredible product.

Comments about Black Diamond Lightsabre Bivy:

I purchased one of these in hope I could cut some pack weight. I have a 2 1/2" Air mattress and once that was inflated I lost any wiggle room inside at all, way too cramped. It might be sufficient with a closed cell pad, but not with an air mattress. It requires at least 6 stakes for it to maintain a good pitch. If you typically use a bivy, but feel claustrophobic this might work for you as you have a little head room.