TENT OR BIVY, THAT IS THE QUESTION.

The gear…..Tent or bivy, that is question.

I get asked about the gear I used. The gear I used for a given event.

Here goes. Piece by piece, including thinking and history.

In Iceland I used - both years, for the N/S crossing and then the E/W crossing -  a three-season Tiger Wall UL1. Big Agnes’ lightest technical backcountry 1 person tent. It has a simple single pole architecture that is strong and sturdy. The best thing about it is it makes tent life easy. Of course it’s light - 2lb, 2oz.

I considered using my OR Helium Bivy. Its durable, lightweight (16oz) and waterproof (it really does stay dry inside). I used it on the ITI and will again. The ideal shelter for minimalists when it comes to weight and performance.

I used the Tiger Wall instead for the simple reason I could stretch out in it. That is, I can have more gear inside with me, and in Iceland I am it longer than I am in the bivy on ITI. By the way. In 1995 on the Iditasport I took the first version of the OR Helium Bivy.

 Bivy vs tent….lot’s of back and forth when making a decision. I used a bivy on ITI and Trans South Dakota and Trans Wisconsin. Every time otherwise it’s been a tent. I don’t feel claustrophobic in a bivy. At all (but I’m also a person who kind of likes my tinnitus because it sounds like crickets when camping)

 If I were to get a new tent it would be a Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2. Because the pole segments are shorter.