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Mountain Hardwear Conduit SL Bivy

Mountain Hardwear Conduit SL Bivy description

The Mountain Hardwear Conduit SL Bivy zips onto any mummy bag with a compatible 70 inch zipper. The Conduit SL membrane wicks interior moisture away from your body and out of your sleeping bag, while giving you extra protection from cold, windy, wet weather. The bivy's zipper is waterproof, and the floor seams are hot taped. Tie-out loops for a attaching a Mountain Hardwear sleeping pad and a drawcord hood closure system round out this bomb-proof bivy.

On if you like bivies or not. If you're a bivy enthusiast, the SL is one of the best on the market (hands down). On a recent trip in the Sawtooths, the bivy performed very well in rain and breathed excellently. I wouldn't recommend using it without any kind of backup tarp - it won't remain waterproof in heavy, sustained rain. Also, I was eaten alive by mosquitos (there's absolutely NO mesh netting). After pretty extensive experience in the backcountry and camping otherwise, I've learned that carrying a few extra ounces (or even up to a pound) for a high quality solo ultralight tent is far preferable. It allows you a sheltered place to relax during the day (or a long storm - not to mention a vestibule), and the mesh alone is worth admission, especially in bug-heavy locales. By the time you add up the weight of a bivy, a light tarp, and a few stakes, there's only ounces difference between the best ultralights on the market (MSR Hubba, Marmot EOS 1P, etc.). Having that said, let me reiterate: this is far and away the best bivy I've ever used. Mountain Hardwear makes diesel gear, and if you're looking for a bivy that breathes well and has pretty good weatherproof chops - this is your bivy. I especially like it as an overlayer on a down bag for snow cave/winter camping. As for other reviewer's comments on getting wet in the head/shoulder region: that's just the nature of the beast with bivies, even more elevated ones (like Black Diamond's tripod bivy).

Used in the Wind River Range with a 25 degree Big Agnes Bag. I stayed warm and cozy down to the low 20's with no other shelter--even with frost on the outside of the bivy. The only drawback is that with my Big Agnes the ground pad fits in the floor of the sleeping bag. I love that normally because I don't slide off my pad, but with the pad inside the bivy, the fit was too tight so I had to separate them. Not a big deal though.

I used this bivy during a recent missions trip in Patagonia. We were in the mountains most of the time. I slept in a wide range of weather out in the open and never had a problem with the bag. It got down to the low thirties and a normal Patagonia wind of 20-30 mph sustained and I was warm and never felt the wind. I strongly recommend this bag!