Bivvy bags
- Thread starter lancs lad
- Start date
I went hiking with just a bivy bag. Great for light weight / stealth etc, but when it is actually raining getting in and out of one without getting wet is troublesome. During an extended hike it rained continuously for two days so getting in and out got things a little damp with no way to dry it out. So I now use a tarp, also gives some admin space to just sit without getting wet.
I really like my ex-British Army Goretex bag; never lets water in, good price, and loads of room. But if you go for one try and see it first as it must be in good condition. There are loads out there with leaking seams etc. I got mine from M&G years ago.
I'll be honest though, I go along with mousey, if the weather is really atrocious I'll use a tarp because otherwise you'll have to get into your bag wet.
Cheers,
Broch
I'll be honest though, I go along with mousey, if the weather is really atrocious I'll use a tarp because otherwise you'll have to get into your bag wet.
Cheers,
Broch
Same as above. no need to get an expensive one I have tried rab and allpkit ones and actually prefer the British army type.its good practice too take a tarp along as well as the bag.it will keep out the water but your in for a biz nights kip if the heavens do open and your just hunkered down in the bag on its own.if you were in a true survival situation then Fine but not much fun.i just make a call on the night if it’s clear and the weather reports are good then sometimes I’ll skip the tarp
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From experience, I second mousey's analysis. An unprotected bivvy will end up wet inside. You can live with that, or you can use a tarp. Sometimes in Summer I use a micro tarp (this one from backpackinglight.co.uk), which is light and very quick to put up. But if it was really tipping, I'd want to use a full-size tarp.
I use an AlpKit Hunka and find it very waterproof.
I use an AlpKit Hunka and find it very waterproof.
I think a bivvy Bag should be viewed as an extra bit of insurance, as opposed to a complete solution. I’d sleep in just a bivvy if I knew that the forecast was guaranteed fine - any risk of anything other than clement weather would need a tarp.
I’ve slept under a basha without a bivvy before they were popular and been ok in heavy rain. Also slept in just a bivvy travelling light without a basha and been fine in heavy rain. Which I enjoy doing since reading the bivvy book many years ago. The only issue is if you want to change clothes you wait for the rain to stop
Well, it never hurts to take a tarp or small poncho for shelter as getting into a bivy bag can involve a fair bit of time consuming wriggling. The keyword however to look for with any bivy bag is 'Breathable', allowing the moisture to escape (breath,sweat, damp socks, wet boots if things are really bad).
The British Army Gortex bag IMHO is money well spent, sure you can get away with just a low pitched tarp and a bin-bag over the lower half of your sleeping bag when the weather is bad but it's nowhere near as cosy
I use a webtex basha (only decent bit of kit webtex do) the basha can clip to its self making it into a bivvy. Along with a DD tarp not much is getting through that. The bonus is I can also use it as another tarp.
Did you make your mind up on a bivvy?
I can recommend the british army surplus bivvy bags. Good stuff as said above.
I can also recommend a plash palatka or nva zeltbahn as a more versatile item that can be used as a bivvy. I slept out in my hammock last night -2° with light rain and snow with my feet poking out my (too small) tarp (plash) and it performed wonderfully as a bivvy (Nva zelt). I stayed dry and warm all night. They're cheap as chips too.
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I can recommend the british army surplus bivvy bags. Good stuff as said above.
I can also recommend a plash palatka or nva zeltbahn as a more versatile item that can be used as a bivvy. I slept out in my hammock last night -2° with light rain and snow with my feet poking out my (too small) tarp (plash) and it performed wonderfully as a bivvy (Nva zelt). I stayed dry and warm all night. They're cheap as chips too.
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The DD lite version is well worth making a bit of rucksack space for. I've tried a bivvy bag, and they're not for me, but I do rate that tarp.
