newbie kit advice - lots of questions sorry

[sleeptight]

hey everyone.
i'm looking at trying round northern europe for a bit next year hopefully places like norway, sweden, germany, belarus... hope you guys can help me out with some advice. i've been wanting to do this for a while now but i haven't got any real camping knowledge or anything, just enthusiasm.

so its going to be pretty cold and wet and i need kit that will stand up to this. i also want a set up that is light and easy to use with a minimal set up time.

from what i've read so far i think using a bivi will be the best option due to weight, set up speed, ease of use. but how do you get in and out when its raining without getting all of your kit wet? and what do you do about getting your face wet? i know that you can use a tarp but when its really throwing it down wont this take a while and wont i be soaked by then?

and which type of bivi do i go for? cheap army surplus one with an open face, rab style one thats fully inclosed or a hooped bivi? i kind of like the idea of it being closed but they seem to cost more and will there be a lot of condensation?
and what other things do i need to make using a bivi more easy? a tarp and or a ground-sheet?

is there anyway to use just one sleeping bag for all of the different night time temperatures that i might face? or do i need to get one that covers most and then one for really cold nights.

i was thinking of running a thermarest underneath me. with clothing, a -15ish sleeping bag, a thermarest and a bivi would i be able to cope with what i may come across.

sorry that this post is so long. hopefully i can get advice, and buy some kit soon. gonna try and use it over here a few times before i go anywhere.

thanks, zac

 

[TomBartlett]

Welcome aboard Zac! A bivi and a tarp set up correctly can be pretty bomb-proof. If you set up your tarp first then that'll give you a shelter under which to lay your kit, so it shouldn't get wet. It sounds like you'll be going to some potentially chilly places. I find it a lot easier to open up a bag to cool down, than to try and get warmer. Doing things like adding a sleeping bag liner (I'd recommend having one of these anyway), wearing clothes to bed can help keep you warm at night. I would also recommend a sleeping mat of some kind. Not only will it reduce the amount of heat you lose through contact to the ground, it'll also give you a cushie platform to sleep on. The rating system on sleeping bags can be a bit complex. Sometimes they're assuming that you'll be wearing a certain amount of clothing or that you'll be in a tent. There's a discussion on here somewhere about which companies rate their bags warmer or cooler.
You're right on track with a thermarest, bag and bivi, but I'd throw in a tarp as it won't take much room and will let you sleep without the bivi on dry, warm nights.

 

[Wilderbeast]

Might I suggest this thread Zac?!

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60498

BTW welcome to the forum!

 

[sleeptight]

cheers for the replies.
yeah im finding sleeping bag ratings confusing. i'll definitely try and have a look at that thread. just been looking at one that seems like it could be just what im looking for, modular sleeping bags.

i had a look at that thread and its been pretty useful.
the thing im most worried about is getting wet/rain. i guess i will get a good coat and try and get under tree cover if the weather is really terrible.

 

[Shewie]

I use a double hooped goretex bivvy if there's no trees for a hammock, it's totally enclosed but I don't get any condensation if I vent it properly. Even with a fully enclosed shelter like that I still use a small tarp over the door to give an area for kit storage and cooking etc. You don't need anything big, I think the one I have is a 6x8ft 1:1 ripstop number which only weighs a couple of hundred grams and packs down to nothing.
The army issue bags are good value, tough obviously and they don't cost the earth.

As for a sleeping bag, like Tom says get a liner whatever you go for. I'm a big fan of Alpkits bags but I'm not sure down would be a good idea if you're expecting to be damp and wet day after day. Try and figure out the average temps for the areas you're going to visit and work out your bag rating from that, I'd be tempted to go for synthetic so maybe check out Snugpaks and Nanoks 3 season offerings.

You need a mat if you're on the deck for sure, Thermarests are good and so are the Exped (weatherproof) down ones. There's plenty of choice out there for mats though, even the 4 season NATO closed-cell foam mats are worth a look if you don't fancy the inflatable risks.

And welcome to the forum

 

[sleeptight]

http://www.imsc.co.uk/archives/851

is this any good?
i've read that the dutch hooped bivis are the best, but there seems to be different ones. this one has netting.
anybody used this web-store before?

 

[ixion]

I really don't see the point of hooped bivvy bags. The benefit of a bivvy is that it has no pegs, and can go anywhere. And as others have said, you can add a tarp if it gets very wet.
It really does depend where you are going though - love bivvies as I do, I would not want to be in one halfway up a mountain, above the tree line with sideways rain gusting in at 70mph. In those circumstances I would want a tent.
Solo tents are getting very lightweight now, and therefore to my mind are a far better option that a hooped bivvy.
To echo everyone else, whatever you do, take a sleeping mat. Thermarest are great, but if money is an issue, you can pick up a standard roll mat for next to nothing. Without something under you when you sleep, you will get cold!