NOT ALL BIVY BAGS ARE THE SAME, AND OF ALL THAT’S OUT THERE VERY FEW ARE REALLY MADE FOR ALPINE USE. AS SINGLE SKIN TENTS HAVE BECOME LIGHTER AND MORE REFINED THE DEMAND AND NICHE FILLED BY ALPINE BIVY BAGS HAS DIMINISHED, LEAVING A HOLE IN THE MARKET HARDLY RECOGNIZED LET ALONE CATERED TO.
BIVY BAGS NOW ARE PRETTY UNFASHIONABLE, EITHER FOR THE UL CROWD WHERE THEY ARE FESTOONED WITH POLES AND MESH TO DO BASICALLY WHAT AN ALPINE TENT DOES BETTER AT ALMOST THE SAME WEIGHT, OR THEY ARE EMERGENCY ITEMS OFTEN CARRIED IN RACES OR INTENDED FOR SINGLE NIGHT USE. LITTLE MORE THAN GLORIFIED SLEEPING BAG COVERS THEY EITHER FOR SHORT TERM SURVIVAL, OR TO BE USED WITH SOME OTHER ELEMENT OF SHELTER LIKE A TARP.
THE OTHER FACTOR IS THAT THE SORT OF ROUTES RELIANT ON BIVYS ARE SELDOM CLIMBED THESE DAYS, AS THINGS BECOME FASTER, IDEAS ABOUT GOING NONSTOP EVOLVING, AND MULTIDAY HIGH ALTITUDE ROUTES BEING DONE WITH DIFFERENT STRATEGIES. WHERE ONCE IT WAS EXPECTED YOU WOULD HUNKER DOWN WITH YOUR 11mm ROPES, 20 POINT CRAMPONS, FIBREGLASS HELMET, AND GASOLINE STOVE UNDER THE LIGHT OF AN INCANDESCENT TORCH, WE NOW JUST KEEP CLIPPING OUR 8mm ROPES TO OUR DYNEEMA AND CARBON FIBRE GEAR AND KEEP GOING WITH LEDS TO LIGHT OUR WAY.
BUT, AS THE WHEELS KEEP TURNING ROUTES KEEP EVOLVING, AND THE IDEAS OF THE ALPS AND ALASKA KEEP INFORMING THE SERIOUS STUFF HAPPENING IN THE BIG RANGES, AND THE TIME FOR SERIOUS BIVYS IS COMING BACK ROUND, ALL BE IT UPDATED. FAR FROM THE SAFARI STYLE 8000m STUFF, 7000m ROUTES THAT ONCE MIGHT HAVE TAKEN EPIC WEEKS ARE NOW HAPPENING IN A FEW DAYS, AND A NEW ERA OF BIVYING IS ARRIVING AND SAMAYA OS CATERING TO IT.
.
AT FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS WE DON’T THINK THAT GEAR LEADS THE CLIMBING, BUT WE SURE AS HELL BELIEVE IT SUPPORTS IT. REPLACING CLIMBERS ABILITY WITH GEAR IS ANATHEMA TO US, BUT COMPLIMENTING SO THOSE ABILITIES CAN BE PUSHED FURTHER IS SOMETHING WE PROMOTE, AND COMPANIES LIKE SAMAYA ARE OUR ALLIES. NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IN THIS DAY AND AGE WOULD BRING OUT A NEW SORT OF BIVY BAG, UNLESS THEY HAD A VERY INSIGHTFUL AND CONFIDENT ANGLE ON ALPINE CLIMBING. EVEN LESS WOULD THEY PRODUCE IT IN MATERIALS FEW HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE, COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT IT WOULD THEN COST MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE WOULD SPENT ON A TENT.
BUT, LIKE MOST OF WHAT SAMAYA DOES, THEY HAVE FOUND A SPECIFIC NEED AND ADDRESSED IT AT 110%, AND FOR THE HANDFUL WHO RECOGNIZE THIS A PIECE OF THE JIGSAW FALLS INTO PLACE. IN THIS SPACE THE SAVINGS IN WEIGHT AND THE INCREASES IN PEFORMANCE ARE WORTH THE PRICE, AS IS THE SUPPORTING OF A NICHE INDUSTRY WHERE WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
.
WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A BIVY BAG THAT WORKS AS A TRUE SHELTER, MADE FOR USE ON HIGH ROUTES WHERE OTHER OPTIONS DON’T CUT IT. THIS IS A BIVY BAG MADE FOR COLD, EXPOSED ENVIRONMENTS, WHERE YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE SITTING ON A LEDGE OR SQUEEZED INTO A SNOW HOLE, THAN RECLINING COMFORTABLY WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
THE NANO BIVY IS CUT LARGE, TO FIT A TRIPLE SLEEPING BAG SYSTEM OR -40c INSIDE, PLUS MAYBE YOUR MAT, BOOTS AND STOVE AS WELL. LIKE THE BETTER BIVY BAGS OF OLD IT IS DESIGNED WITH A LARGE COWL, AND CAN CINCH ENTIRELY CLOSED FOR TIMES THINGS HIT THAT EXTREME DEMAND.
ENTRY IS VIA THE LARGE OPENING, PLUS AN UPPER ZIP WHERE THE WHOLE THING CAN BE OPENED AWAY. THE HOOD HAS A LOT OF VOLUME AND WILL WORK EVEN FOR VERY TALL CLIMBERS SITTING UPRIGHT, AND WORK WELL AS A PLACE TO STASH CLOTHING YOU WANT IN WITH YOU DURING THE NIGHT.
.
