I LOVE my Carinthia XPII Plus. By far the BEST bivi going. Many have tried to rip it off, but thats a story for another day. It may not be the lightest bivi but boy oh boy is it super strong. The Carinthia, I can even fit my bag in it too. I'm 6ft and there is loads of room. 100% recommend everyone try a bivi at least once. You just feel so much closer to nature.
In all my years in the Army I can count with fingers on one hand the number of nights I was in anything more than a goretex bivvy bag and a poncho overhead, in all weathers, including down to at least 10-15 degrees below freezing. So that's why I smile when I see videos of people describing tents as being 3 or 4 season, because, every tent is a 4 season tent, if you have the right equipment, experience and knowledge to be out in all weathers. Weight being the basis of kit selection and particularly the madness that is 'ultralight' is rarely the best approach in terms of comfort and durability, so regardless of the weight of a goretex bivvi, they really are worth their weight in gold, particularly when it comes to performance, in all kinds of weather. P.S. An observation made many times, and I know it is 'instagram' worthy, but you really have to stop pitching on top of features, especially when the weather is more inclement. Use the topography of the ground to get out of the open and use it to your advantage. Being totally exposed, any gust of wind and you get the full force of it, which often means disturbed sleep throughout the night. Just not worth it.
RU-vidrs aren't on deployment buddy. They love getting batered by the elements and not having any kip haha it makes for better videos. Goes against everything you've been taught I imagine. I bet you also laugh at some of the hear these boy take out with them don't you.
@@tom7676 lol, stupid me for not realising. The ultimate test of course would be if they were out for more than 24 hrs before heading home to edit their videos. There's always going to be some odd gear choices, but what is often quite telling is what they don't take, and how they use the gear they have. Making and eating food in containers means more clean up, more wasted water and so on. Drank all my water and never had to clean mess tins with water, as they only ever had water in them. Using this video as an example, when he packs up getting ready for the night, it looks like he's emptied his entire pack. In my day we called that an admin vortex.
Not quite true that any tent can be 4 season. With some of the ultra-lightweight (or ultra-cheap) ones, the poles will snap if you fart in the wrong direction.
@@SeanHendyI'm sorry but your point about making food/eating in a pot or canteen cup does not make sense to me. It doesn't take that much water to clean up and people usually don't tend to camp and hike where water will be limited anyway.. like they're not just deployed to camp in a random area, they choose and plan where they go. AND finally, if finding water turned out to be an issue mid hike then there are measures you can take to save water even if you're cooking/eating from the pot.
Literally just watched your coleman reveiw and came across this , I use the lifesystems bivi aswell and never had a problem with it except getting in it 😂 I sleep with nain door zipped down and a gap at bottom unless its pouring so quick to setup . I keep my airmat and sleeping bag inside it roll the lot up in one Ive only used it abt 4 times but look forward to putting to use this winter with a tarp for sitting area .
Thanks for the video. I have OR Helium and mainly use it when dayhike in the mountains, as energency setup. However used it a few times with my 7"x9" DCF tarp for hiking. Bivy without tarp is a no go if weather turns on you, and it always does. So I always set it up with my tarp. It is big enough to store all my gear and a backpack. Yes, I can have an actual DCF tent for that weght((450g bivy plus 150g tarp= 600g) or less, but sometimes it is not possible to find a pitching spot to stake out a tent. However it is still a bodybag, if you have issues with tight spaces don't try it.
A beauty of a morning to wake up to Sir! There are Bivy’s with a double hoop with one at the footbed and a screened end for more ventilation. None the less, well done, Sir. Cheers from Hawaii ~ 😎🐬👍🏽
Hi I really enjoy your videos Paul. I use Macpac bush cocoon, which is a bivvy with a hoop and a side opening zip. It still has a low profile and has a small sleeve at the feet to put a small pole. It also has a large air vent and an internal mesh under the fly with dual zips. Might be worth a look. Cheers.
