Stuffing Goretex bivi bag

[cathy]

I have a British Army Goretex bivi bag and am a little disconcerted by the amount of space it occupies inside the rucksack.

I read somewhere that they shouldn't be folded regularly as the creasing damages the Goretex, but should be rolled instead. However, I am wondering if it could be stuffed into a stuff sack without damaging the Goretex. Or possibly even stuffed into a compression stuff sack. Does anyone know how much could you compress it and for how long without compromising it?

Or would I be better off getting a Snugpak bivi bag which packs smaller for example?

Thanks in advance

Cathy

 

[Nemisis]

I'm just guessing but I think that might be refering to long term storage rather than in the rucksack. I just can't imagine soldiers being so fussy with them in the field but I might be wrong
Dave.

 

[addyb]

I've always stuffed my bag - it's down and compresses nicely - into a stuff sack. And, I bought a waterproof stuff sack as of late, so no matter what happens to my pack, I'll have a dry bag to crash in at night. (Mind you, if you've got $500 dollars laying around, do yourself the favour and buy a gore-tex shelled sleeping bag. You can forgo the waterproof stuff sack that way. Except..they crinkle. A lot)

One thing though: Don't keep your sleeping bag inside of it's stuff sack when you're not "humping the boonies." Keep it hung up somewhere warm and dry, I use my hot water closet to hang mine.

Also, stuffing gore-tex won't damage it one bit. It's the same sort of thing as wearing a gore-tex jacket during a day in the DB's. (deep boonies) You're moving constantly and creasing or folding it no matter what happens. The biggest favour a person can do gore-tex is to keep it clean. Dirt, sweat and body oils can ruin the PTFE membrane quite easily. If your regularly launder your gore-tex bivvy bag (or jacket) and give it a treatment with say, Grangers, Nikwax, etc etc... it'll last for years. (Though not quite as long as Ventile)

Cheers,

Adam

 

[Phil562]

I'm just guessing but I think that might be refering to long term storage rather than in the rucksack. I just can't imagine soldiers being so fussy with them in the field but I might be wrong
Dave.

Youre not wrong their, I've used them for years, does no harm, make sure their dry though

 

[Ditch Monkey]

when out and about keep your sleeping bag in the bivi bag, just stuff the lot into the bottom of your rucksack. The sleeping bag will become compressed when you shove everything on top and it molds around everything else you put in there. A sleeping bag in a compression sack uses too much space by creating dead space around it that you can't fit stuff into.

 

[Jjv110]

You can use your bivi bag as a bergen liner, then stuff your gonk bag into it. Then pack all other items in order of priority into seperate waterproof bags, so that when you want to sleep, you just need to unload the bags to get to your sleeping bag. This will keep your bergen contents dry and is a good way to pack your bivi bag. Your sleeping bag will already be inside the bivi bag so you won't have to risk the sleeping bag touching the wet or muddy ground whilst trying to insert it.

At the top of the load there will be excess bivi bag sticking out so just press all the air out and twist the top and tuck it away. The bergen will also float much easier that way if it accidentally drops into a river or if you need to cross a river.

Julian.

 

[bambodoggy]

As is shown below there are any number of ways to store your bivvi bag and non are right or wrong, it's personal choice and how you find is best to do it. As Phil and Nemisis say they are fairly hardy bits of kit and have to be as they are general issue.

I do not use my bivvi as a bergan liner and prefer a seperate canoe type dry bag in my main compartment, the closure on them garentees my kit stays dry and that my bergan floats....our staff NCO's had a habbit when the transport pulled up of grabbig the nearest bergan and lobbing it into the nearest river/lake/puddle etc just to ramdomly check we were waterproofing our gear lol

I usually fold my bivvi along it's length and then again along it's length and then roll from the foot end up to the opening to allow all air to eascape easily as I'm rolling. I then use a bungee cord to wrap round it and hold it tight, then it goes in my left side pouch on my bergan just under my basha sheet along with a few other bungees and a couple of pegs, that way I know where all my sleeping kit is the moment I get where I'm going.

However, once I've used the kit I do two different things depending on the weather. If it's been dry then I pack it all away as above. If it's been wet and the bivvi is wet then the dossbag stays in it and the whole lot is stuffed into the bottom of my bergan and the dry bag containing the rest of my dry kit goes on top of that....then away I go.

As soon as I get the opportunity the bivvi and sleeping bag are taken out and dried and packed as I originally suggest.
The good thing about doing it this way is that even if you only stop for a half hour lunch break, because the rest of your kit is together inside the dry bag it can be lifted out and put to one side (and all staying dry obviously), then the bivvi pulled out and hung up while you eat. When it's time to go if the bivvi is dry it's put away properly and if not then it's stuffed back in the bottom of my bergan and the dry bag put back on top and away I go again.... this is repeated until the kit is all dry or it's time to sleep in it again.

Hope that helps,

Bam.

 

[Graham_S]

i carry mine rolled up around my thermarest strapped to the top of my pack

 

[Hawthorn]

I use the British Army Bivvy and don't think you can go wrong using an item tried and tested in harsh conditions for years and still used. Its a great peice of kit which allows really easy access in and out of. I keep mine folded at the bottom of my pack (easy to get to and keeps everything above it dry on wet ground).

 

[cathy]

Thanks everyone. It seems that it is not as delicate as I thought! Lots of different interesting ways to pack it, I'll try them out.

Thanks again.

Cathy

 

[Alchemist]

If your still out there cathy, this is my method. Keep your sleeping bag in the bivi bag when you pack it into your bergan- as suggested. Dont use stuff sacks. Get the bottom end of the bags and feed it into the bergan. As you are doing this, twist it all in. This compacts it all and removes the air. Keep twisting, pushing and filling spaces as you go. Compact and moulded.
Dont put the head end first though. Air will get trapped and you will have made a balloon! Canoe bags are also a definite must.