Ive kept this on the back burner for like a year, I just kept putting off not wanting to deal with all that measuring required for the canopy.
But, I finally sat down and went to work making a pattern and measuring out those arches and Im very glad I did.
I worried a little it might be a tad small ( Im 5'11" 190 lbs) but happily its just right, considering its really a summer bivy and so only needs to hold a summer quilt. The netting starts at little over waist height- higher if I scoot down into the bivy more. I think one could easily shorten the zipper since a zipper that goes from one shoulder -over the head and stops at the waist is plenty. Because of all that zipper I thought it would weight more -but I was pleasantly surprised.
Final weight....7.5 oz!
Thats with a Momentum top, silnylon bottom, and nanoseeum canopy.
I think it will be pretty sweet this summer.

Very nice! From the pics you did a nice job!

Ya, its a simple matter of sewing, getting out the seam ripper and this time sewing it correctly! ;)

KUDOS! Very nice ... 7.5oz is not bad for some splash protection and full bug protection.

Well done, convinces me that I need to get the sewing machine out and just do it instead of thinking about it.

Brian,

Good job on the bivy. I do hope you enjoy using it!

I would like to note that we'll be going into production on the Meteor Bivy in the next few weeks. It's been requested frequently over the last few years so, I'm finally caving in and producing it.

The pattern is basically unchanged except for a few minor tweaks. I'll also be keeping the plans up on the internet so if anyone wants they can still make their own.

So anyone who wants a Meteor Bivy but doesn't want to sew, your wait will be pretty short.

Ron Moak
Six Moon Designs

Wow thanks Ron, It means a lot coming from you.
I'm glad to see it going into production.
I think its another win for Sixmoon Designs!

Brian,

Great job on the bivy, it looks like a professional job.


Ron,

That is great to hear that you will producing the meteor bivy. I've had the plans for about 2 years, but didn't really want to tackle it. The meteor looks like the perfect balance between function and weight for the kind of camping I do (mostly lean-to camping in the buggy Adirondacks). Based on the original post though, I'm a little concerned about it being big enough for my lofty -20 deg winter bag. Will you offer different sizes (maybe a summer and winter version) or will it be one size fits all?

Edited by OpenSpace on 02/22/2009 12:50:28 MST.

Todd,

I'm the same height as Brian with a few extra pounds. The bivy should work fine with your standard 20 degree bag. I'm not sure about a -20 degree bag. That's a lot of insulation.

It was designed to be larger than your typical bivy. With a wider floor and more top material. In general bivies are pretty closely cut to the size of sleeping bags. However, I wanted something that would be larger to make it easier to regulate temperature.

This is especially true in warmer temps where you're opening and closing your bag frequently through the night to get the right temperature balance. If the bivy is too small, it's dificult to push the sleeping bag aside when needed.

For colder temps a smaller bag is better, but then bugs and hot nights aren't an issue.

Ron

Edited by rmoak on 02/22/2009 14:15:55 MST.

Beautifully made. Looks like a real winner.

Ron said:
"I wanted something that would be larger to make it easier to regulate temperature. This is especially true in warmer temps where you're opening and closing your bag frequently through the night to get the right temperature balance. If the bivy is too small, it's dificult to push the sleeping bag aside when needed. "

I hear you there. Last summer I took a trip with a zipperless Early Winters Gore-Tex bivy that I hadn't used in 20 years and 30 pounds (I'm 180 pounds, 5'10"). I also had a big puffy North Face Blue Kazoo. On warm nights (around 50 degrees) I couldn't get away from the sleeping bag and ended up sleeping on top of the bivy instead.

Ron, is there a way to hoist the bug netting up in the gatewood with already existing tabs? If not could there be an option to add something to accommodate this setup? Is there even enough room to raise the netting?

http://www.kaisoku.org/mart_m/sleep/yubari.html

down 200g,biby,mesh=Yuubari

This one seemed pretty slick so I thought it would be nice to have it in semi-proper English.

Yukio Yamakawa's Post in English.