Two Man Bivvi Tent

[arctic hobo]

Hi, just saw on here http://www.the-outdoor.co.uk/ishop/853/shopscr374.html that there's a two man bivvi tent... it's distinctly lacking in information however. Can anyone tell me more? Like how much they weigh, whether they are worth having. Only £10!

 

[leon-1]

I never even saw one in the time i served, the closest was the things that the tankies used to have that went on the sides of thier vehicles.

I have a fair amount of experience with most military canvas and I will tell you that it will be heavy, very heavy especially if wet, the packed size will also be huge so unless it is for use where you have a vehicle at hand I don't think that this one will be a go even at that price.

On the other hand you could buy one and use it for making other things (cotton canvas gaiters for instance). It looks to have Mosquito netting in the gable ends so that could be recycled as well and it mentions poles, which could come in handy for a support for a conventional basha

 

[Paganwolf]

I've seen these for sale at the Billing landrover show, Anchor Supplies were selling them, big and heavy is all i can say about them no good for backpacking what so ever, but as leon1 says you could use the canvass for making other things or you could put it up in the garden for the kids to play in

 

[arctic hobo]

Thanks. I was looking for a very lightweight tent to replace my survival bag, so clearly it's of no use. I always sleep in a survival bag, never seen the point of bivvi bags :?: apart from the colour :yikes:

 

[Womble]

My old Scout Troop used to use these, and the lads loved them. BUT... They are very very heavy - even more so when wet, very bulky, take a long time to dry out, and the pole length is pretty inconvenient (unless you cut your own on site). Bottom line - this is not really a good hike option. I think we've still got about 10 of them in stores.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

very simular in size and design to the US army "shelter half" tent(AKA pup tent).

i bnought one for £20 ten years ago, again very heavy, worse when wet, really good in wind but spending more than a few hours in one gets boring, because of the thick canvas light will not penetrate so a torch is needed to find stuff in the tent 24 hours a day!

after heavy rain, the canvas will be full of water if you touch the sides the water will drip though, i did a 3 day camp with my wife in one of these we gave up due to damp conditions after 1 1/2 days!

probably no ground sheet, so water can run under and into the tent unlike modern "bath tub" designs, the insect net will stop fliying bugs but not crawling ones such as ants!

all in all nowerdays cheaper lighter ones are far better and easy to get hold of, i would consign these to either scouts, or yourself for kit disipline training or a tent for kids to play in, in the garden.

 

[tenbears10]

£10 seems a good price for a massive bit of canvas to use for other stuff. Is there any way to proof it and make it a bit more weather resistant?

Bill

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

The cheap traditional way: nixwax or grangers liquid wax (the brush on sort).
this will work but makes the fabric heavier still, and less breathable to boot!

the expensive modern way:nixwax or grangers cotton proof(wash in sort) used also to proof all cotton clothing, i feel less waterproof but far more breathable.

sorry, i should not have said "waterproof" at best you will make the fabric highly water resistant! syas so on the bottle!

 

[leon-1]

Personal opinion if it has a zip, a seam or a hole of any sort it is not waterproof, it can only ever be water resistant.

Yep cotton proof is good, most of the military canvases work on the principle if you do not touch it water will not pour through it, cotton proof will gaurd against this.

Duck cotton gaiters are pretty effective and can be re-proofed using cotton proof so I think this is probably your better bet (no I am not on a retainer for nikwax). There are others but IMO this is probably the best.

 

[bambodoggy]

I had one of these as a kid growing up, only ever used it in the back garden in the summer and it was great for that but I wouldn't want to carry it further than the patio and you'd be lucky to struggle past the patio if it was wet! ! !
Personally I think bivvi bags (and/or basha tarps) are the way forward as they are more social if in a group....set them up round a fire and you can all lay in bed chatting rather than being stuck in a dark tent. My fav topic is who managed to choose the downwind smokey side to crash!!!
If you want a cheap tent then look under 1-2 man tents on Ebay and they have several "Pro Action 1 man tents" for sale which are very light and seem to go on auction for about £25.

 

[leon-1]

Personally I think bivvi bags (and/or basha tarps) are the way forward as they are more social if in a group....set them up round a fire and you can all lay in bed chatting rather than being stuck in a dark tent. My fav topic is who managed to choose the downwind smokey side to crash!!!

That's simple, they will be the one choking on the smoke for a while ):, but he will also be the one that remains pretty much bug bite free as they stay away from the smoke

 

[bambodoggy]

Too true but I think I'd always go for the clear lungs and plenty of mossi repleant! :rolmao: