Mine weighs 6oz w/out the shock cord and clips. I always carry a polycro groundsheet (1.25 oz) to keep things dry underneath me as well as protect whatever is on top of it from wear over time.

I currently have a neoair short and just ordered a a GG Nightlight Sleeping Pad (Torso length) and Thinlight Insulation Pad 1/8th in pad. I am thinking I could cut it out and have the pads keep the shape of the bug net...heck, I could cut off the stake out points on the bug bivy as well. From the MLD website:

"Stake loops at each corner. -Most users will not feel the need to stake it out- sleep pads, gear and sleep quilt/bag hold it down just fine."

I have two options...

- Lose the polycro ground sheet and just use the silnylon floor as a water barrier. I've never done this. I know polycro works, but worried about water seeping through the silnylon.

- Cut out the silnylon floor (leave some of it to keep some form and sealing). But not sure how I would finish it around the edges.

Thoughts? Thx.

Stop the madness!!!! : )

It's ok to carry 7 oz for a bivy and groundsheet.

....and it's getting worse. Something is getting dropped here. hehe.

For a guy who cuts out the pockets in his pants: drop the polycryo and get a Blackrock down hat and lose 2.25oz. (lol) :P

Have you set up the bivy out back and hosed down the grass? Try it at home without the polycro...

EDIT: if you cut out the floor, then you just have netting on top? Why not lose the whole thing and carry a bit of loose netting to drape on top? You could wear a bug net over your head and treat your clothes with Permethrin, too.

Edited by AaronMB on 09/04/2011 10:20:42 MDT.

Good point on testing, will do that first and see.

From the MLD website:
• Length: 6'10" floor length to to fit up to 6'4"

• Floor Width Of Head End: 34"

• Floor Width Of Foot End : 30"

Would cutting 80% of that floor out weigh less than the polycro (which is decently larger than the silnylon foot print)? Provided the Silnylon is "waterproof," that's the question.

And if it's about equal in weight and waterproofness, I could leave the polycro behind and just let the silnylon wear out over time at the expense of dry real estate (since the polycro sheet is bigger) and then cut it out for the polycro.

I have tried the netting alone. With no shape to it I found I wrapped myself up in it and did not sleep well during the night as I moved around (I also only had one tie off point, that didn't help). Just a head net would be ok for my head, but in the hot summer I like to kick out my legs from the quilt to regulate when I am too hot and muggy...then of course the mosquitoes would get to me.

Drop the polycro. Unneeded.

Square for square, I'd assume the polycryo is a bit lighter.

But, if that bivy floor tested mostly water proof/resistant (don't forget site selection!), I'd probably opt to keep the bivy intact and leave the polycryo at home and save the fiddle factor. With the system intact all you'd have to do is select your site, clear the sharps, and throw down your bivy; it would be a little too much for me to have to line up netting with a separate floor, to make sure the bug seal is right (otherwise, what's the point?). With the bivy intact, you could also throw that leg out to vent and not at all worry about the bug seal between net and polycryo.

Alternatively, you could just trim down the polycryo to match the bivy's foot print, shed a few grams, and still have confidence in your complete system.

All very wise Aaron.

Always good to vet things out here vs. my GF sitting in the same room as me. For some reason she doesn't care quite as much as you guys do. ;p

I have a Bear Paw Cub Den 1.5 with perimeter netting around the sides, but not the floor. It does well to keep the bugs away 99% of the time. I agree keeping the floor with the bug bivy is easiest (provided it is "waterproof") but I think I could go lighter with cutting it out and trimming the polycro groundsheet.

(I am moving to two person tarp and bug bivy, or no bug bivy at all when not needed)

As we all go on our journeys to go lighter, I find it either takes a) more $, b) more fiddle factor or c) both. :p

I'm with Aaron too! Keep the bivy intact and lose the ground cloth. Never understood the view of bivy PLUS ground cloth - two items doing one job!

Then for Christmas, have the GF get you an MLD bivy with cuben floor!!!!

I've never had a bivy, just ground clothes. Only reasons to carry both would of been a) silnylon leaks at a certain point and/or b) protect the bug bivy since polycro is replaceable.

Since the floor of the bivy is not load bearing like a tarp, I may even try to put cuben in there myself some day. :o