I have a Alpkit Hunka, great value for money, My wife's friend (a wizard on her sewing machine) fitted a 4-foot zip along one side for me, and it became even better. The problem is, since I bought my Lanshan One tent I no longer use it. My Lanshan is so versatile, it can be a bivvy if I want it to be, and if the weather (strong wind usually) is really bad, or if I need to properly stealth camp, I just fit all of my stuff inside as per usual, and just drape the tent over me.
Great breakdown of what it’s really like to wild camp in a bivy! It’s cool to see both the pros and cons laid out. The idea of being so close to nature is appealing, but those tight spaces definitely seem like they take some getting used to. Thanks for sharing your experience - it’s super helpful for anyone thinking about giving bivy camping a try
Bivi bags are a great bit of kit to have in your tool box, I've got everything from an 8 berth khyam airtek tent for family holidays, to a 2 man te t for quick minni trips through to a buvi bag, they all have their place and I've enjoyed them all. For me personally my bivi bag comes into its own on my multiway mountain rock climbing adventures, where weight is at a premium as Ive also got my climbing 'rack' to carryand often I'm sleeping high up on a decent sized grassy /Heather ledge , under large boulders or overhangs on the crags.
I can see the impracticality of a bivy, and how awkward they would be in bad weather. And that some are almost as heavy as a small lightweight tent. But, I still really want to try one 😁🤷🏻♂️ I like the look of the Rab Ridge Raider. But it’s prob not far off the weight of my tent. I just like the small/concealed nature of them, even if impractical. Just something about them. Cheers, Gary B
Thé bivy is not least for camping but for semi permissive combat patrol Nobody Will argue that low profile/ stealth has it bennefits at thé front or illegal wildcamping!
I´ve had a Highlander Hawk bivvy for years and love it for the simplicity and it´s bomb proof feel,had a few crap nights in it but who hasnt had crap nights camping?Its all part of the ´fun´.It certainly aint the lightest but its hardly going to break your back in a rucksack.I tried a hooped bivvy and for some reason they make me feel more claustrophobic than my regular hawk bivvy.
Im getting old, I like my creature comforts and although I have a Gortex army bivy I only use it inside a tent to keep me extra warm on colder camps. Anyway..... this weekend off bike camping in Wales Paul and will use the fab kit I won 2 weeks ago. Will let you know how I get on.
though I have and do use a bivi for a one nighter now ( after 22 years in the military ) you get to a certain age and want to have a bit of comfort so i am now extremely happy to carry 3.4kg 2 person tent on my bike or backpack to enjoy a touch of pleasure in the process. I remember when Bivi bag was first introduced before this we had a poncho ( the tarp thing that's now so common ) it was crap and you always ended up wet. yet today we see people loving the experience. I never did love being soaking wet in a slit trench or other such scrape in the ground with a hexi block as a cooker and tinned food that was often the same food for weeks at a time.
All worthwhile when you get a morning like that. Although, with all that perfection with the sky, sunrise and gentle breeze the midge can certainly arrive in numbers to spoil the party. 😂 I’ve got the same midge net. Great video Paul. All the best. 🏕️
I use a build to order Borah Gear bivy and 7x9 tarp. I had it made wide with a side zip and Argon 90 top. Fairly breathable and roomy with a Nemo Tensor wide pad. Only 6oz for bivy and 9oz for the silpoly tarp. I haven't had any condensation issues yet.
You break wind and the zipper will pop. Good vid. Josh is enjoying it. 50 years working in low coal some not much higher than the bivy, does that in for me except in an emergency. Then all good. Our military uses those with a bit more room and gore tex. There are several stake out tents not much bigger but a hair more space and about the same pack size. Beautiful moon, saw it a couple evenings back. Hoping for a good rize. The view really helps. Nice rize, what its' all about. Good vid. Next time Mentoring is fun.
