bivy bags/tents

I like the look of the Outdoor Research Highland bivy they sell at Bivouac . I like the fact that the zips are so far off the ground other bivy bags seem to have zips that lay straight on the ground like Macpacs new bivy bag, I just dont get this ? Has anyone here got an outdoor research highland bivy ? They are a good price, very lightweight, seem roomy for a bivy, I wonder how they stand up to a good downpour .

I have been in a few epics, so am very conscious of survival gear. On day trips I don't have my tent so if I'm thinking of going over the tops I take a 2-person bivy bag in case my partner or I get injured and we have to survive until we self-rescue or get rescued, up there in the howling wind where a bag is better than a fly or other sheet (foil etc). Two people stuck up on the tops a double width bag are much more able to keep warm (and just as importantly keep up the will to live) than in indivdual bags. At first I made a cheap 2-person bag from a surprisingly light tarpaulin of the blue woven plastic type material you get from hardware stores. Most of that stuff is too heavy, but I found a light one and the bag (about 1.5m wide and 2.1 metres long) weighs 580g. Bulky. It would have a condensation problem but it would keep the wind out, a bit like a collapsed tent, which I have experience of surviving in for a week in the snow. This one cost approx $20. I also have a deluxe 2-person bivy bag that I bought, because I wanted a lighter more compact one. It is an Ortovox Gemini Double. 440g. 1.46 x 2.15m. Very small packed size. Can be used in sitting up position with heads poking out the 'closed' end, because there is a port-hole there (think giant poncho). Reflective lining. Designed for surviving accidents in the snow, until rescue comes. Probably not that breathable. Expensive.

I too have grabbed the warehouse one and with my tarp I think I have a winning combo, cheap light and dry.

bivy bags with hoops to keep the fabric off your face is best. without it, when it rains or blows in cold weather you get cold clammy nylon in your face...

Now, that is a good point and I wished I had considered it before I bought mine. Its more the sense of claustrophobia I don't like. I may have to put my superb engineering skills to use(cough,cough)and make up some sort of hoop. The bivy bag may actually even survive the process.

Are there bivvy bags available with hoops?

the highland does, it has a shock corded pole. thats whats holding the material up in the photo

half the price in the states, use a mail forwarding company like shipito.com $8 to join can ship using usps for not much, or couriers http://www.gearbuyer.com/site/search.html?q=Outdoor+Research+Highland+Bivy