Bivy bags
Poles in the box on both sides — so which one publishes more of what it is made of?
Both of these carry their own poles, which puts them a long way from an emergency bag: they pitch as one-person shelters. The MFH publishes the higher water column and the only breathability figure of the pair; the GEERTOP publishes sealed and double-stitched seams, more headroom, and a weight it says covers the complete set.
| Compared on | Hooped Bivy with poles, 10,000 mm stated | Ultralight 1-person bivy shelter, PU 5000 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | A 3-layer laminate; the face fabric is not named | Not published — a PU-coated flysheet is described and the fabric itself is not named |
| Hydrostatic head | 10,000 mm water column | PU 5000 mm on the outer flysheet |
| Breathability figure | 3,000 mvp | Not published — ventilation is described through a mesh door and a top window, with no figure |
| Seam sealing | Not published | Fully sealed seams with double stitching |
| Pitched length | 235 cm, from a 235 × 70/95 × 45 cm pitched size | 215 cm, from a 215 × 75 cm footprint |
| Pitched height | 45 cm | 61 cm |
| Entry and closure | A side and head opening on a two-way zip, with an integrated mosquito net | A mesh door with a top window stated to increase airflow; the zip arrangement is not described |
| Packed size | 35 × 13 × 13 cm | 45 × 13 × 13 cm |
| Stated weight | Approx. 1.4 kg; the listing does not say whether poles and pegs are counted | Approx. 1.3 kg, stated for the complete set |
Each tick belongs to its own line and nothing more. The row of ticks is not a score: the two verdicts underneath settle the page, because these two answer different questions on the trail.
The MFH is the one for weather and for insects: 10,000 mm, a 3,000 mvp figure, an integrated mosquito net, six ground loops and mat loops sized for a mat up to 60 cm wide, in the smaller 35 × 13 × 13 cm pack. It never says whether its seams are sealed, which on a laminate is the joint that decides the rest.
The GEERTOP is the one to take if headroom and honest labelling matter more: 61 cm at the peak against 45 cm, fully sealed double-stitched seams, and a 1.3 kg that the maker states covers the complete set rather than the canopy alone. Its flysheet is PU 5000 mm and its fabric is never named, so half the construction stays unpublished.
A hoop lifts the fabric off your face, which changes both the condensation and how it feels to lie in one. It is also the reason these two weigh over a kilogramme where a poleless cover weighs a few hundred grammes, and the reason both publish a pitched height.
A stitched seam is a line of holes through a waterproof fabric, so an unsealed one leaks regardless of how high the fabric is rated. Only one of these two listings says what happens at its seams.
Hooped bivy · poles supplied · 3-layer laminate · 10,000 mm water column · 3,000 mvp · mosquito net · 1.4 kg and 35 × 13 × 13 cm packed, stated
The one hooped bivy here with poles in the box — it publishes a water column, a breathability number and six ground loops, and names no test for the number.
Best for: A one-person pitch where the head space of a hoop is wanted and a tent is not.
≈ 75 €
One-person bivy shelter · two aluminium poles · PU 5000 mm flysheet · sealed and double-stitched seams · 215 × 75 × 61 cm · 1.3 kg complete, stated
A poled one-person shelter sold as a bivy, publishing a flysheet water column, sealed seams and a complete-set weight — with no fabric named and no breathability figure.
Best for: A solo pitch where head room and a sealed floor matter more than packing small.
≈ 83 €
Prices in these summaries were read on the dates each review gives. The live figure sits beside every product.