I LOVE my OEX Salamander bivvy. I use it more than I do my tents, tbh! Stood up to torrential downpours and wind, and has never let me down. Condensation occurs when closed but I peg mine absolutely taught so as to keep the tent off my bag. If it's dry I'll angle the opening so the wind can blow into the tent; I sleep deeply with the wind in my hair and it also keeps the condensation away!
yep, I do this too now. I used to have the opening down wind for obvious reasons, but found that some breeze getting into the bivvy was preferable to reduce condensation
I use a Macpac Bush cocoon - big side zip entry, makes it way easier to use, really enjoy using it when the conditions are right. A different vibe to a tent and super easy to pitch in uneven terrain
As someone who'll bikepack for up to a week across the wilds of Wales, a small tent is a must for me. But I also take a standard bivvy bag, 2 tarps and some carbon poles. The small tarp can be used as an emergency shelter, it's only 2.1x1.5m. The larger tarp is 3.0x2.1m, great to pitch across the tent to cook under if the weather is shit. As for sleeping out in a just a bivvy is just too risky in changeable weather. Pitching a small tarp fairly low which covers my head and most of my body is a no brainer. But in all honesty you can't beat a small tent, a little more weight and pack size, but worth it. And if you really need a little extra room to cook or change in/out of clothing, deploy a small tarp!
There's a great sense of 'freedom' sleeping out on the fell in a bivvy, and it's fine early on in the year, before the midgies get active, and also that window of midge free time in early autumn. But my army gortex bivvy weights in a 650 g and my miltec poncho (to accompany it) another 600g. My Hilleberg Akto weighs (with poles, footprint and pegs), just under 2 kg. Given the extra protection (4 season if low level) the Akto provides, plus the ability to get changed out of wet gear inside, brew in the vestibule if the weather is rough, avoid condensation, etc., the Akto most often wins out. Also. what isn't mentioned often when bivvying, is that you need another waterproof bag to stash all your gear that can't fit into the bivvy (boots, rucksack, etc.), which you have to leave outside the bivvy. A plastic bing liner or similar will do, but if you've food, you need to be sure thieving badgers, foxes and the like can't get at it :)
I love the Hunka XL from AlpKit. Never used a hooped bivvy; either way I've been caught in rain once at top of the "broken road" near mam tor and although it didn't rain massive it did keep me dry. Personally I'll head into woodland, anyway that provides a little protection from the wind and possible rain. Rest of the year it's a 1/2 man tent! You mentioned bivvy can set up anywhere - the other thing I love is that you can get packed away quicker and get gone.
Used bivvy bags extensively in the Military and also summer mountain top camps in summer in the Scottish Highlands. Unless you are guaranteed a dry night, a tarp makes a massive difference. Also, sleeping in a midge net makes a defence when the wee beasties are biting. Better for shorter 1 or 2 night trips, especially if there is a chance of rain as that damp will permeate through the bag when it is wet outside. As always, thanks for sharing.
My bivvy set up is the paria breeze bivy with the Gossamer Gear Solo tarp, less than 700g, backs small and if the weather's lovely it's great stargazing and air flow :)
Thank you so much for this video!! I bought an Alpkit Hooped Bivvi last year, in the thinking I'll take it up to Dartmoor for a couple of nights, or maybe a Cornish clifftop camp. I set it up in the front room and crawled into it, didn't last 2 minutes before I had to get out. It's been in my shed since. I might have to dig it out again and actually give it a go....maybe not dartmoor, but I'm seriously considering the cliffs now.....cheers Paul!! 😊 Ray
I bought the Rab ridge raider this year and love it so much I sold my tent. You can fit them in small spaces get less condensation than I did in my tent virtually none with it open and I can fit all my kit inside if I had too.
Yep, feel the same about my Ridge Raider, I just pull my rucksack in behind me and there’s room for my boots as well. I even managed to change my clothes on a cycling trip in Arran last year - a bit of a faff and must have looked a bit weird for anyone looking from the outside 😀
When it got to summer in Estonia and we were on exercise, I used the isseued bivvi bag and just tied a piece of string to the top and tied it off on a vehicle or a couple of poles. Worked a treat, so if you want a cheaper one do that people. Definitely wouldn't have done it in the winter there though -32 is not the weather for it. 😂😂😂
Did a lot of swag camping in Australia. They were big canvas ones you could pull the canvas over your head but there were no zips to keep the critters out 😅 I would have preferred this!