THE NANO BIVY IS FIRMLY PART OF SAMAYAS ULTRA RANGE, OF PRODUCTS MADE WITH NO QUARTER GIVEN TO COMPROMISE OR BLING, AND WHICH INCLUDES THE ASSAUT2 ULTRA AND ULTRA 35 PACK, BOTH THINGS WE USE CONSTANTLY ON ALMOST EVERY TRIP WE DO. THIS MEANS IT IS PART OF THEIR VANGUARD DEVELOPMENT WITH CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS, THAT INCLUDES NEW LAMINATES AND WAYS OF JOINING THEM.
THE NANO BIVYS BREATHABLE TOP IS A PROPRIETRY MEMBRANE/FACING LAMINATE UNLIKE ANYTHING WE’VE SEEN ELSEWHERE, SOMETHING THEY CALL 2 LAYER NANOVENT. A LIGHTER VERSION OF THE 3 LAYER NANOVENT USED IN THEIR ALPINE AND 8K TENTS, THIS STUFF FEELS FAR NICER THAN THE USUAL EVENT LAMINATES GETTING AROUND.
THE REST OF THE NANO IS A 33gsm DYNEEMA LIKE USED IN THEIR OTHER TENTS, MEANING IT IS COMPLETELY IMPERVIOUS. THE NANOVENT TOP SEEMS TO BREATHE WELL ENOUGH FOR COLD ALPINE CONDITIONS (WHERE NO BIVY BAG IS PERFECT), AND HAS BEEN TRADED FOR A BAG MADE TO GO DIRECTLY ONTO SNOW AND ROCK. THIS DYNEEMA EXTENDS WELL UP ONTO THE SIDES OF THE BAG, MEANING SNOW CAN COLLECT AROUND IT AND BE BLOWN FROM ANY ANGLE, INCLUDING TURNING YOUR BACK TO THE PREVAILING SPINDRIFT WITH NO FEAR OF IT GETTING THROUGH.
CONSTRUCTION WISE THE NANO IS EFFECTIVELY TRULY SEAMLESS, BEING BONDED AND SEALED WITH TAPE AND TECH THAT MAKES THE SEAMS THE STRONGEST PARTS. WITH A LEVEL OF CRAFTSMANSHIP UNSURPASSED IN ANY GEAR WE’VE EVER SEEN, THIS IS A BIVY BAG MADE AT A GREATER LEVEL OF QUALITY THAT ANY JACKET, GLOVE OF PAIR OF BOOTS. THE NANO CAN CONFIDENTLY BE TIED OFF TO PREVENT CATASTROPHE, WITH NO FEAR IT WILL RIP OPEN AND FAIL SHOULD THINGS GO VERY WRONG.
COMBINED, THE NANO BIVY BREATHES WELL, BUT MAKES NO CLAIMS TO BE ENOUGH FOR ANYWHERE OTHER THAN COLD ALPINE ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE THINKING THIS WILL BE A GOOD CHOICE FOR ANYWHERE WARM ENOUGH TO HAVE BUGS WILL FIND IT DOESN’T BREATH THAT WELL. YES YOU COULD LAY IN A PUDDLE, BUT OUTSIDE THE COLD WHERE CONDENSATION WILL JUST FREEZE, IT WOULD BE A HUMID EXPERIENCE BETTER DEALT WITH IN OTHER WAYS (BUG NET AND A TARP).
.
THE NANO BIVY IS NOT PERFECT THOUGH, AND HOPEFULLY ITERATIONS OF THE FUTURE WILL RESOLVE THESE THINGS, SUCH AS THE ZIP BEING A DOUBLE SLIDER SO IT CAN BE VENTED AND CLIPPED INTO BETTER, THE ZIP PULL ITSELF BEING DOUBLE SIDED, THE SUPERFLUOUS VELCO BEING LEFT OFF AND THE CINCH CORD BEING FREE-FLOATING AND PLACED TO THE SIDE NOT ABOVE.
THESE THINGS ARE MOSTLY DETAILS, BUT THEY ALL PERTAIN TO THE EXECUTIVE USE OF THE BAG WHEN IT MATTERS MOST, SO REFINING THEM WORKS AT THE SHARP END TO MAKE AN IMPRESSIVE BAG UNSURPASSED.
.
AND LIGHT! FOR FULL ALPINE PROTECTION IT WEIGHS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THOSE EMERGENCY TYVEK BIVYS OFTEN SEEN, DESPITE BEING FAR MORE FEATURED, VOLUMINOUS, AND ROBUST. FOR COMPARATIVE DURABILITY AND FEATURES IT WEIGHS ABOUT HALF WHAT A GORETEX BIVY BAG WEIGHS, AND LESS THAN A THIRD OF SOME OF THE POLED AND COWLED BIVYS OUT THERE.
ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH OUR RAP WILL KNOW WE DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT WEIGHT, BUT IN THIS CASE IT IS BOTH SO ASTOUNDING AND CENTRAL TO THE MATTER IT MAKES IT INTO THE REVIEW. BEING SO LIGHT IT TAKES THE BIVY BAG IDEA FROM BEING ESOTERIC OR EMERGENCY ONLY, AND MEANS A TRUE SHELTER CAN BE TAKEN WITH YOU ON THE MOST LEAN OF ASCENTS. COMBINED WITH A CARBON FIBER SHOVEL ON ROUTES WITH ENOUGH SNOW, A DEGREE OF SHELTER FOR UNDER 1KG FOR TWO CLIMBERS EXISTS, THAT STARTS CHANGING THE EQUATION OF WHAT HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING CAN BE.