View Full Version : Best thing about bivvying ...
I love the outdoors but I have to say that I like the outdoors a lot better when I'm bivvying! I just feel so much more in touch with nature - the smells, the sounds and the sights. But the thing I really like is the starry nights where you can actually watch the stars move. tents and so on have their place but for me, bivvying is best!!!!
With you Adi
I now use a Terra nova jupiter ( don't leave anything to chance now with the british weather) - but most times, if the weather is good just a therma rest and my bag - Mountain equipment sleepwalker 3. I used to use ex-mil stuff 'till I went on a training course and seen what the instructor was using during a night of absolute hell, needless to say who was dry next day.
Love it!
Maxmountains
I use the 2000 pattern mil ones ... thay're a LOT more waterproof/breathable than the older ones ... I've not gotten wet yet!!!!
AntarcticFire
23-02-2004, 20:02
I tried bivvying on Glyder Fach once, hoping to catch a good sunrise and instead got rained on and blown against all night. I was using a Outdoor Designs Alpine bivvy and got wet in the end - I can decide whether is was due to the heavy rain and wind or the fact I was breathing into it a fair bit trying to keep my head dry. :-?
The next morning was misty and wet, so I didn't get to see a sunrise either! :-(
I would defintely do it again though, just maybe after checking the forecast a little more closely!
Hi
good thread. I have bivvied a few times, most recently in the Rhinogs, all that heather and the views in the morning, stunning! I use an ex army green (not patterned) simple £40 goretex thing and a sleeping bag. Have used a basha though to keep rain off, hope thats not cheating!!
Its a great way to escape things and get back to nature. Not for someone who wants a lie on though :lol: I tend to use it on hills and mountains though rather than lowlands or woods. Main drawback is that its a bugger to get back into its pack with cold hands!!
Paul
Trying to catch a sunrise in Snowdonia ... :rolmao: :o):
Doesn't happen often, but when it does ... it's neat :biggthump
I tried bivvying on Glyder Fach once, hoping to catch a good sunrise and instead got rained on and blown against all night. I was using a Outdoor Designs Alpine bivvy and got wet in the end - I can decide whether is was due to the heavy rain and wind or the fact I was breathing into it a fair bit trying to keep my head dry. :-?
The next morning was misty and wet, so I didn't get to see a sunrise either! :-(
I would defintely do it again though, just maybe after checking the forecast a little more closely!
i remember bivvying with the woodcraft folk. it was throwing it down and i had a orange bag with a hole in it.somehow i managed to sta more dry then most, i think it was becasue i had the baffles doe up. this girl stole my clothes so ihad to walk 1.5miles back with my sleeping bag keeping me decent (i felt sorry for her as she was cold and wet).
The best thing about bivvying is...
Fitting everything into a 20 litre rucksack and just going ... no fuss putting up tents or hammocks or bashas, just roll your bed out when the fancy takes you...
Then lie back and watch the stars. It's even better with the nightscope - watching the stars and the wildlife. :-D
If it's raining you just snuggle down a little deeper, pull your stuff inside with you and be thankful for breathable fabrics! :umbrella:
Now I'm using Gary's tips (Thanks Gary! :You_Rock_) of using a poncho as waterproofs for getting in and out of the bivvy, and rolling up the whole bivvy (bag n all!) rather than packing them away separately, I am practically addicted to bivvying! 8-)
Your welcome. :uu:
Bivying is fantastic - and if you like your stars Adi try the Canadain prearies - no light pollution, no back ground traffic noise - just the creators twinkling beauty and the moon, so so big and blue.
Now your making me all melancholy!
Anyway back to Bivying - isnt that the classic example of back to basics. All you have done is replaced a blanket with a bivi bag but thats cool especially with britains weather and the fact you cant always enjoy a comfy fire..
Absolutely! It's a little bit more back to basics every time.
In the old days we always used a tent big enough for everyone. Then individual hiker tents. Then bashas and now just bivvis. Last time we left the backpacks behind too and just had bivvi-rolls (just like Kwai Chang Caine in kung fu used to! :lol:)
I'm just waiting for a warm night so I can take out just a blankie - I've slept out with just a poncho before (Clint Eastwood style :lol:) but not in the UK. Now for some warm weather ... :-)
(Same thing goes for all the 'survival' bits and bobs I used to carry, you start by making exceptions 'well I won't possibly need that on this trip' until eventually they all just get left behind ... :roll:)
Freedom! :cold2:
A blankie isnt that far off - now you have a US poncho get Adi to find his old liner and there you will have it!! Waterproof too. :biggthump
....and if you like your stars Adi try the Canadain prearies - no light pollution, no back ground traffic noise - just the creators twinkling beauty and the moon, so so big and blue...
or the African sky.... absolutely stunning !!
...I'm just waiting for a warm night so I can take out just a blankie - I've slept out with just a poncho before (Clint Eastwood style :lol:) but not in the UK...
You should try the Fjellduken (http://www.jerven.no/ - sorry it's only in Norwegian), which works well even here in Norway - poncho, shelter, bivybag, light sleeping bag all in one :biggthump - I'm going to upgrade to the new model "Multimate" as soon as my "financial dept" give me the thumps up :mrgreen:
As Adi007 said bivvying is best! You just feel so much more in touch with nature, and get all your senses filled with the smells, sounds and sights. With the exception of the saami lavvo, I don't like tents with their bad air and small space.
No matter where I'm travelling, bivvying on the ground or using hammock and a tarp is my favorite means of spending the night.
You should try the Fjellduken (http://www.jerven.no/ - sorry it's only in Norwegian), which works well even here in Norway - poncho, shelter, bivybag, light sleeping bag all in one :biggthumpFrom the pictures it looks amazing :-D - wish I could read it too! :banghead:
Any ideas if anyone sells these anywhere in the uk?
