Jerven Bag
- Thread starter johnnytheboy
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I've got and exclusive version [I got 2nd hand from here] with the light weight lining. I then bought the heavier weight lining. It works brilliantly with a hammock as an enclosing pod. I've used it a couple of times as a poncho over me and a bag, bit of a faff to use as a poncho - but then if find all ponchos are - it doesn't flap around as much as a poncho though as you can zip it enclosed more. I've not used it as a bivvi but then I'm more into hammocks ATM.
If you've got the money go for it [I didn't really have the money, but occasionally I think bugger it I'm treating myself
plus I've got kids that I can pass it on to if it stands up well enough...]
They have actually popped up fairly occasionally on here, over the last couple of years there have been at least three IIRC.
If you've got the money go for it [I didn't really have the money, but occasionally I think bugger it I'm treating myself
plus I've got kids that I can pass it on to if it stands up well enough...]They have actually popped up fairly occasionally on here, over the last couple of years there have been at least three IIRC.
It's usually a good sign when a product is difficult to find for sale secondhand, like the Jerven bag.
I'm very happy with mine, and I even got it with a 50% discount just because it's snow/winter camo instead of mountain or woodland camo.
I have yet to meet someone that doesn't love their Jerven!
I'm very happy with mine, and I even got it with a 50% discount just because it's snow/winter camo instead of mountain or woodland camo.
I have yet to meet someone that doesn't love their Jerven!
It just looks so heavy, at least for hiking when you'd be carrying it around a lot, rather than using it as a hide or something similar. But I still keep wondering if I shouldn't get one and if so which one. Oh and the mountain pattern is amazing!
I do have the dog version and I must say it's been great. It's really well-made and works very well, keeping the dogs snug, warm and out of the wind. Condensation does build up (purposefully made like that) so you need to let it vent some how. I also got the primaloft insert for the bag, but haven't had to use it yet.
I do have the dog version and I must say it's been great. It's really well-made and works very well, keeping the dogs snug, warm and out of the wind. Condensation does build up (purposefully made like that) so you need to let it vent some how. I also got the primaloft insert for the bag, but haven't had to use it yet.
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I have the Jervenbag Exclusive too. It lives in my daysack. It's used regularly for lunch stops, either to sit on or under (with GF), or in if solo. Also used to doze in after lunch, if the need takes me. It's used as poncho for showery days. (If persistent rain is expected I tend to take my cag as well as, as a previous post suggests, as a poncho it is a bit of a faff, particularly in strong winds.) It's also been used to shelter a casualty I came across in the Black Mountains (Brecon Beacons National Park, UK) for a couple of hours whilst waiting for the Air Ambulance. The Jerven-supplied orange flag with the bag was also used to assist the helicopter in finding us. I have both the different-weight liners which are used as extra sleeping bags, liners, covers, whatever for my indoor and outdoor needs.
Quite expensive? Yes. But I value mine highly.
Quite expensive? Yes. But I value mine highly.
Would a Jerven bag Extreme+ wool blanket be a viable option as a winter sleeping system? We are talking about -15C and more.
Yes, the Norwegian army expects soldiers to survive in unpleasant conditions with these. Hard wearing, but can be damaged by naked flame, hot exhaustpipes and stoves. Condensation can be a problem, but they provide good shelter, the downside is the price. Cheaper makes may be adequete, but there is a reason Jerven won the military contract. Personally I got a good deal on a Hel-Sport Fjellduk Pro, same same but different, and it has functioned well when I was in bad situation. You don't get a good nights sleep crouching between two rocks above the tree-line, but you will see the dawn. That's a win!
I used an early model Jerven as a tarp long ago, and rain came through the sentral zip in a steady drip - right into a pan. I am told this problem is solved.
Conclusion: Top quality product, and if you have to use it in a bad situation it's worth every penny.
Peter from Oslo
Everytime the jerven bag comes up on here someone mentions the arktis version........they always seem to be out of stock though
I'm with saraR. They seem really cool and a dandy item when you need it but heavy. When you are used to down filled quilts and ultralight tarps a jerven bag is hard to like from a weight point of view
I'm with saraR. They seem really cool and a dandy item when you need it but heavy. When you are used to down filled quilts and ultralight tarps a jerven bag is hard to like from a weight point of view
I have had my eyes on these for a long-long time. They are expensive as hell for my wallet, but if it can replace my sleeping bag, be a poncho and a tarp-shelter all in one package, then I would say it is pretty much a perfect piece of kit for my needs.
I do agree that they are heavy, but I tend to carry as little as possible these days, so having a luxurious and heavy item should not be a problem, specially in the winter time when travelling on skis + sled is possible.
If they are roomy enough, one could bent some branches and make a sort of a frame inside (to get the fabric off from yourself), allow some airflow and maybe that will help with the condensation?
I do agree that they are heavy, but I tend to carry as little as possible these days, so having a luxurious and heavy item should not be a problem, specially in the winter time when travelling on skis + sled is possible.
