Bivi bags great fun as long as its not raining on the hills. Trees allow sheets to be used but open mountains have less in the way of woods!! Bike frames can make substitutes but a tent will be better in crap weather. Anything single skin will create condensation unless you can vent it really well, not an option in bad weather. Many modern bivi bags eg the Alp kit are little more than pit covers as the are simply a drw cord top. Again great if its fine but you cannot seal yourself in and stay weather proof like you can with a envelope type design. I have spent nights in hammering rain, snow and wind in my old Snowdon mouldings goretex bag which will keep me dry if I keep a slight slope at the flap. Can even run a stove in it!! have slept comfortably with it zipped up completely although its not nice on warm nights. just a point, mine is green outside as it should be for a low profile but yellow inside which is much more pleasant.
Bike Forum
Lets talk bivvying...
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Posted 2 years ago #
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Anyone ride a full susser?
I cant fit my gear on like I could with my hardtail and rack.Posted 2 years ago # -
I have a Hennessy hammock and it's fantastic. So comfy and quick to put up. I got it from http://www.facewest.co.uk/Hennessy.html, they also have some pretty smart M.E bivi bags.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hammocks are lovely until theres nowhere to hang them. That depends on your chosen ride area and bivvy location.
As joemarshall says a bivvy bag is the ultimate in lightweight if you want to ride out on more technical terrain un-encumbered by loads of heavy gear (14lbs is heavy IMO and WILL affect how you can ride), and you really can poach a bivvy site pretty much anywhere. They're less ideal in bad weather, but the inclusion of a small tarp can help greatly.
Anyone that says tents are better than a bivvy bag is kind of missing the point really - they're really for slightly different things.
I'd agree, tents are almost definitely better than bivvy bags if you have to deal with midges, persistent bad weather, longer duration excursions or less technical terrain, but none of those factors are an issue for me.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Wow, lot of hammock users on here, i had no idea!
Ive got a Hennessy Hammock but not had the chance to use it in anger yet. What are the other hammock users opinions/suggestions on keeping warm? ive heard it can get quite cold hanging up in the trees if its a little windy. Also, any tips for picking sites? ie. deep in the trees, face upwind/downwind? Be good to hear about a biker perspective of them as most of the reviews are by walkers who tend to suggest using thick jackets etc. to keep warm, not somthing i expect to carry on the bike.
Cheers,
Rich.Posted 2 years ago # -
>Anyone ride a full susser?
I cant fit my gear on like I could with my hardtail and rack<Buy a full suspension rack then - check out Old Man Mountain and Axiom products( tho Windwave wont import them so you'll need to source form North America)
>Anyone that says tents are better than a bivvy bag is kind of missing the point really - they're really for slightly different things.<
Bivvys are for incurable romantics?
Seriously though I do get the point of the bivvy but I'd rather have the comort and protection of a UL tent for the very little xtra weight and volume.
Still shuddering at the thought of "stealth camping near towns"
Posted 2 years ago # -
STATO you need a word with Taylor (Flatfish) ... on the WRT they had homemade (they didn't look it) thermal blankets that fit in side the hammock. Looked like they packed small and weighed not alot.
Stuart
Posted 2 years ago # -
Yeh it gets really cold from underneath in a hammock, especially with a down bag, even in summer! I take some laminate floor underlay, the white slightly expanded stuff, weighs nowt and keeps your arse warm.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Cheers twang/s8tannorm - At the moment ive got a 4 season down bag and an airmat previously used on tent trips, ive also got an alpkit bivvybag im taking as an emergency shelter (plan to put it under the mat as extra insulation). Ive read about the blankets but i figure my sleeping bag can achieve the same job for now, just packs a bit bigger.
Posted 2 years ago # -
You can put a sleeping mat in your hammock for more comfort and insulation.
Posted 2 years ago # -
thats my plan gil, was worried it might move around a bit so think i might put the bivvybag over the bottom of the mat and sleeping bag, im probably going to boil alive now :0)
Ta,
Rich.Posted 2 years ago # -
TandemJeremy - Member
I simply fail to see the point.
