
Bivy Hammock first impression review
Posted by Claire Walters on Nov 30, 2012 in Gear Reviews, Hammocks & Accessories | 0 commentsThe Molly Mac gear Bivy Hammock first impression review by Ellis M. Delahoy
The article below was submitted to OutdoorTrailGear by a customer who recently purchased the Bivy Hammock made by Molly Mac Gear. Thank you Ellis! We look forward to a field report!
While trying to lighten my pack load for the coming year, I learned that my hammock with my alterations weighed 1 lb. 6 oz. Add to that an 8 oz. bug net for a total of 1 lb. 14 oz Almost 2 lbs! As much as I like my DIY hammock, it was a bit too much. So I went searching the Internet for an alternative. What I found was the Molly Mac Gear Bivy Hammock. It weighs less than a pound and is so multipurpose as to be the Swiss Army knife of hammocks.
I ordered the MMG Bivy Hammock on the Saturday following Thanksgiving and fully expected that it would be slightly delayed due to holiday confusion following that holiday. Yet, on Monday I received notice that it had shipped and on Wednesday, it arrived. I immediately put it on the scale and the entire hammock weighed in at 15.9 oz. A full pound lighter than my DIY set up with bug net.
MY Bivy Hammock is Kelly Green and arrived in its stuff sack approximately 11″ x 7″ x 4″. A shock cord is looped at the stuff sack to keep the package enclosed. The overall size of the bivy hammock is 11 feet by 60″. The top layer with the no-see-um panel is double stitched to the bottom sheet of 1.1 oz. ripstop nylon and the end channel is triple stitched. The side openings on mine are 50″ in length. The no-see-um panel is 18″ high and goes the width of the bivy. A piece of shock cord is attached by grosgrain loop to the top of the no-see-um panel to tie off to the included structural ridgeline, holding the top sheet off your face. Personally, I think a mitten hook secured to the shock cord would be a practical alteration for this. Only because I know what it like trying to untie shock cord when your fingers are cold and numb.
The suspension for the Bivy Hammock is already included and attached to the channels by some thin Zing-It line. This allows you to return the “dog bone” back into the channel if you decide to go to the ground and use the Bivy Hammock as just a bivy. This makes the transition from ground bivy to hammock bivy a matter of seconds. The website states that the dog bone is 18″ in length, however mine measured in at 12″. This is not a complaint as I prefer to have my channel attachments around that length.
The included structural ridge line that came with my Bivy Hammock measured 106″. While 83% of 11 feet is 109″, I have a 11 foot hammock and 106″ turned out ideal for a structural ridge line. I am quite anxious to hang this one up and see how it works. At present, I am facing a Western NY cold spell and they are cutting. I am hoping for a one day warm-up to the 40+ degrees range and if it happens, I will hang this hammock up and tell you how it works out.
Regards,
Ellis M. Delahoy