€8 Bivi bag....is it too good to be true?

[slammer187]

Hi guys,

I am new to the forum but I have a question!
http://store.irishmilitaryonline.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22&products_id=36

I saw this bivi on another forum and was wondering has anyone tried it.....I just want to find out before I consider buying it!

 

[Ruvio]

looks a bit thin and naff to me
welcome to the forum though

 

[slammer187]

Yeah thats what I thought but I heard from one person that it has worked well for them in the snow!So I'm still not sure....

 

[Limaed]

Welcome Slammer,

Think I would agree with Ruvio, looks like a cheap copy. If you want a bivi why not just go for a tried and tested one like the British Army issue one? Ed

 

[slammer187]

Yeah I think I'll just get a british army issue bivi bag!
Thanks for the welcomes guys!

 

[Shewie]

There's quite a few knocking about on ebay these days, they're described as waterproof but I'd still go for a goretex instead.

 

[IJ55]

MVP is the name for the 'gore wanna be', and its terrible for keeping you dry.

Not a bag I would stake my dry nights sleep on!

 

[BigM]

You get what you pay for. And when the seller doesn't even spell permeable correctly I'd say you can guess what it's going to be like.

 

[slammer187]

Thanks lads for all the help!

 

[Paulmc13]

You get your moneys worth... So it's not gonna be good.

 

[Peterlee_Paddler]

8 euros for a long camo bin liner ?
Minimum I would go for would be an http://www.alpkit.com/hunka/ if price was a factor, though I don't believe in skimping on sleep comfort so I'd go for a goretex bag. My opinion, fwiw. The price difference over the years it'll last becomes minimal but you gain more comfort from day 1.
Buy cheap and you buy twice. Usually.

 

[John Fenna]

MVP is the name for the 'gore wanna be', and its terrible for keeping you dry.

Not a bag I would stake my dry nights sleep on!

MVP merely stands for Moisture Vapour Permeable - a term which includes Goretex and cheesecloth!

 

[Shewie]

MVP merely stands for Moisture Vapour Permeable - a term which includes Goretex and cheesecloth!

A cheesecloth bivvy, now there's a thought.

Must have missed that one in your book John.

 

[slammer187]

Lol cheese cloth bivi bag!
I have been looking at the Alpkit Hunka bag but I was wondering does anyone have a link to a website where they have bought a Gore-tex bivi bag that is of good quality and at a fair price?

 

[rik_uk3]

For what it costs why not try it. If nothing else it will 'upgrade' your sleeping bag several degrees in the winter and so long as you are under shelter such as a tent or tarp you won't get soaking wet anyway (so long as the material does breath).

 

[Crafty]

I recommend that if you get a second-hand bivi bag, just give it a spray with Nikwax tx.direct. Unfortunatly, I had to learn this the hard way.

 

[Shewie]

For what it costs why not try it. If nothing else it will 'upgrade' your sleeping bag several degrees in the winter and so long as you are under shelter such as a tent or tarp you won't get soaking wet anyway (so long as the material does breath).

But a goretex bag would do the same and keep him dry, got to be worth the extra £10 don't you think Rik ?

 

[Joonsy]

i believe Brit army bivy bags are also MVP, a lot of people refer to them as goretex but if i understand correctly they are not, i raised this very issue in an earlier thread (''my genuine army issue GTX bivi bag leaks) and had a reply from forum member Leon-1 who told me that Brit army issue bivy bags are indeed MVP and not goretex, goretex is a brand name and my Brit army issue does not have the goretex logo but MVP even though it was sold to me as genuine goretex Brit army issue from Springfields army stores in Burton on Trent, seems to me a bit like calling all jeans levis when only levis are levis, if they are goretex then surely they would have the goretex label and not MVP as mine does, if anyone inspects their bag and finds a goretex label and not the MVP label then they obviously have the genuine article but mine is labelled MVP so it is not made using goretex at all, maybe age is a factor as mine is a few years old and maybe the newer ones are indeed made from goretex in which case if inspected they should surely have a goretex label not MVP. Regarding reply by Ruvio as looks a bit thin well personally i cannot detect it's thickness from a photo.

 

[Shewie]

Isn't MVP just a generic name for Gore-tex ?

Same technology and fabric but just a different name ?

 

[Joonsy]

Isn't MVP just a generic name for Gore-tex ?

Same technology and fabric but just a different name ?

Hi Shewie, i don't believe so, not all breathable material is goretex, goretex is just a brand name just as there are different types of jeans and anything else, it would not be correct to call asda jeans levi jeans for example, i was told the original first batch of breathable brit army bags were indeed made out of goretex then afterwards they sourced out cheaper supplies/manufacturers hence MVP not goretex, if anyone has a definitive answer it would be interesting, leon-1 gave a good reply last time, i have seen Brit army issue jackets with a goretex label but personally never bivvy bags, would be interesting if anyone could say if their genuine Brit army issue bivy bag was actually labelled as goretex not MVP.