Alpkit Bivy Bag - Any Good?

[Rebel]

I'm looking to buy a waterproof breathable bivy bag for my son's survival camp.

I've looked at many bags and many prices. I can't afford the expensive stuff so however good it is I won't be buying it.

I've narrowed it down, so far, to four bags:

Alpkit Hunka £30 http://www.alpkit.com/hunka/
A bargain price and shipping is included.

Rab Survival Zone £40.00 + £3.95 shipping http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rab-Surviva...sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1232909057&sr=1-3
£40.00 + £3.95 shipping http://www.fieldandtrek.com/Products/FT/PID-Rab+Survival+Zone+Bivi-783009.aspx

Snugpak £48.99 + £3.50 shipping http://shop.packyourbags.com/acatalog/Bivvy_Bag.html?utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=organic

UK Army Issue Gore-tex - Various prices, usually around £45-50 (I want unissued grade 1) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GORTEX-BIVI-BAG-army-scouts-cadets-camping-para-sas-acf_W0QQitemZ280299613451QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Collectables_Militaria_LE?hash=item280299613451&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

This is the cheapest I found £33.50 + £3.99 shipping.

I'm sure plenty of you have some thoughts and I might get more opinions than I bargained for but shoot away.

 

[swyn]

Hi Rebel.

I started my son with a 58 pat british army sleeping bag and a similar bivvi bag aged ten.
Nearly four years on. He has nearly grown out of the 58 pat bag but the bivvi bag remains. He will have moved up to my old Alpkit bag this summer in time for his D of E bronze trip.

The plain bivvi is slightly smaller than the DPM type & it is also slightly cheaper.

The 58 pat bag is at the specialist dry cleaners as I write. I was told by someone, whose opinion I respect, that this rejuvenated his 58 pat to a very good loft. I will wait and see!

He was very happy in the old set up, it was simple and although bulky never gave problems. Now he is more experienced he can move on.
This system is really only a three season set up but he was always warm in his little pit!

Food for thought eh? I hope this helps.

Swyn.

Oh, all this was resting on a small self inflating air mat. S

 

[Rebel]

Thanks. Sleeping bags are no problem, we have quite a few. My son will also be going on to do his D of E so I'm expecting that he will want to use this bivy bag a few times and I'll probably want to borrow it too.

I just noticed there's another recent Bivy thread.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37515

But I guess mine is slightly different.

I did look at the bag mentioned in the other thread; Rab Storm too £47.00 + £5.00 shipping at this site:

http://www.towerridge.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=189

Maybe it's worth considering too but it's at the upper end of my spending limit.

 

[alpha_centaur]

I've only heard good reviews about the alpkit, but heres a couple of reviews from elswhere on the forum:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37515&highlight=alpkit+hunka

and

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36108&highlight=alpkit+hunka

 

[saddle_tramp]

I cant speak for the others, but ive used one of the uk issue ones for years, and never had a problem with it. I always tend to use them upside down, tucking the hood right over my head and underneath whatever im using as a pillow. as bbs go tho, thier not exactly light

keep an eye on ebay too, I noticed this went pretty cheap earlier for an all but new bag, and i reckon for a new one, youd probably add a zero to the price

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=330301714205&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014

Natty shade of purple too

 

[Rebel]

Thanks for the replies and it is a good coincidence that somebody has just posted a review of the Alpkit Hunka.

It sounds like it might be a good choice. The fact that it's small and light might be a plus, both my son and I are skinny so a narrowish bag isn't a problem for us.

I'll give it a few more days thought as some of the other choices I listed are tempting as well.

 

[shep]

I use the hunka and love it. I'm not small and find it snug, but comfortable and very light.

Being comfortable in a small bag depends on whether you need to roll a lot at night and whether you roll inside your bag, or roll over whole kit and kaboodle

 

[bigmul]

I bought two Hunkas, for me and my son (11). I've used the issues bivi bags too when I used to play in cabbage clothes, and whilst they are bigger, they are certainly heavier!

I rate the Alpkit stuff highly.

 

[tenderfoot]

This is what i use with no complaints. It is the "weather tec outer" part of the "khyam variable sleeping system" essentially a "russian doll" type system of different weight sleeping bags you combine for difffering conditions.
try looking here:-

http://walkhigh.co.uk/acatalog/Sleeping_Bags_and_Liners.html

I use the outer bivvy which is compact/waterproof and breathable. with my existing non system sleeping bags. On its own it costs less than 25 quid! bargain!

 

[Enzo]

I've already recommended the Hunka in the other thread,
But would just like to add that I also have the Reg Airic,

The Hunka has it's own stuff pocket which when stuffed fits nicely on top of the Airic in it's stuff sack.

 

[bigmul]

I have the slim airic and Hunka but not used them toether yet. Do you use your airic inside the bivi bag or underneath?

 

[Enzo]

I put my airic under my bag

 

[Melonfish]

Hunka looks fantastic!
what an awesome bag, think i'll be ordering one shortly in "pale Kelp" or what everyone else calls OD.
no shipping using their standard features btw so its just £30. bargain or what?

 

[sirex]

just as an aside, i emailed alpkit about the hunka this very day, and they said a larger XL version of it will be hitting the market in about a month,

. something to bear in mind if your over 6 foot, or large