A couple of decades ago, choosing between a one-person tent and a bivy sack was pretty easy. The differences between the two types of solo shelters were more extreme than they are now. Early bivy sacks were little more than oversized trash sacks: ultralight, simple and cheap. However, they weren't breathable, and unless it was pouring down or you didn't mind waking up wringing wet with condensation, you were probably better off not using it. Tents, even the lightest models, were comfy, but impossibly heavy.
Fast forward to today and the choice is much tougher. Modern bivy sacks, thanks to the development of breathable fabrics, are now pleasant to sleep in. Meanwhile, some solo tents are ultralight as well as strong and durable. It means there's a lot more to weigh up before you take on your adventure.
Of course, the ideal situation is to have both in your quiver of kit, so you can choose the most appropriate for each adventure. Just bear in mind that they are very different ways of sleeping out.
One-person tent vs bivy sack: about bivy sacks
Despite all the modern materials, bivy sacks remain a simple concept; basically a bivy is a waterproof, breathable bag to go over your sleeping bag. You can throw one down anywhere and wiggle inside it to get shelter within seconds. Although, for an experience that goes beyond mere survival, and in weather any more testing than low-level summer sleep outs, carrying a lightweight tarp-poncho is worth the extra weight, as it allows you to erect a shelter over your head end, so you can sit up, eat, read and otherwise do more than lie-flat in your 'body bag'.
Hooped bivy bags were a bit of a break through in the 1980s, when I used one while cycling a thousand miles of dirt roads around Iceland in a month of rain. These provide a bit of space at the head end, though barely more than enough to prop oneself up on an elbow to eat or read. Nowadays hooped bivy bags make far less sense, when a modern tent can be as light (or lighter), far roomier and more weatherproof, though they still have their fans.
One-person tent vs bivy sack: about one-person tents
As with bivy sacks, lightweight tents work best on a great campground. They need more space – and time – to set up than bivy sacks, but even the smallest has room for a bit more than just lying down. In bad weather you'll get better sleep, keep kit drier and basically be able to keep functioning better in a small tent than you would if relying solely on a bivy sack for shelter.
A potential drawback of ultra lightweight tents – especially on extended or rugged trips - is that weight saving can mean sacrificing the robustness to cope with events; blogs by long-distance hikers with lightweight tents often dwell on rips, broken poles or the like. A drawback when compared to the simplicity of a bivy sack is that, if they can't be erected as designed, few tents offer much scope for improvising shelter from their components.
One-person tent vs bivy sack: function
A bivy sack is the most basic form of shelter, whether used as a simple throw-down-and-climb-in bed for the odd night, as a super-light option on extended trips, or a useful emergency back-up to have in your bag in case you face an unexpected night out. Bivy's are ideal for stealth camping; pick remote and hidden spots, lay down late and get up and move on early. When I have used campsites on long walks for showers and convenience I pack up the bivy sack and rest of the kit into my rucksack for the daylight hours and store it somewhere safe.
Tents at the ultralight end of the spectrum were originally aimed at adventure racers and those pushing extremes on long trips, but the benefits of new materials, design and technology has fed into the ultralight hiking category. You can spend a comfortable night in weather up the limit that the tent's designed for. Though, many experienced outdoorspeople take ultralight tents into climates and environments far beyond what they are designed for.
All tents should have enough room for the occupant to lie out comfortably and move in their sleep a bit, and to sit up and perform basic tasks. If there's not enough room, then you're back in hooped bivy sack territory. Other pluses for tents are they have a bit more privacy and security for kit if you end up in a campsite or a fairly public area.
One-person tent vs bivy sack: design
A design brief for a bivy sack should prioritize simplicity: a breathable, waterproof bag, big enough to allow your sleeping bag to loft and not feel restrictive, and long enough to get well down inside in bad weather is ideal. Added features usually detract from the functionality; if you find yourself looking at hoops and pegs and extra space, then you might want a tent.
I find zip closures claustrophobic; pull-over hoods with plenty of overlap over the mouth are better, especially if the hood is roomy enough to store and protect vulnerable gear from the wet. One bivy sack I've used, though heavy, does have a Velcro-sealed insect net across the hood and that has been useful.
The dimensions of a bivy sack are important, both in relation to your own size and to your needs; the more extreme the conditions you're likely to encounter the more comfort you'll gain from extra volume and length. Squeezing into a too-tight bag will compress the filling in your sleeping bag reducing its insulation, and it can be better to have an inflatable mat inside the bag rather than outside. Alpkit, for instance, do the Hunka in two sizes. I'm 5'11" and though I used their normal-sized one during a 750-mile walk around Japan, I would choose the XL in the future to have more room. Other manufacturers vary in their bag's dimensions and so need to be checked carefully against your own specifications.
Tents take more time to erect compared to throwing a bivy on the ground, but with practice, you can get your tent pitches to within a few minutes in most conditions. Nonetheless, some designs are easier to erect than others. A shape to deflect wind and allow rain to run off is important. And the smaller the footprint – including the space for guy ropes – the more improvised campsites you can use. Some tents save weight by assuming that you have one or two trekking poles to use for support; factor that in if you don't normally carry poles.
One-person tent vs bivy sack: features
The fewer the features on a bivvy bag the better in the opinion of most experienced users I've consulted, myself included. Mouth closures can be Velcro, zip, drawstring or in some cases a capacious overlapping hood. In most situations the only welcome extra feature can be an insect-proof mesh panel across the bag's mouth. However, a small pocket near the opening to put a flashlight or other items you need to find easily in the dark can also be useful.
