Author Topic: Bivi bag camping, do you?  (Read 6557 times)

Owen

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Re: Bivi bag camping, do you?
« Reply #30 on: 22:42:18, 30/10/17 »
Can say for the snugpak bivi mines an old survival aids one made of gore-tex. I can't say I've ever noticed condensation making my sleeping bag damp. I don't like having my head inside and the zip done up but that's more about a feeling of claustrophobia. 

[Rgmw]largie

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Re: Bivi bag camping, do you?
« Reply #31 on: 23:11:00, 23/11/17 »
Hi my 0.02p


I bought a new British Army Bivi  (800g) for £40 this year and a 6x3 tarp off eBay (200g) (£5) Bit of paracord and used my walking poles as supports. It rained every night and I stayed comfy & dry.


Day 1 we had a thunderstorm and it was brilliant being out, safe & dry watching the lightning while it happened around us,
Day 2,  rain cleared at 3AM and I was treated to the most fabulous star lit views over the Milford Haven estuary.
Day 3, Sadly  the rain got heavier and heavier. I stayed warm & dry but there was no joy in it at all.


You learn *very* quickly you have to be far more organised than in a tent and I would not have enjoyed it all without the tarp.  It was much smaller than most of the Tarp's  you see on you-tube (They're often 9x9), being more the size of the "basha's " you see in surplus shops but with some pre-planning it was more than adequate.


I was REALLY glad I'd chosen to bivvy and am looking forward to doing it again next year (more than I look forward to tent camping) but struggle to recommend it for more than a few days. I was also lucky that the days were dry so not a miserable experience !


Obviously I'm no expert but happy to answer any questions on my experience you might have.


Cheers


Dave


Semigoodlookin

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Re: Bivi bag camping, do you?
« Reply #32 on: 16:06:32, 02/12/17 »
I am mostly a multi-day solo hiker and it has almost got to that stage of bivi or nothing for me. I guess conventional wisdom would say to bivi over one night and use a tent on multi-day, but I am reverse.


The disconnect that a tent brings is not something I always enjoy. Although it can have its benefits. Instead I carry a bivi and tarp. It has nothing to do with weight, so if anyone is thinking of bivi just for weight loss, don't waste your time, tents are light enough these days.


I prefer to bivi because I can see the sky, I can be outside. That's the experience for me. The tarp is a precaution that I only use if it is raining or excessively windy, otherwise it stays in the pack. The bivi also gives me more freedom to sleep more diverse places. I slept on sand dunes next to a beach on a slight slope. This summer I slept on a rock summit of tres picos in Argentina, I have slept in urban areas (airports for example), on crib goch, and numerous other places where a tent wouldn't work.


On occasions of one nighters, I will sometimes use a tent. Admittedly it is nice to hide away in your own little space in the middle of nowhere.


I would say two thing about using a bag:


Firstly, it is obviously not for everyone, it can be frustrating and uncomfortable, and annoying if you are someone who carries a lot of kit.


Second, I think hooped bivi bags are almost pointless. They are more like ultra-compact tents. I don't think they have the room and comfort of a full tent, but lack the true versatility and ease of a regular bivi.

gunwharfman

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Re: Bivi bag camping, do you?
« Reply #33 on: 10:10:47, 03/12/17 »
I agree with one writer, that if I purchase a Snugpak it could be a poor purchase for me. I'm still hesitating because I already have a Alpkit Hunka but for me it lacks two items. I find the Hunka difficult to get into and I want to fit in my Thermarest Neo Air to sleep on as well. If it had a zip down the side it would be great, but it hasn't. I would also prefer to have a covered area for my head, I tried using my gauze head cover last year over my hat but I just felt I couldn't breathe properly and on a midgy night I was not comfortable at all.

Yes, Semigoodlooking I am hoping to get the 'perks' of a bivi, just want to just stop and sleep more or less anywhere and be 'invisible'.

 

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