Marmot Alpinist Bivy

Marmot Alpinist Bivy

Product Review

By Cricket Butler of TotalCyclist

The Marmot Alpinist bivy is a true minimal back country shelter weighing in at a mere 14oz.  This is a non-frill bivy – simple in design and function.  No matter your adventure, this dependable bivy is extremely compactable and takes up little room in your backpack, allowing your surroundings and activity to prevail.  Why be burdened with the extra weight of a shelter when all you need is basic protection from the wind, rain and cold?

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There are two key components to the success of the Alpinist Bivy.  The first is the 100% seam taped MemBrain® Strata™ fabric, which allows it to breathe completely, even while providing superior protection from the wind and rain.  This bivy can withstand the harshest of storms and keep you dry with minimal to zero condensation build-up. 


The MemBrain® Strata™ is Marmot’s own lightweight, waterproof and breathable technology.  The material requires no layering of fabrics or liners in the construction, making the MemBrain® Strata™ products the lightest and most waterproof on the market.

The second is the oversize bag design with the one zipper extending half the length of the bivy.  This allows the luxury of gear to be placed in the bag with you and protected from the weather as well.  The larger silhouette gives extra room for mobility within the bivy as well as increased ventilation by draping the oversize “hood” area, and leaving the zipper open yet protected from the elements.  The large storm flap over the zipper provides more than sufficient protection for extreme conditions blocking out wind, rain or snow. 


I am sure you are asking the same questions I did, can this fragile looking bivy really be durable and dependable protection for the extreme and frequent conditions I will put it through?  My first experience with the Alpinist Bivy was for a 30-day mountain bike race.  Since that race, the bivy has journeyed to multiple bikepacking trips, mountain bike self-supported races, and to the top of the highest mountain in the southern hemisphere, all where space and weight were crucial. 

I have had the same Marmot Alpinist Bivy now for over 3 years and it is still providing the same level of protection as the day it was new.  The only drawback I have found would be the absence of mosquito netting for those environments that warrant it.  I rigged mine with some netting and now I consider this the perfect minimalist shelter!


Bottom line - if you are in the outdoors to enjoy what you are doing and need a dependable shelter, then this is the bivy for you.  If you are in the outdoors to enjoy the wilderness time comfortably and chill around camp, then seek a tent.


Bivy Specifics:

•           Marmot MemBrain® Strata™ waterproof and breathable fabric
•           Fully Seam Taped
•           Highly Compressible
•     Storm Flap
•     Max Weight: 15 oz
•     Min Weight: 14 oz
•           Dimensions: 8x36x86 in / 20x91x218 cm
•           Packed Size: 6 x9 in / 15x23 cm
•          Tent Floor Material: 40d 100% Nylon Ripstop 3000mm W/R, F/R
•     Tent Canopy Material: MemBrain® Strata™ 100% Nylon Ripstop 2.2 oz/yd