WHEN IS A BELAY JACKET NOT A BELAY JACKET? WHEN IT’S A BIVY JACKET.
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THE DIFFERENCE? BELAY JACKETS ARE ANYTHING WARM YOU THROW ON AT A BELAY, WHILST BIVY JACKETS ARE WHAT YOU CARRY TO GET YOU THROUGH COLD NIGHTS WHERE YOU MIGHT, OR MIGHT NOT, SPEND TIME DUG IN ON A BIVY.
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THE ORIGINAL BELAY JACKET AROSE FROM THE FIXATION ON FAST & LIGHT CLIMBING OF THE 1980s WHERE OVERNIGHT ROUTES WERE BEING DONE IN SINGLE NON-STOP FORAYS WHERE THEY WERE THE ONLY SECURITY CARRIED. THE UNDERSTANDING WAS THEY WERE BOMBPROOF AND REPLACED ALL THE LOAD OF A TENT, SLEEPING BAG AND BIVY BAG.
WHERE THE BELAY JACKET OF TODAY IS SIMPLY A PUFFY LAYER INTENDED FOR AN HOUR OR TWO, THE BIVY JACKET IS MADE FOR SLEEPING IN, CLIMBING IN, DIGGING IN AND BELAYING IN, AND BY ITS NATURE IS ROBUST, OVERBUILT, WEATHERPROOF, SIMPLE AND PROTECTIVE. THE HOOD EASILY COVERS YOUR HELMETED HEAD, THE CUFFS PULL OVER YOUR HANDS AND THE COLLAR OVER YOUR FACE, IT CINCHES AROUND THE HIPS, AND IS A JACKET YOU CAN SINK DOWN INTO AS THE SPINDRIFT CASCADES DOWN. BY ITS NATURE THE BIVY JACKET IS SYNTHETIC, NOT JUST BECAUSE DOWN STILL ISNT QUITE THERE ON MOISTURE PROOFING, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS A JACKET MADE TO CLIMB IN AND CRAWL INTO CAVES, WHERE INEVITABLY SLASHING IT OPEN WON’T RELEASE A PLUME OF VITAL DOWN INTO THE WIND.
THIS SYNTHETIC ELEMENT MATTERS HUGELY, AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL PILLAR THAT TAKES THE RISK OF WET DOWN OFF THE TABLE. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THIS, AND THE DIRE BLOW OF FEELING YOUR DOWN WET OUT OR FINDING IT SOAKED AND TRANSPARENT IN YOU PACK. WET DOWN JUST ISN’T INEFFECTIVE, IT IS COUNTER-EFFECTIVE, WITH YOUR ONCE LOFTY JACKET BECOMING NO MORE THAN A WET LAYER OF PAPIER MACHE.
YOU WILL KNOW A BIVY JACKET WHEN YOU HAVE ONE ON, BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT FAR MORE THAN JUST BEING WARM, OFFERING PROTECTION ACROSS MULTIPLE ELEMENTS. A FAR CRY FROM THE FLIMSY ‘PACKABLE’ DOWN JACKETS THAT FIT IN A POCKET THAT ARE CARRIED TO BELAY IN ON HALF DAY ROUTES, BIVY JACKETS ARE BOX BAFFLED AND SHELLED WITH FABRIC THAT WILL GIVE SWIPES FROM ICE TOOLS AND ABRAISON FROM GRANITE A FAIR FIGHT. THEY HAVE CHUNKY ZIPS AND EXTENDED PULLS AND MINIMAL DETAILS TO GET CAUGHT, BROKEN, LOST OR FAIL.
BIVY JACKETS DON’T HAVE A CATACOMB OF POCKETS, AND WHAT THEY DO HAVE IS CLOSER TO BEING A SHELTER THAN CLOTHING, WITH LARGE STASH POCKETS TO HOLD A LOT OF GEAR AND PROBABLY GAS CANISTERS, FROZEN GLOVES AND FOOD AS IT REHYDRATES.
SERIOUS BELAY/BIVY JACKETS ARE UNCOMMON THESE DAYS, LIKE 120L PACKS HAVING BEEN LEFT BEHIND IN THE RUSH TO BE LIGHT & FAST THAT IN MOST CASES SIMPLY MEANS SHORT & EASY. A BIG BIVY JACKET THAT TAKES UP THE ENTIRE TOP OF A PACK FEELS RIDICULOUS FOR A FEW HOURS OF ICE CLIMBING, BUT WHEN THE ROUND TRIP IS MEASURED IN NIGHTS IT FEELS LIKE A CLOSE FRIEND. COMPANIES SELL FEW OF THEM AND THEY TAKE UP SHELF SPACE AND ARE EXPENSIVE, WITH THE BIG PUFFY THESE DAYS BEING MORE ASSOCIATED WITH SOCCER HOOLIGANS AND RAPPERS THAN CLIMBERS TRYING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT, THOUGH THE GOOD ONES OUT THERE HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE THE FIRST VERSIONS.
TODAYS SYNTHETIC INSULATION GETS EVER-CLOSER TO DOWN, WHILST ALSO UPPING THE SPECIFIC ADVANTAGES IT HAS. EVER LIGHTER AND SOFTER, IT IS ALSO EVER MORE WATER RESISTANT AND LOFTIER, AVOIDING THE OLD SIGNATURE OF THE SAGGY BELAY JACKET WHERE THE QUILTING STILL COULDN’T KEEP IT WELL LOFTED, MAKING THEM CLAMMY. THE OLD NO NO OF HAVING INSULATION SHELLED IS ALSO STARTING TO WANE, WITH THE LATEST SHELL FABRICS COMBINING LOW WEIGHT WITH GOOD PERMABILITY TO BETTER STAVE OFF DIRECT PRECIPITATION AND RESTING AGAINST SNOW.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM SLEEPING BAGS HAVE INFORMED JACKET DESIGN AS TO SHAPING, PROTECTING AND BAFFLING INSULATION, MAKING DESIGNS MORE LIKE A WEARABLE SHELTER THAN A NORMAL JACKET. THIS EXTENDS WHAT A BIVY CAN BE – FAR BEYOND STANDING AROUND TO BELAY – WITH A JACKET NOW COVERING HALF OF WHAT A SLEEPING BAG DOES, PLUS A LOT MORE AS A FORM OF MOBILE PROTECTION. COMBINED WITH A GOOD BASE AND MIDLAYER THE SYSTEM AVAILABLE TO THE DISCERNING AND DEMANDING CLIMBER IS AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE BETTER THAN IT WAS A DECADE AGO. WARMER, MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE ROBUST, HARSHER CONDITIONS CAN BE PUSHED INTO WITH MORE DYNAMIC STYLES OF CLIMBING.
THE MISSING LINK THOUGH IS STILL EQUIVALENT BIVY/BELAY PANTS, ONES MADE WITH THE SAME INTENT AS THE BEST JACKETS TO BE ROBUST, LIGHT, IDIOT-PROOF AND WARM, WITH THE RIGHT DETAILS TO BE TRUE BIVY PANTS SUCH AS HEFTY SIDE ZIPS AND SOLID WAIST BANDS. GET THAT RIGHT AND WE ARE LOOKING INTO A NEW REALM OF ASCENTS, ONCE AGAIN PUSHING INTO STRATEGIES THAT GET US EVER CLOSER TO THE HIGHEST IDEALS OF ALPINISM.
