MotorcycleJazz

MSR E-Bivy Emergency Shelter

by Martin Hackworth

Photos: Martin Hackworth

There are two types of adventure motorcyclists: hard corps and others. Others either ride with enough gear to supply an army or employ a chase vehicle to make sure that everything works out. Hard corps riders, otoh, are perfectly content to sleep under their bike in helmet and boots wrapped in a space blanket when the vagaries of adventure travel place a speed bump in the middle of the pilgrimage.

Experiential research has led us to rank motorcycles we've slept under in the following order: 1) CRF450X - excellent heat radiating qualities make for a comfy night, and it's light enough not to kill you if if falls over, 2) YZ250F - ditto, but the engine cools down much more quickly, 3) CBR1100XX - scares even large, very hungry bears, 4) XR650R - high ground clearance and long wheelbase keep chain oil off your space blanket while you toss and turn and fluff your sagebrush pillow, but you're a goner if it falls over on you, 5) Ducati S2R1000 - oozes dreams of beautiful women, 6) CBR954RR - no ground clearance and cold - like sleeping with a picture of a supermodel, 7) TDM850 - you'll dream of large women, 8) XR600R - you'll dream of large and unattractive women, 9) CB5504K - you'll chew off your arm.

Hard corps riders have something in common with our brethren in the mountaineering community - aside from wild emotional swings between boredom and extreme mental and physical agitation - unplanned overnighters. From the climbing world comes a gem of a solution to a night on the ground - the MSR (mountain safety research) E - Bivy. The E-bivy weighs a scant 9 oz and comes factory stuffed into a parcel the size of a 12 oz soda pop can. The top is silicon-coated and taped ripstop nylon and the floor is polyurethane coated, waterproof, heavy-duty ripstop nylon. Once deployed I doubt that you'll ever get the bag back into it's factory stuffsack but it'll easily fit into one slightly bigger.

The E-Bivy is small enough, light enough, and inexpensive enough (less than a single night in many motels) that it almost seems a no-brainer. It will easily fit in most of the many pockets of an OGIO Flight Vest or in any of the many common bags for off road motorcycles. This is another don't-leave-home-without-it type of item. It will keep you much warmer than a space blanket (especially in the wind) and will even keep you dry in light rain. We highly recommend this item.

MSR E-Bivy

Price Paid: $79.95 - Backcountry.com

The Good: Survival in a pinch
The Rad: About the size and utility of a Rockstar, but without bathroom breaks
The Gnarly: Good luck ever getting it back in its stuff sack

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