If they are roomy enough, one could bent some branches and make a sort of a frame inside (to get the fabric off from yourself), allow some airflow and maybe that will help with the condensation?
Seems some French online stores have stock, and given they're in French camo patterns I guess that makes sort of sense.
I've got a JervenBag Original. I thought the cost was going to be very hard to justify. After years of use, it is worth every penny. The weight of it isn't very much to be a bother to me. I've used it for everything it's supposed to be used for, a tarp, a hunting hide, a sleeping bag.... I carry it everywhere when out in the wilds and on short walks as something to sit on during lunch. It can be thrown up in a number of ways for a single man shelter, my favorite being the 'hunters hide' type, as it covers above, below and to both sides while being open to the fire. The jerven original is unlined. During the winter I tie in a US Army poncho liner, which basically is a poor man's version of the 60g lined version. This keeps me plenty warm even down about -4 (laying on a roll mat), although you do have to curl up. I have also added loops of paracord to every eyelet and also keep four pegs and a bungee in the bag. It's bombproof. I've never cleaned it. It now has the smell of woodsmoke and I always smile when I open it..... I suppose there are many versions on the market and all do the same thing. But what sells it for me is that it is NATO issued. (Mine has the NATO stock number sewn in) and every norwegian I've spoken to swear by it.
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Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
Yes, but do the Norwegians swear by it because it is made in Norway , everybody has one and they don't know the other newer options?
Do Norwegians use it in the mountains and tundra, and british people are interested in it too, because in some parts of Britain 'bushcraft' means surching the whole week end for a bush or tree?
Or do you use Fjellduk and Jerven bag in the forest?
@windbreaker , a couple of years ago I was in the hunting shop between the Domkirke and the military surplus shop in the Storgata and I looked at all this ponchotarpsleepingbagbivvibagwintercoat models. I didn't understand anything and left the shop totally confused without asking a question to the guys who run the shop.
Later I read that the fabrik is 100% water and air tight. Is that trough?
The rest of the Nato now a days uses Goretex bivvy bags with good reasons!
I slept may be 100 nights or more in the not breathing old olive green german army rubberised poncho, which I used many years ago as a bivvy bag if I had no cotton tent sheet with me to use it as shelter or bivvy bag. Always my sleeping bag inside became very very whet, even if I closed the poncho in the middle of the night when it started to rain.
Of course that wasn't rain which entered the poncho, my skills had been very complete in this time. It was condensation water, that is absolutely sure! I got it in every temperature, and it didn't matter if it rained or not.
Did I close the poncho from a ground sheet to a bivvy bag, the sleeping bag became whet after 4 to 6 hours sleeping in it.
Every german boy Scout knew in this time: Avoid to sleep in the poncho as bivvy bag if somehow possible! And everybody couldn't avoid it always and everybody became whet from condensation water.
Please explain me: Where are the technical relevant differences between the standard Nato ponchos of the eighties you get every corner for 20 € at one side and the Helsport Fjellduk and Jerven bag at the other side!
Is the Jerven Bag a large and camo printed US rubber Poncho from 1970 with a zipper, poncho liner and attachable sleeves?
I really wish to understand it, since I have seen this shop in Oslo which was filled with that equipment from the floor to the ceiling!
In this time you could get next door in the surplus shop in Storgata the British Army Gore-Tex bivvy bag in good conditions for may be 40,- € !!!
I guess you know the shop. It looked like a Jerven bag shop, only Jerven bags everywhere!
And this in such a relatively small town like Oslo. Do Jerven bags make people somehow addicted???
;0)
Do Norwegians use it in the mountains and tundra, and british people are interested in it too, because in some parts of Britain 'bushcraft' means surching the whole week end for a bush or tree?
Or do you use Fjellduk and Jerven bag in the forest?
@windbreaker , a couple of years ago I was in the hunting shop between the Domkirke and the military surplus shop in the Storgata and I looked at all this ponchotarpsleepingbagbivvibagwintercoat models. I didn't understand anything and left the shop totally confused without asking a question to the guys who run the shop.
Later I read that the fabrik is 100% water and air tight. Is that trough?
The rest of the Nato now a days uses Goretex bivvy bags with good reasons!
I slept may be 100 nights or more in the not breathing old olive green german army rubberised poncho, which I used many years ago as a bivvy bag if I had no cotton tent sheet with me to use it as shelter or bivvy bag. Always my sleeping bag inside became very very whet, even if I closed the poncho in the middle of the night when it started to rain.
Of course that wasn't rain which entered the poncho, my skills had been very complete in this time. It was condensation water, that is absolutely sure! I got it in every temperature, and it didn't matter if it rained or not.
Did I close the poncho from a ground sheet to a bivvy bag, the sleeping bag became whet after 4 to 6 hours sleeping in it.
Every german boy Scout knew in this time: Avoid to sleep in the poncho as bivvy bag if somehow possible! And everybody couldn't avoid it always and everybody became whet from condensation water.
