Ultralight alpine bivys—what tricks do you use?

Alpine bivy gear—the fine balance between being comfortable and being ultralight.

I'm wondering what tips/tricks/techniques people are using for cold weather bivys up high to save maximum weight and still stay just warm enough to send. Two person sleeping bags? Bivy sacks vs. UL tents? Tarps? Curling up in a ball and trying not to cry? How are y'all adjusting these systems from route to route? What'ya got?

I've pretty much stopped using my bivy since getting the mh dirykt2. It's foot print isn't much bigger and works really well on ledges and at 2lbs it's just slightly heavier except you sleep much better/warmer have more space and have room for 2 if you need it. Other then that if you can afford the time boiling water and keeping it in your water bottle in your bag over night always makes life better

Synthetic belay pants alongside a belay parka can take the place of a heavier sleeping bag for less space

I took a cheap REI 45deg synthetic bag and cut the zippers off and stitched the sides with a few patches of velcro. This way you can bring one bag and do the man-cudle(or female;) or snap it together for yourself, the bottom of the bag can stay open so you can still wear your boots/liners. This and a jet boil and the Brooks Range Guide Tarp or a BD First Light.

Taylor-B. wrote:I took a cheap REI 45deg synthetic bag and cut the zippers off and stitched the sides with a few patches of velcro. This way you can bring one bag and do the man-cudle(or female;) or snap it together for yourself, the bottom of the bag can stay open so you can still wear your boots/liners. This and a jet boil and the Brooks Range Guide Tarp or a BD First Light.

Ha ha, good company is key!
I use to have the same style of velcro bivy-sack made from a salvaged army surplus parachute, I think it was Russin military issue? If you find a army suplus parachute down in the Springs I've got a Singer sewing machine. That's a lot of nylon!

youtube.com/watch?v=hhwhkwE…

Bivy sacks suck when it's cold. Just spent a week in a tripod bivy with snow and temps hovering around zero. All the sweat and breath condensate on the inside and just end up all over you and melting. I'd do it for a night but no more. With the weight and packability of most alpine tents like the Direkt2 or tarps they're a much better choice.

Definitely boil water. It's so good! Use jackets, gloves, pants, etc to help with warmth.