belgian army bivy

[spiritwalker]

ok i picked up a belgian army bivy from the bushcraft show to replace my tight fitting sweaty condom type one from gelert. Its been stored since 1988 and well to be frank smells that way too so whats the best way to give it a wash?

i was thinking about slapping it in the washing machine with nic wax

any offers on getting this baby smelling good and still serviceable ?

and whilst i am on i picked up a wool army blanket which also smells like it needs a wash any advice on these other than a wool wash setting?

cheers in advance

 

[ged]

I think I'd avoid the machine for both. A good soak in soft water with some bicarb will probably do quite a lot for the bivi, and there's some stuff that my wife calls "wool mix" that does wonders for, er, wool.

The wool mix is basically soap flakes and meths but I'm not sure of the quantities and she's in France at the moment so I can't ask her until tomorrow. I'm sure your favourite search engine will find it no trouble. When a friend of mine took the rear springs off an old lorry while he was wearing one of my woolly jumpers I thought it was The End for the jumper when I saw it. The wool mix did an unbelievable job. The friendship was never quite the same though.

 

[spiritwalker]

great ill do some digging..

i thought the nic wax may have made the bivy more waterproof

 

[Samon]

ok i picked up a belgian army bivy from the bushcraft show to replace my tight fitting sweaty condom type one from gelert.

haha!

what's it like in size/shape compared to the british bivi?

 

[ged]

great ill do some digging..

Here's one I found but I don't know if it's the same as SWMBO uses:

http://www.fgb.com.au/information/wool-wash-recipe

i thought the nic wax may have made the bivy more waterproof

Oh, yes, it probably will, although I don't know how it behaves on MVP fabrics e.g. Goretex in case your bivvy is made of something like that. But I'm just concerned that the washing machine might be a bit rough on it.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Just to say this is how i clean mine, washing machine on a quick wash cycle with tech wash then again with txdirect, then a low heat tumble dry, to set the chemicals, only if it's really crudded/had something spilt on it or hasn't been washed for a couple of years.

 

[northumbrian]

ive always washed my army wool blankey on the cold wool mark wash no spinning.and then line dried em , never had any probs with it.

 

[Retired Member southey]

ive always washed my army wool blankey on the cold wool mark wash no spinning.and then line dried em , never had any probs with it.

Yay, is that a bivi blankey? rtq

 

[Samon]

give it a good srubbing with a mildly soaped rag? that way the machine won't damage it.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Also that some soaps can damage the suface treatment of mvp fabrics.

 

[Samon]

Also that some soaps can damage the suface treatment of mvp fabrics.

ooh.. is there not an easy way to clean them then?

 

[northumbrian]

Yay, is that a bivi blankey? rtq

its my special blanky it keeps me warm in winter.lol

 

[spiritwalker]

heres the first pic i could find of one without digging me camera
http://www.gisurplus.co.uk/shop/pro...bivi-bag-mk2/bc42acf8168004d48460a51ac70766bd

i think i am going to try the nic wax on it as it smells really musty and i do want it to be water repellent for ground dwelling. Interestingly its more like a bed roll than a modern bivy.
i am weighing up the possibility of stitching a foam roll and piece of ground sheet to the base and sewing in my wool blanket to make a complete bed roll

 

[Badger74]

I've just got 2 of the MKI versions for use as sleeping bag covers rather than pure in all weathers bivi bags for the very occasional use by my kids for under a tarp. Very pleased. I'm just going to bung mine on a wool wash and air dry and then re wash with the approprate nikwax.

 

[spiritwalker]

so are the tops not waterproof then?

 

[treadlightly]

Regarding the wool blanket, washing on the wool cycle with a wool-safe liquid like Ecover do should be OK. (Chocolate Fish recommend the wool cycle of modern machines for their stuff). If you're worried then do it by hand, probably a large bucket is best or the bath, lukewarm water and some ecover of similar liquid for delicate fabrics.