Bivvy bags: would you recommed a carrymat

[Philip Whiteman]

Never having used a bivvy/sleeping bag, could anyone offer any pearls of wisdom regarding the use of carry mats.  ie. do you really need one, or would you position the bag on heather where available etc?

[Snowman]

I've got a Gore-tex bivi bag that I used once, an wouldn't recommend it to anyone.     On that one occasion I used a Therm-a-rest, but that didn't make an awful experience much better.

Has to be said half the night was during a Pyrenean thunderstorm, but if the weather does turn bad you really don't want to be in a bivi bag.

S.

[darksky]

Storms and Bivvys...MMMmmmm   I used a top of the line Gore-text Bivvy whilst camping out in Langdale with UKMase and SummittZero and TitaniumDude and also WalkingGirl, They all had good tents and the offer of sharing any of theirs was said but I so wanted to try Bivvy'ing'' AND I DID and loved it'' even though the Rain had turned into Hail Stones and the Wind in the Valley had its own Nik-Name from the Locals...THE LANGDALE TRAIN...and beleive me it really did sound like a Scary Train.., So Bivvy'ing and Storms can go together IF you can Hack it,    I must say though the bivvy i used was the single hoop type, AND i dont rekon i'd enjoy using the ordinary sleeping bag style bivvy,. Minimalist camping is all fine and well   i,e  Tarp and walking poles for suport BUT i really do think its got to be enjoyable AND in my opinion that does'nt look FUN to me, BUT everyones has their own ideas of FUN so if you like that sort of sleeping under the stars all i can say is go for it. I also watched a video recently of a man using just a tarp and his walking poles for suport,PLUS he was using some kind of vaseline type cream that he smeared on his body to keep out the COLD during the night, thats to much UNLESS your a soldier training or something, BUT like i said OTHER PEOPLES FUN.

[Ian s]

It's best to have a mat or you get really really cold! The problem is staying on the damn thing - if it's outside your bag you roll off in the night and get cold, if it's inside your bag you roll over and end up tied up in a great big knot of sleeping mat. The choice is yours. I usually go for inside and some sort of restraint to stop me rolling about to much. Not talking anything dodgy here, just puting sack on one side and boots on the other to prop me up. Remember to seal the tops of your boots in case it rains- I use my nylon wind mitts for this.

Ian
www.mountainfreedom.co.uk

[Solofool]

I have and use a bivvy, but i combine with an ultra lightweight tarp!! the thought of laying out in the elements in a just a bivvy is a great no, the tarp keeps the rain off and the bivvy ,down matt and sleeping bag keep me warm, i have never slept with the bivvy closed yet. Having done alot of walking in Dartmoor i can assure you that the soft ground will be either at an angle or wet, the dry ground will be hard. Unless you are into to S&M take a carrymat, and take the warmest and thickest one you can carry, but also test to see if it will fit inside your bivvy bag. The mat insulates you from the ground and makes a huge differance.

[Lupine-Andy]

I would also recommend using a mat with a bivi bag. I'd also recommend practising bivi-ing. By using it every now and again when you have the option of a tent to crawl into or at least to stick your head under the flysheet if it gets too bad you'll get used to where you're going to put things (mat outside or in? where are your shoes and socks going etc.) I've never had to use my bivi-bag 'in anger' but if I do I have a pretty good idea of what it will be like and how to get the best nights sleep possible. It would be pretty horrible to tired and wet, maybe injured and scared and have to work it all out for the first time.

Andy

[Snowman]

Totally agree with what people have said about mats and warmth, but in my one experience of using a bivi, warmth was exactly the problem.

I was solo walking in the Pyrenees (perhaps a bit silly actually) in September.   The problem was that although the storm I got caught in was severe, the temperature was very warm, i.e. the sort of sticky warmth you only really get in a storm.   The bivi bag was a hooped, gore-tex, expensive ... type but the goretex was totally unable to deal with the heat generated inside the bag.    In an attempt to relieve the heat, I had to open the bag slightly, but the rain was like stairrods, so I had the choice of holding the opening in such a way that the rain wouldn't get in, or sleep.    Not a great choice to have to make.

I would imagine that in cooler climates, perhaps the bivi bag may have it's place, but since I spent many nights in my teens, including wet ones (if you're sniggering I mean rain), under a 'tarp', it's unclaustrophobic nature is great by me.

S.

[Gunwitch]

I regularly use a bivi bag with a self-inflating mat. And as has been said the only problem i find is condensation. However, saying that, i'd rather use a bivi than a tent, although i also use a basha and or hammock sometimes aswell.

[legs-o-lead]

I use a karrimat type of thingy cut down to about 30 inches length, ie from my shoulder to my hip. It will then fold into 4 and can be stuffed into your pack flat. You can also use it for sitting on when still folded.

I use this ALL the time, when walking or camping. 

Only once have I used one of those self-inflating mattress thingy's (god I wish I could remember what they were called), and I spent the night slipping off it, and ended up sleeping on the ground !

[Mr Sam]

I use to fall of my roll mat more than I fall of my selfinflating mat. Has anyone used a rollmat which some sort foil on one side. My friend has one and said it was really warm.

[tonyk]

 

PLUS he was using some kind of vaseline type cream that he smeared on his body to keep out the COLD during the night

 Somehow I think I will give that one a miss,

 I have used a bivvi on numerous occassions but I do agree with Snowman that its the last place you want to be in the rain especially on a multi day walk.
Its best to use a mat as the ground will soon take away your body heat,even in summer.Heather is okay for sleeping on as it raises the body off the ground
and does provided some insultation.

 Bivvi sacks were orginally intended for Alpinists doing multi day climbs where you couldn't pitch a tent.If you read Bonnatti's account of his six day solo ascent of the Petit Dru in 1955 you will find he was often hanging from pitons whilst in the bivvi sack.Its myth that using a bivvi sack will save weight,maybe a couple of pounds,but not enough to improve your performance.Coupled with the sap in morale when you are soaking wet,cooking in the rain,and shivering you are basically on a hiding to nothing.

[muymalestado]

As for slipping off the mat onto the ground; I notice that some bags now have a pouch for the mat.  Seems a good idea but I suggest 2 or 3 hoops would do at a fraction of the weight.  I may sew hoops onto my sleeping bag.

[bacon51]

Yes, because it is an insulating layer between you and the ground. If you use self-inflating. "Thermarest" are brilliant.