*Bivy, 1994, Glacier Peak Kennedy Glacier*

I've been using bivy bags for 30 years, starting in the early 90s with a Feathered Friends Gore-Tex bivy. In fact, I might venture a guess that I have at least as many nights in a bivy bag as I do in a tent. Short bivys, long bivys, bivys when it's hot....tall bivys, breathable bivys, bivys when it's not. You get the gist, lots of nights in bivys. Just about all the climbs I did were in bivy bags, including one cold night on Mt. Rainier's Ingraham Glacier with no sleeping bag or pad; I tried to sleep in my down parka, on top of my backpack and boots, wearing mittens on my feet. I don't think I did (sleep, that is). But my trusty bivy kept the breezes at bay and enough heat inside to only be uncomfortable, not dangerous.

Now, everyone knows that condensation is a problem with bivy bags, or can be depending on the conditions. I've had good results with a custom Borah Gear bivy with an eVent top and cuben bottom. I have a smaller and lighter one made with lighter cuben and the latest iteration of cuben (now Dyneema Composite Fabrics) with eVent. These fall under the category of "weatherproof" and are a different animal than a bivy like the Recon. I've packed these for both backpacking trips with fair weather and emergency bags on longer hikes. As for "non-weatherproof" bivy bags I've used the first iteration of the ZPacks Splash and a Borah Gear cuben bivy, with the breathable top and mesh section over the head. That first design of the Splash was, well, terrible, with a fiddly netting section. I would venture even the updated version wasn't too popular, as of this writing I can't find it anywhere on the ZPacks website. The Borah is nice, especially for the price and weight. But I couldn't help but pick up a Recon when they first came out as the design looked well thought out and promising

*EE Recon on Glacier Peak orbit (with ZPacks Pocket Tarp and Poncho/Groundsheet*

EDIT: EE has discontinued the Recon (as of Mar 2021). Go to Enlightened Equipment for specs on the Recon and some nice photos. I had great results with it last year (2017) on a number of trips, most notably a circumnavigation of Glacier Peak and RIMROBOD. The central zipper makes it a cinch to enter and exit, and there is just enough solid material to help keep breezes at bay and add a little protection from spray. I can't attest to the efficacy of water prevention in foul weather (under a tarp) because I'm no fool, I packed the Recon when I had reasonably good weather forecasts for my trips. However, I can vouch for conditions where this bivy shines: good weather, open or under a tarp, where breathability is important and one wants protection from bugs and critters. Lots of room to put my (granted, smallish) pack inside (RIMROBOD), plus clothing, full pad and bag (Glacier Peak). I don't mind mesh touching my face so I never felt the need to use the cord to keep the area over the head suspended, but this is a nice touch were I to spend any amount of time in it under a tarp. On Glacier Peak I used a minimalist tarp on two nights to keep nighttime low flying clouds at bay, but the other two nights I just plopped down the bivy open air, once above 5,000' under a large fir, and once in deep woods just off the trail. The large mesh area makes condensation worry moot, unless it's dripping off something above you. I certainly had no moisture worries in my use, and I find that fully enclosed bivys like this alleviate any concerns I may have during the evening from blood sucking bugs or venomous snakes. You know, lots of both up here in the PNW. On another use I caught some zzzzs taking a break during a quad busting bike trip, laying out the bivy on some soft ground for a few hours of sleep. No critter incursions then, with the exception of my food. No place to hang so I put it on top of a stone wall by the road. Bad idea, and I didn't have a critter proof bag.

*EE Recon open bivy on Glacier Peak at sunrise*

After using so many bivys over the years, including a custom half bag made by ZPacks back when Joe would do custom work, I quite like this Recon. I like the design, the balance of well placed mesh and solid material, the extremely easy entry/exit through the center zip....this is perhaps one of the most important considerations when using a bivy, if anyone has struggled to get in and out of one that is a simple envelope with a zipper only across the top. Don't do it! Some online observations wished for a more robust floor, the Recon being 15D vice 20. This was not a consideration for me as I had a ZPacks cuben Poncho/Groundsheet for the Glacier Peak orbit and I had planned exactly where to rest on RIMROBOD. As with any tent or bivy, if one is planning on camping on difficult terrain then some sort of ground sheet may be in order anyway. My ZPacks Poncho/Groundsheet is 1.45 cuben (latest version now 1.0) so really bombproof. And you'll notice from my pix that I'm still using the ZPacks Pocket Tarp under favorable circumstances, like the GP orbit. This makes for a very versatile and light weight setup: 6 ozs Recon/4 Ozs Pocket Tarp/6 ozs poncho/ground sheet. If open air cowboy camping is your thing, as it is mine, then not being confined to a tent is especially appealing, yet still with protection from anything but rain. Plus, the price is right. I'll definitely be using the Recon in some of my upcoming trips in 2018 due to its versatility. Lastly, I gotta mention that I paid full price for this item and have no affiliation with Enlightened Equipment. It also means I'm completely unhindered in my views, with no obligation or subtle pressure that may come with sponsorship or freebies. And as always, consider your own usage and requirements before purchasing a piece of equipment based only on someone else's view. But in that light I hope my positive experiences with the Recon so far are helpful in one's search for information.

EDIT: Enlightened Equipment has discontinued producing this item

*EE Recon open bivy on Mt. Rainier bike trip*