Back in the late 90s when I was in the military we were still being issued the old canvas shelter halves. I picked up a small one man gortex and used it for several years in the field until my wife threw out the poles while I was deployed overseas. This year after fifteen years I've finally bought replacement poles and have the bivy ready to use again. Its not the lightest thing, but it rolls up small and easy to tie off to a day pack if I go hiking
I've used various different types of bivi bags over the years since the 80s . Both in civilian and military uses but always with over head basha/tarp. Condensation is always an issue and ventilation is key of course.
I’ve spent a few hundred nights out in my USGI Gore-Tex bivy sack, never got wet other than when getting in or out. I’ve woken up in a puddle almost up to the zipper and covered with a couple inches of snow. The drawbacks are there’s no hoop to keep it off your face and no mesh. I still have it, along with the rest of the Modular Sleep System, but I haven’t used it in years. My Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 is lighter, packs down smaller, has room (just barely) to sit up, get dressed, etc, won’t blow away if you get out of it, has excellent ventilation and I’ve never gotten wet in it. Drawbacks? It won’t withstand hurricane-force winds and the material isn’t thick enough to stop grenade fragments. Even my Marmot Hammer 2P tent is lighter if I leave the vestibule at home, and is fairly spacious (it’s a little short for winter sleeping bags.) Don’t use it above freezing unless you like condensation soaking everything.
As Ronald Turnbull said in the book of the bivvy, "once you peg out a bivvy it becomes an extremely small tent". I love a bivvy, but I will find a little ledge and sit in it for cooking. If you don't peg it down you can sit up in the middle of the night, and get in and out a lot easier. The only reason I'd buy a hooped bivvy instead of a normal bag, is so I could have the midge netting to keep the nasties outside.
I went camping for a week with a "2 person tent" .. which really was a 1.5 person bivy. It was hooped, but single wall and quite small. I did like the extra space though so I could put my bag and stuff down with me inside. Lots of condensation because it didn't have any mesh and Norwegian midges are quite fierce as well. Mesh and a small hoop at the feet end and some through-ventilation would have made it much better. (and a waterproof zipper would have been nice as wel). We survived and in retrospect had a wonderful adventure :-)
If I may be so bold as to suggest a follow up video, and talk about how it is to sleep in the smallest of solo tents. Kinda like a snugpak Ionosphere type tent or the Nordisk Lofoten 1
Nice camp, you should have been able to see the Perseid meteor shower as you lay there sky watching. With that army Bivi, you could always make and sew in your own bug screen, (or get a seamstress to do it) and seam seal to waterproof. I'm often pimping my gear so that it suits how I want it to work for me. Rucksack is Deutsch, literally back sack or backpack, it's not a Yank word.
I call it a rucksack (def. not rucsac!), but when it's packed it becomes a backpack. It's on yer back, and it's packed. When empty it's a rucksack. Like a tent - once it's pitched, and you've thrown the rest of your gear around inside it, maybe some outside as well (eg, stove if the weather's right), you might call it your camp. You make camp, unpack and repack your rucksack, strike camp, and leave with your backpack. Point of historical reference, yes, the term backpacking was imported from the States sometime in the 1960s, later rather than earlier. But it only really became adopted because, although there was little if any specialised gear around, 'Army surplus' had become a thing, and most gear was affordable, if far from light (before this point in time, it was deemed irresponsible to go into the hills alone, and a group of four was thought to be the most reasonable number, and it was much more like a quasi-military activity, boy scout-y at the very least. Also, if you didn't wear heavy boots, you were beyond criticism! But lightweight footwear didn't arrive until the 80/90s, and was mostly rubbish, falling apart after little use). My 8-12 kg backpack of today (with up to a week's food) was literally double that in the 1970s. It is still backpacking to me, I dislike 'wild camping' because there is no wilderness in the UK. Fly camping was once a common term, ie, camping 'on the fly' when camping where you knew you probably shouldn't. Given that there is no legal overnighting in England, except on parts of Dartmoor - currently being contested by more than one landowner, but then they always have and still believe they can actually own land outwith intake walls. They're going to have to start patrolling their remoter land to keep me out, and I won't leave without a punch up! - most backpacking is fly camping. That's one of the reasons I moved to Scotland, where Right to Roam is more liberal, and all responsible backpacking is enshrined in law. But backpacking with a backpack, not wild camping...
