Paria Breeze Mesh Bug Bivy Review

The Paria Breeze Mesh Bivy is an affordable and spacious single person bug bivy for use under a tarp or by itself in dry weather.  Bug bivies are more spacious than bivy sacks with floors and sidewalls to keep rain from splashing back under your tarp. They’re far more livable with enough room to change your clothes, read, and even sit up inside. Bug bivies are different from “net-tents” which are designed for use with shaped tarps like pyramids, cones, and dual-peaked tarp shelters. While you can use a bug bivy like the Paria Breeze under a shaped tarp, net-tents aren’t really designed for use under an A-frame style tarp.

Specs at a Glance

• Size: 84″ length x 33″ width at head, tapering down to a 31″ width at feet
• Peak Height at Head: 25″
• Bivy-Only Weight: 13 ounces
• Total Weight: 16 ounces (includes lines, stakes, and stuff sacks)
• Packed Size: 9″ x 3″
• Capacity: 1 person
• Fabric, canopy: 20D no-see-um fine mesh
• Fabric, floor: 30 Denier ripstop silnylon has a silicon/PU dual-coating and fully taped seams, providing 5,000 mm of hydro-static resistance
• Doors: single 3/4 length zipper entry on the ridgeline
• Accessories: two lengths of 1.5 mm reflective Dyneema guy line, six 7075 aluminum alloy Y-stakes with Dyneema pull cords
• Stuff Sacks: two rip-stop nylon stuff sacks (one for accessories, one for the whole kit)

The Paria Breeze Mesh Bivy has a bathtub floor that is 9 inches deep along the sides with solid ends to provide protection from rain and wind. The bivy’s upper is constructed of a 20D no-see-um mesh while the lower portion is a bathtub floor constructed from 30 Denier ripstop silnylon with a dual polyurethane coating and fully taped seams. The PU coated silnylon has a hydrostatic head of 5,000 mm making it over 3 times more waterproof than a Big Agnes tent, with a bottom coating that is tough enough to pitch without a footprint.

The Breeze is 84″ long and 33″ inches wide at the head, tapering to 31″ wide at the foot, providing plenty of room for tall people or wide sleeping pads. With a peak height of 25″, the bivy is best used for lying down, rather than sitting up, but there’s still enough room inside to relax, read, or change your clothing without feeling overly claustrophobic like you’re in a bivy sack.

Entry is through the top ridgeline, which works well under an A-frame tarp as well as shaped tarp shelters, like pyramids. Line locks at the head and foot end can be hung from a tarp or tied to trekking poles, and easily lowered to provide more clearance for getting in and out of the bivy. The top entry is also a benefit when the bug bivy is used in a lean-to because you can get in and out without disturbing your neighbors if they’re lined up on the floor like sardines.

One of the reasons I like the Breeze Mesh Bivy set-up is how it packs down.  It easily folds down to almost flat and takes up very little space in my backpack. When I add my tarp, stakes, and some extra cordage, my entire tarp shelter system only takes up two liters of space (think two Nalgene bottles) and weighs well under 2 pounds. That’s enlightenment!

At 13 oz, the Para Breeze Mesh Bivy isn’t the lightest weight bug bivy available today, but it is inexpensive, and a good option if you prefer a more durable and spacious bug bivy shelter to complement a tarp shelter system.

Comparable Bug Bivies

Recommendation

The Paria Outdoors Breeze Mesh Bivy is a bug bivy that works well when combined with a lightweight tarp or by itself in dry weather.  Many people prefer using a bug bivy instead of a bivy sack because it has a larger interior and is less claustrophobic. Made of 20D no-see-um mesh and a 30D PU coated and seam-taped bathtub floor, the Breeze Mesh bivy is easy to set up and takes up very little space in a pack.  Affordably priced, this bivy is a great choice in place of a one-person tent, especially during the summer months when temperatures rise and mosquitoes are on the warpath.

Disclosure: Paria Outdoors donated a bivy for this review.