From the pictures it looks amazing :-D - wish I could read it too! :banghead:
Any ideas if anyone sells these anywhere in the uk?
I don't think they have any distributors outside Scandinavia (besides Norway, they are available in a few shops in Sweden, Denmark and Greenland), but you are able to buy directly from the factory.
Went on caving exped to Turkey in 1989 - stayed up in mountains. Lying at night looking upwards, saw my first shooting stars and rapidly realised how pollution ruins your view of the heavens - never seen so much in such a clear sky before.
Last bivvy was in Iraq last year - again, no light or industrial pollution in this area so saw shed loads again. Felt a bit more nervous, though, and didn't get much sleep for some reason.... :shock:
I've never been bivvying before but i would like to, do you have any suggestions for first time bivvys?
Best thing about bivving for me are the stars. I just look up, usually see loads of shooting stars, try to recognise as many constellations as I can, and since I'm always with friends we usually speek till we fall asleep. I also hate leaving the atmosphere of the camp fire, friends and all to go to shut myself up in a tent alone or with just one other person, with no view at all...I prefer keeping that atmosphere till I fall asleep (but then it's by watching the stars, no the fire).
So best thing for me are the stars, but with of course everything that goes round them (place, noises etc.). Actually, the french expression for sleeping with no tent or tarp or anything is "dormir à la belle étoile". It would translate to a less poetic "sleep at the pretty star", I think it suits the activity just right :-D
P.S: Young bushman: take all your normal kit (tent and all) and if it's a clear sky and nice weather just sleep out of the tent. Or if your absolutely sure it will be nice weather (is that even possible in britain? :o): ) just don't take your tent at all.
English weather is very unpredictable and i'd rather have somthing with me just in case. I want to get a bivvi so that I can save space and weight in my pack aswell as appreciating the outdoors outdoors! So taking my tent and sleeping outside isn't really the answer for me. Thanks for your suggestion though!
Young Bushman, I'd suggest the French army bivvi that my kids use. They cost about twenty pounds, have a zip down the side and are breathable. We got them from USMC. I use a British Army one - they are a bit thicker, more robust and they're longer too (so you can pull your backpack inside out of the rain). They're a bit more expensive ... probably about forty pounds.
Happy Bivvying! :wave:
By the way, loved what you said about "appreciating the outdoors outdoors"! :ekt:
English weather is very unpredictable and i'd rather have somthing with me just in case. I want to get a bivvi so that I can save space and weight in my pack aswell as appreciating the outdoors outdoors! So taking my tent and sleeping outside isn't really the answer for me. Thanks for your suggestion though!
I'd second getting a British Army bivi bag ... nice and big and robust. Good bit of kit!
(so you can pull your backpack inside out of the rain)
Sorry if this is getting off topic, but can this also be done with the dutch one?
Not unless it's a really small backpack ... not as much room. The Brit Army bivi sacks are a good 8 ft long!
I picked up a french Army bivvy aroundabout this time last year - From Anchor Supples. The day I got it was also the first opportunity to use it; I lay back and watched in wonder as the stars and clouds rolled overhead... it was so fascinating that i forgot to go to sleep!
Not unless it's a really small pack ... not as much room. The Brit Army bivi sacks are a good 8 ft long!
Ok thanks for the info :)
Now that's alot of space...appart from that, how do they compare to the dutch ones? (I could just consider ordering one from gary instead of my usual surplus ;))
Thanks for the suggestions all. :o):
Kath, what do you mean by USMC?
Ok thanks for the info :)
Now that's alot of space...appart from that, how do they compare to the dutch ones? (I could just consider ordering one from gary instead of my usual surplus ;))
The Brit ones are bigger, tougher, more robust and, of course, heavier. Personally, I much prefer the british ones. OK, most are DPM but I really don't care.
Kath, what do you mean by USMC?
It's a mail order place operating out of Portsmouth ... don't know if they have a website yet but their phone number is 0870 752 5500.
The new Bivi the army uses is DPM - however the ones I have while new or the old style which is green.
Having never bothered with any other bivi bag I cant say whether they are heavier or not - but I figure if it aint broken why fix it! Besides its a trust thing too - I have used my bivi bag as a floation pack, a survival bag and yes even a sleeping bag cover - I trust it to keep me dry and it does!
I'm worried about not having a zip though, it's one of the things I appreciated most when I slept out during a cold night, once you've adjusted all the drawcords of the sleeping bag, finally managed to tighten everything up around your face, just be able to get in and out by undoing the velcro of my sleeping bag collar and unzipping it's zip and the bivvy bag's. Having to untighten the hood of the bivvy and pull yourself out (rather than just sitting up through the much larger opening of with a zip).
Otherwise, does the hood close well?
I tend to wear the hood of the bivy upside-down so that it is like a mini-vestibule at the front ... that keeps the rain and wind out.
Not having a zip can be a problem ... but a zip itself can be a problem. I prefer to keep is simple and have no zip!
For any potential star gazers I would suggest you take along a Phillips planisphere, available from all decent bookshops and only cost a couple of quid. Basically it's an easy to use bit of kit that shows all of the hemispheres main constellations. Be warned it will become additive, as anyone who has viewed the craters of the moon, the rings of Saturn, or the bands of Jupiter will tell you.
If any of you are up early tomorrow you should get a good view of Venus and the crescent moon at dawn. :biggthump
Fingers crossed it's a clear night tonight (unfortunately looking iffey at this stage where I am :cry:)
.... at dawn....
What time's the sun up these days? I'm sure I could find it fairly quickly but I'm being lazy! :D
Sun rise is about 5:15am
Sun set is about 9:30pm
;-)
Ed