>>775793>>775798>>775801>>775811Back from my trip. I was trekking on the "Lahnwandersteig" in germany. Pic related is my setup.
The tarp is a "DD superlight tarp" (2.9m x 3.0m). The bivy bag is a "Outdoor Research Molecule Bivy".
As I've said, this is my first time using this setup and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
In the past I've been using a tarp-tent. I had several problems with that. The biggest problem is arriving at a campsite when it's raining. Not being able to cook and having to lay inside the tent for several hours, before you can even think of sleeping, just ruins the experience for me. With the tarp I can actually cook and I have enough space to sit or to pack my bag.
The next big advantage of a tarp is being closer to nature. In a tent I always feel closer to being inside than being outside. With a tarp I'm outside 100% of the time.
Tarps seems very versatile. You can create a shelter for several people to sit or sleep under. You can build something close to a tent and I think there might even be good setups for stormy weather. Using a tarp is a craft though and you'll have to put in some time to use it effectively.
The bivy bag is mainly for bug protection. But it also protects from wet campgrounds and provides some more insulation. If you're sure about the weather you can ditch the tarp and just use the bivy bag.
You can't see it in the picture, but the bivy has a seperate mosquito net. I almost exclusively used just the net and never fully closed the bivy.
On another note: I can't see how someone would think a bivy is claustrophobic. A normal sleeping bag seems more claustrophobic to me.
Even though this setup is heavier than my tarptent I really like it. This will probably become my standard setup. The tarp-tent I'll use in really hot weather (more like a mosquito-tent).