That was clear when you suggested a tent
People who don't understand bivvying always do :o)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Anyone ride a full susser?
Epic design bags are what you want, why add racks?
Posted 2 years ago # -
just got a bivi bag for my birthday and cannot wait to use it. I also want to get a lightweight tarp.
Tempted to do pennine bridleway in a couple of days with bivi but they are meant to be opening up the new section shortly so keep waiting for that.
Posted 2 years ago # -
oh, and what is wrong with rucksacks? Surely it would all fit comfortably in a 25l? Or am I missing something?
Posted 2 years ago # -
I like the Bonty/Trek seatpost rack, as the platform is longer than the more readily available topeak racks. I normally have a rear mudguard so the rack does the same job effectively reducing the weight added by the rack.
Being a weight weeny I have my "sleeping" bivvy kit down to around 2kg, so not really noticeable. I don't normally bother with a stove as I'm not a tea / coffee addict. Just plan a route to hit a pub mid evening or a chippy at lunch, and a few extra snacks in the camelback and you're good to go.The idea of redundancy was suggested earlier as a security margin. Bin security, live on the edge and have a real adventure.
See you out there!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Spamf - I suspect your idea of bivvying is far removed from mine. The places I'm interested in, there's nowhere handy for stopping by to eat and "living on the edge" can result in being too close to death.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Being a weight weeny I have my "sleeping" bivvy kit down to around 2kg,
So whats that consist of? Just a mat, bag and bivi?
Curious as I am a self confessed weight weenie myself with outdoor geear but generally not with bike kit.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Having that much weight on your back for a lengthy period is not pleasant, especially as it tends to force your arse harder onto the saddle. if your only going for an overnighter then a rucksack is a lot easier/quicker, anything more and id be looking to get some/most of it onto the bike somehow, currently looking at trailers myself so im not restricted to taking a specific bike.
Rich.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Dave - Moderator
TandemJeremy - Member
I simply fail to see the point.
That was clear when you suggested a tent
People who don't understand bivvying always do :o)
I have bivvyed many times. You save a kilo in weight tops. a decent one person tent weighs a kilo or so a lightweight bivvy bad a few hundred grammes. Everything else remains the same. As much or as little cooking kit as you want, a sleeping bag, food etc
druidh - Member
Spamf - I suspect your idea of bivvying is far removed from mine. The places I'm interested in, there's nowhere handy for stopping by to eat and "living on the edge" can result in being too close to death.
This is very true. Trying going up into the highlands where the weather can change from sunny and 20 C to howling gales and pouring rain at not much above freezing in less than 12 hrs
Posted 2 years ago # -
>Anyone ride a full susser?
Epic design bags are what you want, why add racks? <
Err, because you can write off that central triangle bag for most full suspension designs and that thing hanging off the seatpost will only take a fraction of the load a rack can. Of course if the point is to prove just how minimalist it's possible to be - you win.
LOL @ Spamf and pubs / chippies en route
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm kinda with the ul tent guys, my 1.5 man is 1200g when dry, dark green and kinda coffin shaped, fairly easy to stealth camp. My only experiance of a bivi is staying awake all night freezing my nads off under a hedge (only shelter for miles).
Posted 2 years ago # -
2 kg for your overnight kit? really? how cold can you sleep in that?
Posted 2 years ago # -
My only experiance of a bivi is staying awake all night freezing my nads off
How much of that is down to choice of sleeping/bivvy bags?
I was looking at some UL-tents a while back and they were £££!Posted 2 years ago # -
Stato makes a good point, not only in choice of equipment, but also when and where you're choosing to camp/bivvy. ADH sounds like he was under prepared or was not using equipment appropriate to his needs.
TJ is clearly looking at camping in the highlands in spring, summer and autumn (winter too?), whereas I'll Bivvy for a couple of days max, mostly in the summer in the south west, supported by pubs and shops along the way so I don't have to carry loads of clobber.
I carry about 1.5 kilos extra for that kind of trip. A summer down bag, an Alpkit Hunka, lightweight merino thermals for sleeping, a 3/4 Thermarest and an aqua straw and plastic bag for robbing water from streams.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The 2Kg kit is:
Marmot Atom Down Sleeping Bag 400gm rated to +5 degrees.
