Are you looking for a minimalist one person tent for backpacking or mountaineering? Consider a bivy tent or bivouac sack for your next time camping.
A bivouac sack is a portable, lightweight, waterproof shelter designed to fit over a sleeping bag and provided additional insulation against the cold, rain and wind. It gained popularity in mountaineering and has come to be a lightweight alternative to a tent.
They are known for their low weight, packability, efficiency and warmth. They can be used in locations where there is not the space or soft soil for tent stakes.
The definition of bivouac is a temporary camp without tents or cover, used especially by soldiers or mountaineers. The word is French and is believed to have been derived from usage in the 18th Century from a Swiss-German word, meaning an additional guard (or watch) at night. It came to mean an encampment of soldiers that stays up on night watch.
It was shortened to bivvy in use by the troops of the British Empire, and has been come to be bivy in the United States.
It is also a style of single person tent that is a combination of a tent and a bivy sack. There are a number of tent manufacturers which offer a single person bivy tent for sale. The bivy tent is a low-rise tent with modest headroom. The entire category is known as a bivy shelter.
Here are a few of the options that are available for sale:
World Famous Sports 1-Person Bivy Tent
This is a compact and lightweight one person tent with mesh roof panel, rain cover, stakes and storage bag.
Kodiak Canvas 1-Person Canvas Swag Tent
this is a cotton duck canvas tent with 2 inch foam mattress pad and zip-open windows. It is roomy measuring 6’8″ long and has a width of almost 3 feet.
Winterial Single Person Personal Bivy Tent
This is an easy to assemble three season single person bivy tent with ventilated roof mesh and a rain fly that has a packed weight of just over three pounds. It comes with 14 stakes and 3 bundles of rope.
Snugpak Stratosphere 1 Person Bivvi Tent
The Snugpak Stratosphere is a one person bivvi tent weighing 2.5 pounds that packs down to the size of 5 inches by 12 inches. It is waterproof and breathable with a head canopy, mesh ventilation and mosquito net.
This is a waterproof bivy for sleeping outdoors in the winter. It is lightweight and highly breathable to prevent interior condensation. A single pole can be used to create overhead space. The entire weight is 20.6 ounces.