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Thread: Bivvi bags

  1. #21
    Moderator & Poshcrafter™ Martin's Avatar
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    I still can't see the point of these. They weigh over 1Kg and you can't get your kit inside. If you put up a tarp to protect your stuff the weight goes up to around 2Kg which is significantly heavier than some two man tents. My two man tent was quite a bit more expensive than this I know, but there are plenty of cheaper alternatives which make a bivvi bag seem like a poor alternative.

    Martin
    Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

  2. #22
    Tribal Elder
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    http://www.alpkit.com/hunka

    £35, 10,000mm, about 400 grams. Looks pretty solid! that + tarp would be lighter than a tent surely?

  3. #23
    Moderator & Poshcrafter™ Martin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by comanighttrain View Post
    http://www.alpkit.com/hunka

    £35, 10,000mm, about 400 grams. Looks pretty solid! that + tarp would be lighter than a tent surely?
    Certainly would. In fact, with a tarp (DD Tarp 650g) it would be between 200g and 300g lighter than a tent.

    I'm afraid, as a sleep system, it's just not for me. I don't find it comfortable or practical but then I'm now closer to 50 than 40 and prefer some of my creature comforts.

    Martin
    Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

  4. #24
    Tribal Elder Metal mug's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Martin View Post
    Certainly would. In fact, with a tarp (DD Tarp 650g) it would be between 200g and 300g lighter than a tent.

    I'm afraid, as a sleep system, it's just not for me. I don't find it comfortable or practical but then I'm now closer to 50 than 40 and prefer some of my creature comforts.

    Martin
    Martin is currently developing a two man tent which has a kitchen a lounge and a jacuzzi in it. And it only weighs 800g

  5. #25
    Wanderer
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    Quote Originally Posted by Metal mug View Post
    Martin is currently developing a two man tent which has a kitchen a lounge and a jacuzzi in it. And it only weighs 800g
    Think he'll take custom orders?

  6. #26
    Natural Born Bushcrafter MikeWilkinson's Avatar
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    I think many people miss the whole point of Bivi bags, in particular what they were designed for and how they should be used.

    A good military bivi bag or similar is great for keeping the wind off of you on dry nights and stops moisture from the ground from getting to your sleeping bag, if it does happen to drizzle a little over night then they will protect you from that too.

    However they really come in to there own in winter when used in conjunction with a good tarp. The tarp keeps the really wet and cold stuff off of you, the bivi provides wind and sideways run off protection and keeps all your sleeping system dry from dew/ground moisture/minor ground water etc... When used like this, even in summer the tarp/bivi combo makes a great shelter system (with a dry area for your kit Martin).

    They were never designed to be used in bad weather on there own except for emergancy use to get out of the wind or rain if injured or the weather sets in bad for a short time (think Bothy). They really don't have the hydrostatic head to keep out really bad weather.

    I used to bivi and tarp all the time, but now much prefer the option of getting off the ground with a hammock, however I do have a modded bivi bag with me in case I need to goto ground. (I've cut a hole in the bottom and sewn it so that it can be closed off for ground use or slipped over my hammock and used as a Pod.) It still gets a fair bit of use to tell the truth,as both a ground mat and bivi bag.
    [SIZE=4][COLOR=#8b4513]Wake me up when things are over, and I'm Wiser and older.

  7. #27
    Used an ex army gortex bivvy bag £25, it rained, got wet, sleeping bag inside damp.
    Now have bought RAB 'Storm' bivvy bag, can't wait.
    Inspiration came from Ronald Turnbull 'The Book of the Bivvy', worth a read.

  8. #28
    Native cuppa joe's Avatar
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    I have a few bags recently got a Nanok endurance bivi off an auction site but haven't tested it out yet but at £10 cant complain.
    Features draw cord , waterproof zips for arms ,middle half zip for easy entry and another across the back about two thirds of the way down the bag so it can be used as a poncho if needed.
    Last edited by cuppa joe; 07-03-2011 at 11:38 PM. Reason: photo

  9. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by comanighttrain View Post
    What about for sleeping?
    Not a good thing kipping in a plastic bag bud your body roughly gets rid of 2 3rds of a quart of water during a good nights kip so you would be better sleeping on it rather than in it, ive got a few bivvi bags the one I normally use is a Snugpack elite zipped bivvi bag and i have the front unzipped when sleeping and in the morning i air my sleeping bag out and pack anything im not using in it and zip it up and pull the draw string, the stratosphere bags are great i used to sell them when they first came out but still have to be used with all the vents open to prevent condensation. My favorite bivvi bag is the GTX carinthian snipers bivvi bag its pretty bomb proof and great in area's that your likely to get eaten alive by mozzies ive had many a good nights kip in Sweden in it waking up to see the bug mesh covered in little vampyre mozzies only down side of it is they are now about 400 quid i got mine about 5 years ago with a discount from silvermans even then it was a tad over 200 jibs.

    At the end of the day its horses for courses really a box standard bivvi bag's there to protect your sleeping bag at the end of the day and the hooped ones give a little privacy but ultimately prevent you getting eaten alive by wood ants or mozzies ect, i dont think you can beat waking up in the woods peering from your doss bag and watching nature do its thing, ive had deer stroll past me, a muntjac give me a stare off, badger and foxes snuffling around me hmmm but then the down side of other shrafters farting and snoring and snapping twigs to get a fire going at sparrows fart oclock in the morning! just burn them as they are! lol
    "Tracking is the road - bushcraft is the vehicle - Nature and wildlife is the destination."
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  10. #30
    Ex mil dpm gortex bag, well worth the investment.

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