Forum menu
My lightest set up of tarp and bivi bag is approx 640grams. I could get it about 200g lighter if I tried, quite easily.Terra nova's lightest offering of tent is 581 grams at the cost of £700.
For the 59 grams extra I'm carrying, I've saved more than £600.
I'm fairly sure my Polaris tent is down in the sub 700g range - and that only cost me £100. I'm also fairly sure that in a lot of conditions it's far more comfy than a bivvy and a tarp.
so how was it?
Did you die?
-10 in my garden, i bet he's frozen solid 🙁
He picked THE coldest night of winter... balls of steel. or ice.
The comfort rating of a PD400 is around -17, so he should be alright.
Do you think it'll be like Scott of the Antarctic. There'll be a note saying "where's the near e s t P u b....."
🙁
Is he alive?
I'd imagine he won't thaw out till at least noon
If he did survive - he'll be enjoying the best bit of a bivi - the second day ride!
By the time you've got a bivvy bag and a tarp, why not just use a lightweight tent - or am I missing something?
Its not like you can see the stars if you've a tarp over.
I've 2-man goretex tent that weighs less than 1.7kg, and its over 25 years old - so I'm guessing you can now buy stuff that's lighter (and cheaper than what mine was - a months' earnings!)
I'm not far up the road from where we was proposing to bivi and our [url= http://whitchurch-weather.co.uk/muppet/index.html ]local weather station[/url] went down to -10 overnight..
Fair play to him! Hopefully he's not pretending to be a popsicle somewhere out there still..
I'm alive!
Had a great night and half a day of riding. Actually more sleep and more comfortable than the last time now with the thermarest. Didn't get really cold at all, just fingers/toes when waiting for the many punctures to be fixed. Lost count in the end!
Slept on the top of Danebury hill fort, inside the rings. Dozed off staring at the stars, woke to clear blue skies and the sun rising over the hill. Fantastic views towards Salisbury Plain over snow-covered fields. Just as I emerged from my cocoon, there was a sound like a jet plane and a large flock of birds whooshed overhead. Amazing!
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6857076701_20c052d0a5.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/50539691@N05/6857076701/ ]P2111234[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/50539691@N05/ ]Newforce Photos[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6857046097_8dd910c0ae.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/50539691@N05/6857046097/ ]P2111240[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/50539691@N05/ ]Newforce Photos[/url], on Flickr
Had quite a few punctures on the way out, nice pub dinner stop, got kicked out about 12.30, bivi'd down about 2.30, woke up at 9. I didnt get sweaty cycling as it was so cold so slept in my longs (didnt get muddy either as it was all frozen), base layer and light fleece. Reasonably warm, woke a few times a little chilly but a quick fidget and was fine. Biggest issue as ever was a bladder full of Ringwood Best!
A few more punctures on the way home, but stopped at one of my bivi companions house for bacon rolls in the Wallops before riding back along the Test Way. Got home about 2pm.
Computer said -8c at 9am, god knows what it was overnight!
Thank goodness for that. I was thinking someone should call mountain (biker) rescue soon. Looks like you had great time, well done!
Well done skip, glad you had a good (if not bloody cold!) one 😉
Glad to hear you survived! How do you secure your bikes while you are asleep? I've thought about bivvying on a ride but knowing my luck during the 5 minutes sleep I eventually get some **** will nick my bike.
Very envious, wish I had made the effort...! I have ow packed my bivy bag in the van, and going to plan a wee trip from Newcastle, maybe with a short train journey thrown in to the mix...
Good work ) was out early this am and it was 'kin cold, well below. You picked a good night for it!
Burnie - bikes not secured at all. We do pick fairly remote places, or even if near tracks, we're generally well hidden in the woods. I'm sure if someone tried to pinch a bike we'd hear it, I got woken by a deer walking past about 20ft away on an earlier ride and they are quite stealthy movers.
Well done, thats inspired me to get my bivi out and give it a go in my local woods. I just need a good thermorest. What did you use ?
Awesome I think applies here. Mad but awesome.
Now there'll be loads of others who slept out last night popping up just to spoil it 😉
Fantastic - I bet you'll remember that for a while!
I guess you know that you can cope with as cold as Britain gets.
Just need a rain test now 🙂
This sort of thing is what mtb forums are for.
ace.. 😀
Blimey! 😯 Well done on doing it but I didn't think bikes were allowed on Danebury? Bet it looked beautiful though! Years ago there used to be sheep grazing there.
Nutter 🙂
If there was four of you why did you not sleep next to each other for added warmth? Or would that have spoilt the ambience etc?
You need a Nemo gogo in your life.
[url= http://www.nemoequipment.com/nemo2011-gogoelite ]Nemo gogo[/url]
[img] 
[/img]
Flatfish
Seriously, I'd be interested to know what kit you are using. Both my bivi bags (not overly choice items) are 1kg a piece. When/if I have the dosh..I'd like to go lighter.
Well done ! Been a long time since I bivvid out at night and that was on a uk beach in springtime.
Kayak23 - Nice, where are they avaiable in the UK please?
billyboy - For example:
- alpkit hunka bivy bag = 420g (£30)
or - alpkit hunka xl bivy bag = 525g (£40)
- alpkit rig tarp = 514g inc stuffsac (£50)
[url= http://www.alpkit.com/bikepacking ]alpkit[/url]
It's a lot cheaper to diy tarps, you can make them smaller to lose weight. Material is available widely if you look around...
johnclimber - UK gogo stockists a click away from the link provided...
aren't single skin tents notorious for condensation?
billyboy - Member
FlatfishSeriously, I'd be interested to know what kit you are using. Both my bivi bags (not overly choice items) are 1kg a piece. When/if I have the dosh..I'd like to go lighter.
Alpkit Hunka 420g £30
MYOG Spinnaker tarp inc guys 179g approx £20/£25
Ti pegs x 8 = 42g £12
Total 641g
For £100 more, I could lose 230g with a Terra nova moonlit bivi bag.
Reasonably warm, woke a few times a little chilly but a quick fidget and was fine.
Not heard that euphemism for a while...
@billyboy ... like flatfish says.
Terra Nova Moonlite bivvy - 180g
Silnylon 1.5m x 1m tarp/lines- 210g
Pegs - 32g
Total 422g
Stay warm.... Two great cheats.....
Throw one of these into your sleeping bag and be toasty all night... I use a 800g £40 snugpak jungle bag for 2or3seasons and by throwing a £1 pocket warmer in there it turns it into a 3 season £200 ish bag.
[url= http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=pocket+warmers&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1024&bih=672&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3770335935171194126&sa=X&ei=GIo3T8HIEcrC0QXPtKiOAg&ved=0CI8BEPMCMAA ]Pocket warmers[/url]
And stick one of these on your head. Also great for mid ride stops when it's cold. Warm ears whilst repairing a flat on a mountainside.
[url= http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/buff-hood-gore-windstopper-2393-p.asp ]Buff gore hood[/url]
AlSo available from Mediocre shops near you.