North Face Assault

Terra Nova Survival

Given that the Hunkas are still out of stock, I’ve been looking at some other options to use with a tarp.

Both of the above look reasonable, I especially like the mesh panel on the North Face one, looks as if it might be reasonable to sleep with the hood open. I’ll also be using a groundsheet (well, the footprint from my tent) so not too concerned about the durability of the material.

Has anyone had any first hand experience, I can’t find any reviews other than one on the North Face site.

Ta

I’ve not used the TN Survival, but I’ve got an old style Moonlite which appears to be very similar. It’s a small bag, will fit me and my sleeping bag only, but it breathes well and didn’t let in over a week of HTR use last year. You’re welcome to give it a try.

Sounds good, I plan to use it with a 2 man tarp (the Alpkit Rig 7) so space in the bag itself probably isn’t an issue.

It’s with half an eye to HTR 2017 that I want to get some bivvy gear together, will be a year or so before I get another MTB but could fit in a few ‘gravel’ bivvy adventures before then.

Both have manly names so you should be ok with either. 😆

I’d go with the North Face one though because I’ve never once had any bother with their kit. Good value when you consider how long it lasts.

Haha, yeah, the North Face ‘Curl Up and Make It All Go Away’ bag obviously wasn’t a big seller… 😀

That North Face bivvy is very yellow. For most bivvying I would prefer something less obvious, and easy to hide.

Yeah, I hear that, although the places I want to use it (Scottish highlands) that isn’t really an issue, and I’ll be under an Alpkit ‘kelp’ coloured tarp, so kind of hidden anyway.

In the past I’ve used either a bright red or orange/cream tent so not one for subtle camping!

Will you always use it with a tarp? If so you could look at wind rather than waterproof bivys. Much lighter and more breathable.

I think if you’re considering the HTR then waterproof is wise. Sometimes you’ll be too broken to muck around with a tarp so crawling into your bag and hoping you’ve eaten enough to not bonk in the morning is as good as it gets.

Quick update:

I noticed that nowhere on the North Face literature did it actually say ‘waterproof’, merely ‘keeps you dry and comfortable’ and ‘DRYWALL technology for single wall breathability’. It also said the bag was designed for ‘high altitude’ expeditions.

None of this concerned me though, after all, what would be the point of a bivvy bag that wasn’t waterproof? Tiso’s certainly didn’t hesitate to sell me it even when I mentioned bivvying on Scottish summits…

Anyway, long story short: It’s not waterproof. In fact, I suspect this is one of those ‘windproof’ bivvies that ianfitz suggested. That being said, it was my friends in their NF bags who actually discovered this as I had a lovely dry night under my tarp 😀 (and was impressed at how little condensation had formed in the bivvy bag).

So in conclusion, does what it says on the tin, will probably keep you dry at high altitude where rain would fall as snow and condensation is your biggest concern. Utterly useless for highlands bivvying unless you’re committed to using a tarp as well. Lets hope Tiso agree that they should perhaps have told me this before I bought it, at least I have the receipt… 🙄