Are you single and available? Just kidding. Do you think a good bivy sack like one from Moonstone or Bibler and a tarp is a lighter and equally weatherproof summer backpacking alternative to a 1-2 person tent?

—Bob

Annie's Answer:

	Ask the Expert Annie Getchell Gear expert Annie Getchell believes the key to happiness is buying quality gear and treating it with tender loving care. Meet Annie Answer Archive Gear Forums

Well Bob, the answer to your first question depends on the size of your stock portfolio. The answer to your second question depends on your tent, and how much you like to suffer.

This is a tough call, since any combination of the shelters you mention will work adequately, though not always with the same comfort rating. Weight- and bulk-wise, the bivy-and-tarp combo will likely outshine the tent, but there are tradeoffs.

For instance, What planet do you travel on? Will you be bedding down with biting blackflies and soggy turf or smooth desert sandstone? If you're trekking through the first hatch of sandflies or marauding mosquitoes, you're fine until you stop. Then you truly need sanctuary from the cussed creatures, and that spells t-e-n-t. Same goes for rainy environs — when you're done with the weather, there's nothing like a portable cave. However, I am one big-time bivouac-sack backpacker. Bivy sacks, especially those with mosquito-netting hoods, allow incredible freedoms not convenient with a tent. Just last week I found myself tucked under some shrubs on a mini-plateau, watching the sideways stars pass over New Zealand. A tent — even my pocket-sized Moss Outland — would never have fit in that tight spot.

Bivy sacks are light and lightning fast to set up, which is a wonderful thing when you're traveling solo and trying to minimize weight and bother. Add a tarp and you have terrific wind and rain protection that's both low profile and adaptable.

Tarps are awesome and elegant, though they do require some ingenuity at times. I'll bet I've never rigged a tarp the same way twice! If you're in a place with few trees you may need to carry a collapsible pole — trekking poles or big boulders can serve nicely.