Eastern Sierra Bivy-ing

Hi alls,
Assuming that we're not all dead by then, I am hoping to persevere with my plans to climb a bunch of 14ers this year.  I was wondering, for those who have done it before, what kind of equipment you'd want on a late-Spring/Summer bivvy in the Eastern Sierras. I have a bivy sack already.  Is that about all you really need?  Or is light sleeping bag normal to take as well? It seems that trip reports often include people who end up having to bivvy, but they often don't mention what they took with them.
In the military, we used to say that bivouac was a French word for, "the lieutenant fucked up."

I've done a few of the Sierra 14'ers and wouldn't choose to go without the basics: sleeping bag and pad, stove, food, shelter, etc. I think going light is one thing; leaving bare necessities behind is asking for trouble.

Are you trying to go car-to-car in a day for some of them? If so, and you have the fitness, you could get by on less.

I'm pretty fit.  
I should have added in more details to my OP.
Since most Eastside 14ers tend to involve about 7k of gain from the car, my preferred way of doing things is to take a tent and everything else up about 3k or 4k the first day. Then I camp overnight, which gives me some acclimation time.  The next day I tag the peak and split.  But this summer I'm planning on taking some more time, and will be in a position to do multiple summits from a single basecamp.  

As an example.  The Pallisade traverse is a goal for this summer.  But given everything I've read, a bivy is a good possibility while doing it.  I also don't want to be schlepping a ton of gear around up there if I can avoid it.  But if I were caught out over night I'd want at least enough warmth where I could get some sleep.  Obviously weather is a gigantic factor in this, so the answer to this might be a bit broad.  I was maybe foolishly hoping for an easy answer like, "bivy sack, ground pad, space blanket, sleep in clothes."
Or maybe that is the answer?

Small tarp and pad, space blanket, full shell, down coat, food.

I have used for decades a Bibler Bivy Sac, lightweight ground tarp,  ensolite pad, and a down sleeping bag chosen according to temperatures. A good night of sleep makes for a much more enjoyable adventure.

Remember the old saying “if you take bivy gear, you will bivy”. Nowadays you can find summer weight bags that weigh a little more than a pound. I prefer an inflatable mattress since they pack smaller, though some packs have removable pads that will work, but barely.  Don’t forget that you’ll need to bring water or be able to find and melt it, which means a stove and a pot too.  All of that makes for a heavier pack, especially if you’re soloing moderate terrain, which leads us back to that old saying.  Personally, if I can’t complete an objective with one spartan bivy then I find another objective.  

Zach Anatta wrote: I'm pretty fit.  
I should have added in more details to my OP.
Since most Eastside 14ers tend to involve about 7k of gain from the car, my preferred way of doing things is to take a tent and everything else up about 3k or 4k the first day. Then I camp overnight, which gives me some acclimation time.  The next day I tag the peak and split.  But this summer I'm planning on taking some more time, and will be in a position to do multiple summits from a single basecamp.  

As an example.  The Pallisade traverse is a goal for this summer.  But given everything I've read, a bivy is a good possibility while doing it.  I also don't want to be schlepping a ton of gear around up there if I can avoid it.  But if I were caught out over night I'd want at least enough warmth where I could get some sleep.  Obviously weather is a gigantic factor in this, so the answer to this might be a bit broad.  I was maybe foolishly hoping for an easy answer like, "bivy sack, ground pad, space blanket, sleep in clothes."
Or maybe that is the answer?

If your pretty fit why not just crank out 7k in a day? If your already bringing a bivy sack why not just bring a light sleeping bag that weighs less than a pound and sleep in your down jacket? There are a million options...

Sounds like you should just go backpacking and then bag the peak the next day and then head back down to your backpack, you'll be more comfortable.

As someone who has completed the Thunderbolt-Sill traverse in a blistering time of 23 hours camp to camp.

I can assure you there is no need to bivy if you keep moving.

Just make sure you bring your best partner for the big stuff!

I've been leaving the sleeping bag at home. My set-up; Bibler bivy, sol emergency bivy sack, puffy pants, puffy jacket, R3 balaclava, maybe down booties if it's really cold. Wear your climbing clothes under puffy layer. I've used this setup mid winter in the Eastern Sierra as well. Closed cell foam for 3-season. Add a air mattress if there's going to be snow on the ground. Drink hot liquids if you're having trouble staying warm. 

Also, maybe you've noticed this already, but summer Sierra weather tends to be very predictable.

If you get a bluebird day on your approach, you can feel pretty good about going light and fast the next day.

If it's partly cloudy and drizzles a bit on the approach day, chances are next day will be t-storms.

These cycles seem to last a few days each i.e. 3-4 days of splitter weather followed by few days of stormyish weather. And if unlike meself you want to jump in the 21st century and actually look at the forecast you'll be doing even better. Although I think it's a blast trying to "feel" / read the weather yourself.

Thing to consider on your bivy setup if you know you'll be hanging out for more than a few nights:

• precipitation (arguably you shouldn't be peak bagging if there's a reasonable chance of precip) and relative humidity
• mosquitos
• your personal tolerance for cold nights/suffering

I personally think a bivy is miserable with humid conditions or bugs, and would prefer to have a sleeping bag if I know I will be bivying at altitude b/c I will be cold.  You'll want something at least to insulate yourself from the ground.  One option if you're concerned about weight is a 3/4 pad. For multi-day traverses I've cut down a closed cell foam pad to head+torso length/width.  Depending on your income situation, you might look into one of the newer ultralight tents and bags. The tents don't weigh much more than some of the bivy sacs.  There's a decent used market in those tents as well (which I suspect will increase as thru-hikers reconsider this year's trips). I always carry an emergency mylar blanket, rain jacket, and down jacket for alpine "day" trips, which is enough to survive a shiver bivy that time of year in the Sierra.

If you sleep cold read the following, otherwise skip...

I've never done the Palisade traverse but have done all the California 14ers. I sleep cold and have spent at least a few very uncomfortable nights above 12K ft in my 30 degree Marmot bag, even in the Spring and Summer (e.g. Iceberg Lake, Muir Pass). For our last trip to Iceberg Lake (for Mithril, July 4th) I brought my 10 degree bag and my Big Agnes Fly Creek Platinum tent and slept like a baby (a nice warm somewhat altitude deprived baby), despite my water bottle and a big chunk of the lake freezing overnight. I'm not saying a 10 degree bag is appropriate for the Palisade traverse, I'm just saying that for some of us it can get really cold up there.