Hi Paul. Nice chat. I’ve bought lots of things on your recommendation, or at least your experience. I think I’ll pass on the bivvy bag, a little too small for my liking. But i do fancy that quilt for the Autumn / winter coming up. I have a winter bag, never tried a quilt…i know you rave about them. See ya soon
I’ve got one bivy and it’s the goretex one that comes with the American military modular sleep system, I’ve never used it and unless I actually need to bug out I never will as it lives in my bug out bag.
Hi Paul, great video as per usual. I just can’t see no advantages camping in a biviy bag except for an emergency.🚨 Me personally rather have something that’s got a bit of room so you have a comfortable night sleep. they are plenty of good free season +10 out there for one person that would do the job. A bit biased, but I’m bit claustrophobic I do believe that people who do lot through hiking. Staple in their rucksack as an emergency shelter. I know a lot of people disagree ,but hope campers will give my comments and if they’ve got any constructive arguments for Bivi bags, I am willing to listen . Thank you so much for producing this great video
Great video as always, Paul! You should check out Carinthia's bivy - theyre like the Rolls Royce of bivy bags (albeit with a Rolls Royce price tag too!)
If you want space with your bivi the most useful combination is bivi and tarp. I go bivi and tarp for 'comfort' and bivi on its own only in emergencies. Having been forced to use a bivi bag and basha for 14 years, now by choice I have hooped bivi and a 3x3 DD tarp...comparative luxury. AND yes I still often wake up in a panic thinking I'm in a coffin, but it only lasts a few seconds until the memory cells warm up.
A nicely presented & balanced view. I managed a few hours in a hooped bivvy then just had to get out. I didn't think I was claustrophobic, but the bivvy challenged this view. Thanks to one of your other video's on "micro tents" I gave one of these a go (westonfront nordisk lofoten) and am so grateful that you opened my mind to something I thought I would. not enjoy but have loved - it was the option to prop the door open like a tarp that made all the difference. You have also given me an idea of how to manage the "getting out of wet gear" dilemma by adding a tarp to my setup, question is, what is the lightest mini tarp out there which I could use and yet still keep the weight down?
I can see use for this in climbing. Sleeping on a ledge before pushing to the summit. Other than that I don't see the glory. Nowdays a trekking pole tent without inner tent is under 500grams and you have room to cook inside if needed. Don't see need for going stealth in my use so I rather go comfy with the same weight.
Thanks for updating me on that. I thought they used down tek which is hydrophobic but as you correctly state. They stopped using that several years ago 👍🏻
These foot first bivies are senseless. Bivies should all be made with L zips. The front opening should be an added bonus. Most Military bivies come with L zips and my Polish military bivy came with both options
I tend to go feet first into sleeping bags because it's always difficult for me to zip it up around me, a side zip on a bivy wouldn't be functional enough to be worth it. It is extra bulk and a potential added risk of mechanical failure that's harder to fix/compensate for compared to the drawstring and popper openings that my 2 bivies use. Also greater area at risk of water leakage the larger the entrance is.
@@aliceinwonderland8314 Functional enough? Possibly the number one complaint of people who quit using bivies is how they can't physically get in and out of feet only entry bivies so that makes them functionally useless for a vast amount of people who try them and then sell them because they can't stand them and then never use a bivy again. OR even makes a bug bivy that is foot entry only which makes no sense as you still need a tarp for rain protection. As I mentioned, miliary bivies use L zips, and other ultralight bivy makers use top zips as well (see Borah Gear/Katabatic Gear) and I have never seen zipper failure listed as a problem in reviews, especially if they are YKK. It allows you so much more ability to set up your bed and organize your stuff. The extra bulk of a longer zipper is not a problem. MLD eVent bivy can basically fit in your pocket and that bivy has a long zipper. As far as water issues, zipper covers are there for that.