Please explain me: Where are the technical relevant differences between the standard Nato ponchos of the eighties you get every corner for 20 € at one side and the Helsport Fjellduk and Jerven bag at the other side!
Is the Jerven Bag a large and camo printed US rubber Poncho from 1970 with a zipper, poncho liner and attachable sleeves?
I really wish to understand it, since I have seen this shop in Oslo which was filled with that equipment from the floor to the ceiling!
In this time you could get next door in the surplus shop in Storgata the British Army Gore-Tex bivvy bag in good conditions for may be 40,- € !!!
I guess you know the shop. It looked like a Jerven bag shop, only Jerven bags everywhere!
And this in such a relatively small town like Oslo. Do Jerven bags make people somehow addicted???
;0)
You can buy two newer versions with different insulation levels, that give you less condensation problems.
I used to use bin liners in rain to put my sleeping bag in. I found out very quickly it was important to have the face outside the arrangement.
Even on a nice dry night you get a bit if condensation inside your sleeping bag.
You just turn it inside out to dry, before you pack it. If it is dryor during minus of course. If it rains you just live with it, and thoroughly dry it when you come home.
Edit: do not forget it is developed for the cool ( wet and freezing) Scandinavian climate. I assume the thousands of users there find it a lightweight superior design to the other alternatives. Also the term ‘bushcrafting’ usually involves walking distances in Scandinavia!
These three systems are certainly better than having to carry the very heavy modified ponchos so many guys here like. It rains in UK and mainland Europe too, so the ground gets wet. The Jerven adresses this problem well.
I used to use bin liners in rain to put my sleeping bag in. I found out very quickly it was important to have the face outside the arrangement.
Even on a nice dry night you get a bit if condensation inside your sleeping bag.
You just turn it inside out to dry, before you pack it. If it is dryor during minus of course. If it rains you just live with it, and thoroughly dry it when you come home.
Edit: do not forget it is developed for the cool ( wet and freezing) Scandinavian climate. I assume the thousands of users there find it a lightweight superior design to the other alternatives. Also the term ‘bushcrafting’ usually involves walking distances in Scandinavia!
These three systems are certainly better than having to carry the very heavy modified ponchos so many guys here like. It rains in UK and mainland Europe too, so the ground gets wet. The Jerven adresses this problem well.
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It's the versatility of the Jerven that wins for me, every time. Yes, a surplus goretex bivvy bag cost about €40, but you can't use it as a tarp, or as a poncho etc..... also, the Jerven is more robust.
The Norwegians swear by it not because they don't know about anything else, lol, but because it works, again and again. Both on the open mountain and in the forest. Condensation is a bit of an issue, but nothing that isnt insurmountable. As Janne says, I just open it up for a while and the slight Condensation evaporates. Made quicker by hanging near to the fire. If the fire isn't an option, I'll either live with it or give it a wipe with the cuff of my jacket.... I have crawled inside mine when the weather came in quickly and I was snug and warm for as long as I needed.
I guess it's horses for courses, but I will never part with my Jerven, it's just too versatile.
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Btw, a Jerv (no) or Järv (swe) is called a Wolverine in english.
The question is, which is better to use, the Norwegian Wolverine bag or the Swedish Bivanorak?
The question is, which is better to use, the Norwegian Wolverine bag or the Swedish Bivanorak?
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My question is:
Jerven bag, Fjellduk, Bivanorak or Snugpack Special Forces Bivvy Bag 340g and Defcon 5 military poncho 400g?
(insulation fibres should be more or less identic here like there)
The last set up I know and use since a couple if years between Stockholm and Barcelona with success.
But: I do not hike so often in windy mountain areas. Surely not with this last set up!
So, my question is this the main point?
Do Norwegians use the Jerven bag as a Tarp in the forest and as a bivvy in the open land? Is that the reason, they prefere it?
And why isn't it made from goretex or something similar? Or are they made with a breathing fabric???
"A bit condensation" sounds for me like a breathing fabric.
Not breathing fabric gives heavy condensation problems, especially in cold conditions, even if I breath out of the bivvy bag, what of course is strongly recommended to do.
Jerven bag, Fjellduk, Bivanorak or Snugpack Special Forces Bivvy Bag 340g and Defcon 5 military poncho 400g?
(insulation fibres should be more or less identic here like there)
The last set up I know and use since a couple if years between Stockholm and Barcelona with success.
But: I do not hike so often in windy mountain areas. Surely not with this last set up!
So, my question is this the main point?
Do Norwegians use the Jerven bag as a Tarp in the forest and as a bivvy in the open land? Is that the reason, they prefere it?
And why isn't it made from goretex or something similar? Or are they made with a breathing fabric???
"A bit condensation" sounds for me like a breathing fabric.
Not breathing fabric gives heavy condensation problems, especially in cold conditions, even if I breath out of the bivvy bag, what of course is strongly recommended to do.
