SnugpakBivvi Bag

I've been a Snugpak fan for a long time now. I use their drysaks in my Bug Out Bag, along with their poncho, and almost my whole sleep system is Snugpak. Plan to switch out my shelter tarp and pillow to Snugpak was well. Maybe check out their hammock shelter, more of their sleeping bags, single bivvy tents and bigger tents. Have the Jungle Bag, the fleece liner, thermalon liner, and now this bivvy to protect them from rain, and I love all of them.Heard a YouTube reviewer describing Snugpak products one time, as their having performed some kind of voodoo magic in their materials. He hit the nail right on the head with that one. They somehow find the lightest, thinnest, most compact materials to use, in a cost effecient manner when it comes to durability/size/weight. And it's almost like they found a way to blurr the lines and limits, and cheat the laws of physics a little. Yes, you can find more durable gear. But it will be much bigger and heavier. The durability given up for portability with this gear is justified by the weight and capacity in your pack that it displaces. And it's made with combat and stealthiness in mind. The ONLY reasons this bivvy isn't getting 5 stars, are as follows...The descritption mentions a down filling. I thought that was a little off-sounding. But there's no filling. It is a very thin material, much like what you would expect a lighter poncho to be. Similar to their patrol poncho. I wouldn't want to roll around on the ground with it. Definitely want some kind of ground cloth or sleeping pad. Even the official Marine Corps bivvvies wear little holes in them from that, though, and cost about 3 or 4 times as much for a new one. Nearly impossible to find a used one without tiny pinprick holes in it. Been there, done that. Now, that being said, and I know the price has been coming down a little as of late, I think the price tag hurts a little. Took me a long time to finally pull the trigger on this, after drooling over it for years. Especially after trying to get a good USMC one a couple times, and failing. Just seems a little pricey, even if the product is amazing as it is. I guess if you want quality, you have to pay for it. Snugpak's always delivered in that department, so I can't complain too much.So, that's my verdict. Some people feel that it's too thin, and won't withstand much abuse. But I think it's a sound tactical maneuver to go with their lighter/thinner materials, and just try to treat it well. Maybe keep a patch kit on hand in case there's a problem. Other than that, I think this is an outstanding bivvy, from an outstanding company, and I will continue to equip my packs with their drysaks, sleep and shelter systems 👍

Im a 6'5" 300 pound unit so im pretty certain almost anyone could fit in this guy, though i will say its a sqeeze. I don't know how long term reliability will be but I'll risk it considering snug packs reputation.

Caveat up front - I have not used this out in the wild yet. At 5'10" and 170lbs, I had no issue getting in and out of this bivvi. it was a little roomy without also using a sleeping inside this bivvi. Some reviews complain that there is no zipper. That's correct, this one has no zipper, but they have a more expensive model that has a half zipper on top and that model is wider at the shoulders - designed for bigger special ops guys. Forgive me for not providing a review of how it performed in some austere and risky wilderness environment, but it's spring 2020 and everyone is in lockdown. I did however try it in my living room. I'm not sure how breathable it is. In the hour I laid in it on the floor watching TV, I could feel heat building and a slight bit of moisture - that's in a 15% humidity environment at 72 degrees F. I have no doubt that it's waterproof because it seems to not let air through the material. As I tried to get all the air out before folding and folding and folding to put it back in the storage pouch, I found there were air pockets (clearly I failed to press all the air out) that did not let the air out as I applied gentle to moderate pressure. That said, it still fit in the storage pouch. The inside has a slight rubbery feel, likely helping the waterproof characteristic and likely hindering the breathability. The outside feels like a fairly slick synthetic material that should help to prevent snags or tears. I tried the cinch string as well. It kept binding. In order to tighten it anywhere close to closed, I had to push the bunched up material away from where the drawstring came out in order to pull the string further. That's no big deal, just a minor detractor. Maybe using grommets where the string comes out might help to prevent the binding. Overall I'm very happy with it. I'll use it as an emergency bag in my hiking pack when I go into the mountains and desert. I'll also take it anywhere that I might camp without a rainproof tent.

Fill material? Down? What are they describing here? There is no fill material in a bivy, and down would be a very poor choice due to the fact that bivies are notorious for having internal condensation. The material is thin and certainly not what anyone would call durable. Even with all this false advertising, i still plan to keep it and use it on my PCT through hike. It is waterproof, but is in no way durable enough to use outside of a shelter.

I thought this bivvy was going to be a tougher grade of material. Instead it is a super thin nylon similar to a packable running jacket. Not durable enough to use outdoors as a standalone sleep system. Feels like paper. It does pack very small, though.

Solid gear just wish it had a zipper

This biv y is indeed a bit difficult to get in, and out of however, it more than makes up for it in dryness and comfort. I stayed dry and my bag stayed dry the entire night. I will admit that I used this bivy in conjunction with a 8x5 silnylon tarp. That was my whole shelter set-up. Light, fast, compact, and dry.

Great for emergency