Silk Liner at 170gm giving 2-3 extra degrees.
Prolite 3/4 Thermarest 320gm
Katmandu Milair Bivvy 650gm-ish
All wrapped up in a ground sheet that I can set up on and keep my kit reasonably clean.
End result, a slightly sub 2kg bivvy set-up.As for the pub/chippy issue, I can't think of many places in England where you could get a full days riding in without coming across civilisation unless you purposely avoided it, which seems artificial in its self. I just choose to use said civilisation to my advatage. Its great heading up the hills when everyone else is heading down.
Posted 2 years ago # -
End result, a slightly sub 2kg bivvy set-up.
My tent set up
a PHD minimus bag ~470g
Sup-air 2 man tent ~ 750g
Balloon bed ~ 100gWhich gives me roughly at total of less than 1.4kg
Cooking kit adds less than 100g ex fuel.
And I can cook inside the tent when it's raining
Posted 2 years ago # -
Did my first proper bivvi up ilkley moor the other day. Managed to fit all my kit in a 35l rucsack and didn't get a sore back from riding (20km).
Didn't bother with a mat, gathered together some heather mears stylee and laid it beneath a dry stone wall. Was tucked up before 10 with hip flask, orbital on the ipod and clouds moving along steadily to send me to sleep. Was lovely. Slept well too.
Riding down from ilkley moor at 6 in the morning in the fog was probably one of the best piece of local riding i've had in a while.
As for tent/bivvi argument: bivvi for rucksack and tent for pannier.
Also, anyone interested in bivvi'in west yorkshire area???
Posted 2 years ago # -
How long does it take to sort out the balloon bed? They look like a ridiculous farce to me.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Or breathable ... so the bumph says.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ian, thats not a tent, thats a handkerchief! one sneeze and it'll blow away! Sup-air
Also, not waterproof?
Indeed, there are much better options for very little extra weight. The Coleman Rigel x2 does a reasonable job as a single skin tent: http://worldofcamping.co.uk/shop/Coleman_Rigel_X2_2_man_lightweight_tent__1665 and pretty cheap.But if you want to do things really properly then the Terra Nova tents are the way to go: http://worldofcamping.co.uk/shop/Terra_nova_Laser_competition_1_man_tent__1651
In fact I need a new tent, and those TN Lasers are very nice
Posted 2 years ago # -
I used to have a two person tent that weighed under a kilo. Double skin and reasonably robust. My current tent is a big two person tent - 3 / 4 season and weighs 1.8 kgs while being capable of repelling the worst that the UK can throw at it - its been tested
Posted 2 years ago # -
mmm... all very interesting.
planning a transalp/alpencross for five weeks time. we don't want the costs of the huts and like the flexibility of camping whenever we find somewhere convinent or when we're pooped.
did think about a hammock but as stated above, when there are no tress you are fooked. i would still have to carry a tarp and mat, anyhow.
my 'camping' kit currently consists of; sleeping bag, 550gr; full length mat, 555gr; 2x3m 'stealhy green' tarp, 450gr. guessing the ropes and pegs will add 200gr.no bivvy bag. we're not planning on sleeping completely out in the open; use cover where available - logged trees, buildings etc. we'll have the tarp - although i think 3x4m would be better - and if the weather is real shitty we'll kip in a hut (or abandoned building). the bag is rated for minus 10.
no stove, pots, utensils to caryy, just 'easy' food - energy bars, flapjacks, fruit.eating in the huts and moving on to find a site to kip in the evenings. sleeping bag and matt strapped to bike (under bars/behind saddle) as they are the bulkiest items.
along with the ~1.7kg for the sleeping gear i'm hoping to keep the total weight around 5.5-6kg. using a 22ltr bag.
working with the idea of being light and fast. we'll see.
anyone wild camped in the alps without any problems? any long distance trips and tales of woe?
Posted 2 years ago # -
alpin - that sounds ace fun..!
Posted 2 years ago #
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