Some bags are constructed with a sturdier, fully waterproof but non-breathable bottom and a breathable upper; this can make them more robust and help water resistance on wet or rough ground. A loop tag on the top edge of the bag's mouth can be used to tie it up to a tree branch and get more airflow.
Bivy sacks come in all colors; if you're primarily going to be using it for low-impact sleeping then green makes the most sense; if intended as a back-up or emergency shelter then a bright colour – red or orange – is better for rescue situations.
Keep your bivy bag simple and add versatility by carrying a light tarp or tarp-poncho as added shelter.
Tents are likely to be used for eating, reading and other non-sleeping activities, especially in bad weather and so can benefit from hooks to hold a flashlight overhead and kit pockets to keep essential items to hand.
Pitch a tent fly sheet first in rain or high winds. When shopping for gear, consider buying a tent with a design that allows you to take and pitch just the fly sheet without carrying the inner to save weight. Well-placed vents help alleviate condensation.
Inner tents should be made from finest mesh fabric and have zips to fully seal them against insects.
As with bivy bags, choose a color based on whether you want to be seen or would rather blend in. The latter creates less visual pollution and is good to consider when it comes to others' enjoyment of the outdoors.
One-person tent vs bivy sack: price
Ultimately, you'll spend less on a bivy sack and tarp system than on a tent and there's a price point that above which you don't get many extra benefits for extra dosh. If you haven't bivy camped before, consider buying one of the cheapest but still breathable bags (there are new and used military Gore-Tex bags on websites for around $40/£30). Most experienced bivy sack campers have worked their way up from the ubiquitous orange plastic bag via cheaper breathable bags to something top end.
On the other hand, quality in lightweight tents is usually cost-related. Understandably so, as there's greater complexity in the design and manufacture and more expensive materials. Do your research and then pay the price for the tent that suits your needs; a tent that gets used a lot, and stands up to that use, is a better investment than something that gets left in the back of the cupboard (or worse, dumped in landfill).
One-person tent vs bivy sack: pros and cons
The pluses of bivy bags are cheapness, simplicity, versatility, the ability to roll one out and sleep anywhere and light weight. They need a certain amount of know-how to use in bad weather or on long trips. Add in a tarp or a dual function poncho-tarp and you raise the functionality hugely, though you also up the weight penalty, as well as needing to learn new bushcraft skills. And in a bivy, you're really sleeping 'outside' – that's the feeling that most bivy sack campers count as one of their greatest attractions.
The cons of bivvy bags are their restricted dimensions – they really are just a covering for your bag. They can be claustrophobic when closed or sealed, and there's often some condensation, even with good breathable fabrics. They are challenging – or just plain depressing – if used day after day in poor or marginal weather. They can be hot and damp on warm nights, when breathability is compromised.
There is no room to do anything bar – maybe – read; my go-to entertainment when overnighting in a bivy sack has been a small MP3 player with podcasts, otherwise it's suspended animation. Getting in and out of the bivy sack in bad weather can easily soak your clothes and your sleeping bag, unless well managed.
Tents are a weatherproof and considerably more comfortable option if sited and pitched well, and offer enough roominess to at least sit up to read, eat and even change clothing in the dry. An insect proof inner tent can bring fabulous relief from mosquitoes and black fly in many locations, and you can keep most of your kit inside in the dry. A tent can form a base camp for day trips in and out.
On the downside, micro tents can only be pitched in one format and require reasonably flat ground and have a far larger footprint area compared to a bivy sack. They are still too small to cook in safely, and can be oppressively muggy in hot climates.
One-person tent vs bivy sack: comparison table
| Header Cell - Column 0 | One-person tent | Bivy sack |
|---|---|---|
Price | More expensive | Cheaper |
Convenience | A little more complicated to set up, heavier and bulkier to pack and carry | Easy set up, can be used most places, smaller and lighter to pack and carry |
Protection from the elements | Better protection | Some protection |
Versatility | More functional | Basic functionality, not intended for prolonged use |
Space | More space for your gear and to move around | Claustrophobic once zipped |
Verdict
If forced to choose, I would suggest going for the lightest, roomiest, simplest well-made bivy sack to maximize the advantages of light weight, versatility, simplicity and cost. Then, as mentioned, it's well worth also investing in a lightweight tarp-poncho to extend the comfort level.
If trying to choose a one-man tent that can compete against a bivy for convenience and weight you need tangible advantages: extra space, keeping out insects (a top reason in my view), good weather-beating design to keep you, your gear and especially your sleeping bag dry. The space to squeeze in another person if needed is another advantage over bivy sacks.
Both have their advantages, and disadvantages. If you've never tried lightweight camping, start with a bivy in unchallenging conditions – in terms of weather and terrain. You can do it cheaply and develop your skills and add to you kit if you enjoy it. For more than a night out in anything but good weather, I would always carry a tarp to enhance comfort.
You should always be able to get some kind of reasonable night's sleep with a bivy sack and basic bushcraft skills. It can be challenging, but you can get huge amounts of joy from completing the challenge. Bivys also make perfect lightweight backups for bothy trips or anywhere where your intended shelter might be locked, full or not where you thought it was on the map.
If you have a particular trip or kind of walking in mind, a proven lightweight one-man tent suited to the conditions you expect can be more comfortable, give you a better night's sleep, keep you warmer and allow you to eat, read, sit up and – importantly – dress and undress out of bad weather.
Ultimately, it's your adventure, and the decision is yours alone.
