Hi there folks... I am currently preparing for a long distance trek in the Pyrenees (the HRP) and I am considering purchasing and taking a bivvy bag and tarp as opposed to my terra nova laser tent.  The obvious reason being weight reduction.  I have looked at the Rab Survival and an MSR single tarp which weigh in at about 600g between them, I think!  My sleeping bag would be something like a ME helium or a Rab Quantum.. haven;t decided on that either.

What I want to know is has anyone used this combination in the Pyrenees?  Or has anyone used them for multiple day treks either in Britain or abraod?  Did they last the pace, were they comfortable and did they keep you warm and dry enough?  I would be using it most nights for potentially 60 days...

Any thoughts or comments greatly appreciated.

Personally I would take a tent every time; a 600g penalty vs comfort. Each to their own.

Coincidentally I am thinking of doing the HRP this summer myself

Summer is the only time. It is the Pyrenees ...might need crampons and axe if early...(800g).

Do I get you right Dave....a tarp and bivvy and a tent or a tent....both = madness and redundancy ??

Take a tent, a Big Agnes would be great in summer, and save the extra weight elsewhere.

I'd say a tent without doubt. You hope for hot sunny weather in the Pyrenees and often it is, but on my last 3 trips I've spent extended periods (up to 24 hours on occasion) trapped in my tent by serious thunderstorms - the rain was torrential and it wasn't warm either. I reckon spending that time under a tarp would have been misery.

Take a tent - and simply sleep out under the stars if you get settled weather.... 

www.outdoorwarehouse.co.uk

Andrew, take a look at the above, they have 50% off go-lite tarps and tents.

I've been using a Big Agnes bivvy to good effect. Roomy, light, functional a great bit of kit.

But I wouldn't to spend too many consecutive nights in it or indeed hide from pish weather for too long.

My Terra Nova Laserlite would be my first choice for most things.

Last summer's weather covered the whole range. In August people were helicoptered out from near Bielsa during massive floods. September was bloody hot and a tent was a comfort but not really that necessary. The upside of the rain was it meant there were more springs than usual so another factor to factor in is how much water you'll be carrying.

When the sun is out, it is bloody strong and you get through loads. I was carrying three liters and found myself sucking the last drops out of the tube, but then I felt I was loaded like a packhorse and wished I'd taken less stuff. If it gets really grotty there's any amount of refuges and I wonder whether the people doing walks in from carparks would stay away if the weekend weather forecast looked really vile.

I am going in summer... hopefully June. There is something that could prevent me making an attempt this year and that is my brother's court case.. it may come in the middle of July which would not give me enough time either side... anyway!  I have started a blog site if anyone is interested.. http://pyreneanhauterouteexpedition.blogspot.com/.

What are your plans Ed, and your thoughts about the HRP this year?

I just think that for thi sonce-in-a-lifetime trek I could put up with the bivvy option and gain comfort by staying in a hut maybe once or twice a week.  Having only ever used a bivvy in the Outback of Australia, which i snothing like the mountains, I have no idea how it would work in the Pyrenees..

Cheers for the advice eevryone else..

For those hwo have done some stuff in the Pyrenees what do the temperatures get down to at night in the summer?

Fair enough, it looks a great bit of kit, but I found it a bit restrictive at 6' 2". Maybe I'm a bit broader though....

 Rumour has it Alpkit are launching a larger version over the next couple of months which I would certainly be interested in! 

Andrew Spink wrote (see)

For those hwo have done some stuff in the Pyrenees what do the temperatures get down to at night in the summer?

It depends on the height you are at and whether you are in a frost pocket. In June there is lying snow on the passes. It can freeze. The difference in how it feels after the sun goes down can be quite brusque.

Last year snow fell above the 2500 contour in August. So it's safe to say snow could happen at pretty much any time of the year. In two weeks in September I only had frost inside my tent flysheet once - in Candanchú - but I think this was quite localised - other people who'd camped that night less than a day's walk away hadn't seen any frost.

I've created a seperate thread for anyone who wants to do the HRP this summer so we can share ideas / advice in one place, since it seems like there are quite a few of us here who're looking into it

Pyrenean Haute Route 2008

In reply to Andrew: I definitely think a light tent is the way forward, since the amount of extra comfort you get out of it justifies the extra 500ish grams. Like other's have said I think on a very rainy / windy day you might get a little uncomfortable under a tarp. I would definitely use a bivi / tarp combo myself, but not for a trek that will take at least 42 days if you follow Ton Joosten's guidebook on a day-to-day basis.