• About
  • Free Downloads
  • Cape Wrath Trail
  • Get in touch

Outdoors Father

Outdoor Adventures of a Busy Father

  • About
  • Free Downloads
  • Cape Wrath Trail
  • Get in touch
Sleeping in a bivy bag leaves you exposed

Should you use a bivy?

11th March 2015 by Gilad Nachmani

Bivy bags, also known as bivvi, bivvy, bivouac or any other form, is essentially a sleeping bag cover, which means it is simple, usually very light and very, very discreet. If you don’t know, camping (in non marked camping grounds) in England is illegal and requires the land owner’s permission (pretty much all of England belongs to someone). The limited camping options leads to a fair amount of “illegal” behavior in order to enjoy a night or two outdoors and requires more discreet means of camping – hence the bivi.

A little about bivys – the word bivy is a shortening of the word bivouac, which comes from an old French (assumed to be Swiss French) bivauc, or beiwacht – by watch. The term was used for temporary shelters that Swiss soldiers used while watching enemy movements, very similar to the way we use bivys today – a simple waterproof cover over insulating clothing.

The term, shape and basic concept of the bivy hasn’t changed much, but who uses it and which materials are used have. Bivys today come in two main categories: sleeping bag cover and mini one person tent construction.

Sleeping bag cover

Very light and simple construction, it has the same shape and build of a sleeping bag, but with no insulation and made from a robust waterproof bottom (the tub/bath) and a lighter waterproof fabric at the top. It has a hood with a draw string and may be able to accommodate a sleeping mat inside (but not always). The most important thing with regards to the cover is how breathable it is – if it’s not breathable, we might as well sleep in a bin liner.

One person tent construction

The bivys in this category are relatively heavy (500-1500g), have a way to use stakes to hold them in place, room for a sleeping mat and a bag, a fully closable hood (some times with a bug net) and a loop to hold the hood away from the head. The reason they are like a one person tent is because they almost are a one person tent, you just can’t sit in it; you can only lay down, raise your head a little, and maybe read a book.

Breathability of bivys

The most important (or 2 most) features of a bivy is how waterproof and breathable it is. Since its role is to protect the sleeping bag from humidity, being waterproof is pretty self explanatory – protect the bag from rain, snow, mud and other “wet” elements (and of course, protect you in it). The breathable part is what most people miss when it comes to bivy bags – you pesperate through sweat and breath, a lot, especially when sleeping. Usually when out in a colder environment, we tend to use a natural down sleeping bag that is very sensitive to humidity. When we persperate at night in a bivy bag that isn’t breathable enough, humidity get caught in the bag, seep into the sleeping bag and ruin the down, reducing its loft and making it colder, resulting in a worse night for you.

When considering a bivy, I recommend looking at the breathabilty and waterproofing to get a good one to protect your sleeping bag and your good night sleep first, then look at the rest of the features.

The Alpkit Hunka blands in the greenery well One with nature in a bivy bag

Back to my story – I’ve been using a simple sleeping bag cover style bivy for more then a year now, usually combining it with a tarp to protect my head and gear. The bivy is the Hunka by Alpkit (combined wit the Rig 7 by Alpkit), it is very simple and was amazingly cheap (£30/$45) and very light. I bought the Hunka and Rig setup to see if I’m into bivying and could enjoy it.

Alpkit Hunka bivy bag

My experiences were a mix of really enjoying see the sky when going to sleep (which I hadn’t done in many years), but also realizing that in a wet country like England (and will be true for any wet place), bivys are only good when combined with a tarp, and in that case the level of “stealthiness” is reduced, along with the weight loss (gain?) of not carrying a tent. One person tents today easily come in under 1 kg (2lbs), and so there is no need to carry a mix of bivy and tarp to save weight.

At the end of the day, I think I will start looking for a good, light, one person tent. The exposure and better contact with nature while bivying is amazing, but I find that in wet conditions it becomes mainly a struggle to avoid being covered in mud, rather than sleeping comfortably looking at the sky.

I do hope to try and use the bivy in more appropriate conditions, such as snowy places or arid places, where humidity as less of an issue.

Do you have any good experiences with bivys? Maybe even in the conditions that I tried, but with better results?

Share your thoughts:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Alpkit, bivouac, bivvi, bivvy, Hunka, one person tent, Rig 7, sleeping bag cover

Comments

  1. Chris says

    16th April 2015 at 21:11

    You nailed the one problem with a bivy bag. If it’s raining, you can’t get in or out of it or change your clothes without getting soaked! Hence the need for a small tarp as well.

    BTW, you’re a brave man for using down in the UK. I won’t touch the stuff in rainy climates. I guess you must have better luck keeping your sleeping bag one dry than I do.

    • Gilad Nachmani says

      16th April 2015 at 21:26

      My move to a tent lately has indeed made changing much easier Chris.

      Sometimes i do regret using a down sleeping bag as it turns me into a sun craved monster – the moment the sun is out all my gear is out to dry. On the other hand, it makes my back comfortable and my nights spoiled…

Sign up to get the next post in your inbox

and get access to exclusive guides

Categories

  • Adventures
    • Cape Wrath Trail 2015
    • Cape Wrath Trail 2016
    • The Pennine Way 2015-2016
    • Yam le Yam
  • Gear
  • Ideas
  • Rants and Mumbles
  • Skills
  • Uncategorized
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

© Copyright 2018 Outdoors Father · All Rights Reserved ·

Legal Stuff · Contact · Theme by Jason M Design

Outdoors Father is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,

an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.