I would say a Bivvy is something that's advisable if you're on a several day trail and are intending on using hotels or glamping pods. if you get caught a number of miles short and need to bed down, it's perfect.
Did you see Nick Ray/Lifeafloat's latest plan? Walking the four corners of Scotland, bivvying all the way! Obviously kayaking around Scotland using two man tents was much too comfortable!
After so many nights in a bivy, sometimes under a basha, sometimes not, in all weathers whilst wearing the cheap green suit, I can definitely say I won't be repeating the experience unless it's an emergency. But then I'd have to have carried one in the first place, which I wont.
I like the idea of the pad inside, but it always ends up being very restrictive. When I use my bag bivis I leave the pad on the outside so I can curl up, bend my legs etc. GIves you a little more room too. I've got a USMC bivy which weighs about 800g, and an ebay tivek bivy (which I thoroughly recommend) which weighs nothing.
I used to have an extra large goretex bivvy bag - was great, but cant find anymore. you could roll about inside as much as you like and put rucksack and equipment inside. It had no poles but your bag would raise it off your face. if necessary you could close it 100% and breath through it. No need to peg it out. Condensation was very minimal unless totally closed up in constant rain. I think all this about waking up with a slug on you face is exaggeration and uncommon. But mosqitoes, midges and ticks can be an issue - for any camper not just a bivvy user
I wish I could use a Bivvy but I am claustrophobic, I enjoy camping but I tend to use 2 or 3 man tents for the space, I often had 2 lots of kit with me when I was more involved with the folk world so the space was used, I enjoyed the video though
Hi paul. Have you ever thought about just sleeping under the stars with a sleeping bag mat and a head bug net if you are sure it's not going to rain, or smas sure as you can be in the UK.
How about an 'Aussie Swag' next Paul ? it'll be a proper car job though Mr Messner. I can recommend 'Burke & Wills UK'. try the 'Grampian Swag XL' £429
I've not found a good solution to this yet, I tried making a bedroll using a bivvy but found the coffin like nature a bit uncomfortable, especially when I need the loo. Since then I spent out on a wynnchester bedroll which is much more comfortable but it's a bit heavy and bulky when rolled up. It's OK but I'm sure most would prefer a full tent and a bit longer setup time for the same weight or even less. It'll do for me though.
I'm not claustrophobic but I don't think I would enjoy that. 😁 I mean for me the excitement of camping is setting up the tent and creating your little home away from home. That bivy was like just sleeping out in your sleeping bag. And I might not be claustrophobic but you would never catch me sleeping on a rock cliff ... with my issues with heights and the amount of tossing and turning I do in my sleep I'd worry about tossing myself right off the cliff! 😂 I'm also a hot sleeper and I would worry about drowning in my own sweat inside that thing!
I have never had one drop of condensation in my ex-army bivvybag.. have just got hold of the alpkit kloke bivvy bag so will be giving that a try soon...Take care out there.
Love a bivy camp. Army surplus bivy. Although I'm a fair weather camper. And the older Iget the more to get up and pee in the night 🤣 which means getting out. I sort of expect not to get a great nights sleep.
"Rucksack" is the german name for a "backpack" ive slept about 10 nights in an open end goretex style bivy was okayish if you have a tarp to put over your head and sit under if it pours, really small package but thats about it with the pros for me haha
Hey Paul. Ya. I think the best bet. Would be to have a tarp, or poncho. Like you said. It would help get out of wet, or rain. In your bivvy. Cheers 🍻 mate. Thanks for the video.
6:06 German, actually. Rucksack literally means backpack in German. Btw, about your StepOne code where you get one free pair. Did you manage to fulfil George Constanza's dream to have 365 pairs of underwear so you only have to do the washing once a year? 😂
