Bogley

[cachehiker]

Years ago I bought a Walrus Micro Swift before they were bought out by MSR. It is very similar to the Micro Zoid and has become my favorite tent for a variety of conditions. At less than 3 ft wide, you can pitch it in places when others can't find a good spot. With such a low profile, you can just pitch it between some low bushes and it will make short work of some pretty high winds. The small enclosed space also lets me push my sleeping bags 5ºF below their ratings. It's nice being able to take my old 38 oz. Moonstone down to 30ºF.

However, it's too small to deal with for anything beyond limited backpacking and bike touring. If it really starts to rain, there's almost no room to bring your pack inside. What's more, have you ever tried to spend several hours inside of something that small while waiting out a storm? It's even tougher if you're sharing the space with something as small as a 3200 cubic inch pack. I have fortunately only had to do so once. I hope I never have to again as I value my relative sanity.

In spite of these limitations, that Mountain Hardwear bivy is tempting for overnighters in the desert. I have their epic jacket and pant made of the same conduit material and they breathe so well it's hard to believe they can be nylon and remain so waterproof. The one drawback is that they breathe so well they don't really qualify as wind resistant. I have to wear a softshell underneath when it's cold, windy, and raining. You won't find me camping out very much in the cold, wind, and rain though