[Closed] Wild camping/kit advice needed please

bivvy bag/sleeping bag/roll matt, small tarp optional.

or tent/sleeping bag/roll matt.

Considering the midgy (and rain/wind) problem in the uk and that a tent only gives you a weight penalty of about 500 to 1000g. I personally think it's mental going bivvying.

Thanks No midges thankfully, Sleeping bag on tent floor/groundsheet is fine with me when "normal" camping. No air beds or roll mat as summer. So all I need is sleeping bag and Bivi bag? Or is there such a thing as a damp proof sleeping bag that packs down small?

PS I personally think it’s mental going bivvying Probably am 🙂

 No air beds or roll mat as summer.

madness! 😆

a tent only gives you a weight penalty of about 500 to 1000g. I personally think it’s mental going bivvying.

If you think that weight is one of the main criteria when choosing to tent or bivvy then you've missed the point:-)

completely aye! 😆

so what is the point then anyhow?

All I want to do is ride, pub, meal , ride, sleep, ride. stay dry throughout from dew etc, no rain forecast, I have comfy places to sleep texture wise, but no cover/protection from dew/damp. Point being, whats better than  - ride pub sleep, repeat...... in good countryside?

Flexibility of location

Atmosphere

The views

Would be my main three reasons.

scotroutes

Flexibility of location

Atmosphere

The views

Would be my main three reasons.

Don't really get the difference tbh. I only ever go in a tent to sleep or shelter.

I've bivvied in many spots you couldn't pitch a tent.

All I want to do is ride, pub, meal , ride, sleep, ride. stay dry throughout from dew etc, no rain forecast, I have comfy places to sleep texture wise, but no cover/protection from dew/damp. Point being, whats better than  – ride pub sleep, repeat…… in good countryside?

nothing better, tis great, bit of protection from the ground is worth thinking of though, can get mighty cold even in the summer, and the ground draws heat out of you fairly quickly. Anyhow, upto yourself, I've no recommendation on bivvy bags, pretty sure some one else will. You'll need a sleeping bag as they are just basically a shell, I don't think on their own they'll offer much beyond basic protection. So the sleeping bag will be for some insulation.

scotroutes

I’ve bivvied in many spots you couldn’t pitch a tent.

example?

Ok , Ill try and explain, Ive found a few places on my travels that are so peaceful and relaxing during  day rides, ie nobody for miles, quiet and untrodden by the masses, where I can lie down, relax, and doze off in the sun mid ride with no danger of being disturbed. The sound of silence,,,,

Just thought , watching the sun go down at these spots would  be good, watching it come up would be better, .. so I why not combine the two?

Just need advice on kit to use between sunset and sunrise

Sleeping bag inside bivi bag. Don't obsess about a all in one solution. The army bivi bags are heavy but tough.imo so avoid.

Down is lightest but more susceptible to moisture so requires care. Down is has ethical issues. Alpkit as a eg for reasonable price down bags.

Synthetic bulkier and heavier for same insulation.

Sleeping bag should be < 1kg for summer.

You will need something under you even if it is just a torso length mat. This is not for padding but insulation from the ground as it will suck heat from you. Self inflating pack small and are comfortable and if bought carefully light, closed cell foam are bulky but cheap and tough and if cut down can be very light.

I also think a simple stove essential too. Having a simple meal or a brew outdoors is excellent. Penny stove type designs are very light.

example

Think of a space that that is smaller than the footprint of your tent or wouldn’t take pegs. A ditch, drainage pipe, the ‘Montana Motel’, under a rock/tree, you’re only as limited as your imagination.

for a tent, you need a pitch.

re mats, thebrick has it. I once made made the mistake of thinking I didn’t need a sleep mat. In high summer, Derry lodge in the Cairngorms. I’ll never make that mistake again.

I'd have a look at alpkit, they do some good value bivvi gear. The hunka bivvi should do the job, coupled with one of their sleeping bags.

As mentioned above, down will be lighter and warmer for a given pack size, but will also be more expensive and susceptible to losing insulation if it gets wet. Synthetic is less affected by the damp (although clearly it will still feel colder if it's wet), is a bit bulkier, but cheaper.

FWIW I've had several top end down bags which have been lovely, but ended up buying a synthetic for bikepacking and bivvying, mainly so I wasn't so precious over getting it dirty.

Oh, and I'd also agree with the sleeping mat comments, you lose an awful lot of heat through the ground. I'd get a cheap foam "karrimat" style mat, and if you are concerned with weight and pack size, cut it down shorter so that your shoulders and arse are on it, leaving your legs just on the ground.

Seosamph.

Glen nevis. Woken up to two chaffinches alighting on my chest. Opened my eyes to find the cheeky little sods peaking over the edge at me.

Not going to happen in a tent.

Woken up surrounded in tent on a beach very very hungover.

Doesn't happen in a bivvy bag. You don't  get hangovers in a bivvy bag.

For what the OP is describing (and not worrying too much about budget), I’d go for a Cumulus 150 or 250 quilt, a Neo air x-lite mat and a Borah Gear ultralight bivy.

I'd go foam mat decathlon sleeping bag and tarp and see how i got on.

I’d go foam mat decathlon sleeping bag and tarp and see how i got on.

Very good!

Bivy bag: hate these things. Too hot and cramped early in the night. Too cold later on (sleeping bag gets wet, bivy bag not breathing..). If you buy such a bag: buy it "one size too big".

advice from joshvegas: that's the minimum you need. A mat, a sleeping bag and a tarp.

Have fun!

Advice for wild camping? No 1 would be don't listen to TJ when he pitches up or you'll be kitted out for a 70's siege style Himalayan expedition 😀

Bivi vs tent? It orses for courses init? Would you bivvy on a multi day trip in Scotland in September? Probly not as you'd be eaten alive and most likely soaked. But Scottish overnighters in May/June or rolling out of the pub at 11:00 and dossing somewhere close is a pleasure to behold.

I had a similar experience to Chaffinch man up there ^ though it was a child from a wandering kindergarten group in a park in the Swiss Alps... Much the same though - little shit woke me up 😉

For the chaffinch experience I could just lie with my head sticking out the tent door! 😆

The ditch and the drainage pipe experience don't really appeal tbh! 😆

Based on your requirements as you've stated above all you need is a lightweight synthetic sleeping bag, ideally with a showerproof outer.

OK, all the other stuff suggested would increase your comfort on an overnighter but that's not what you're asking. Is it?

Just get absolutely sh*t faced in the pub, then you won't need any of that stuff. It's worked for me a couple of festivals, just carry some ibuprofen for when you wake up...

Advice? don’t listen to TJ

There you go, fixed that for you 🙂

You need a bivvy bag and a sleeping bag, I would highly recommend a good lightweight roll mat (I've got a sea to summit one, it's among the lightest although I went for a thermal one as I might be out in moderate conditions).

I also take tent pegs and a tarp, you can use your wheels to support the tarp. So far no big problems with midges even in the west of Scotland, although I've been careful about where I've slept (high, windy is the preference). One evening I did get a lot of them whilst chilling out but they didn't seem to go for us in the bivvy/under the tarp. A lot of them settled on the tarp overnight and chased  us about as we packed up in the morning though!

A (lightweight) tarp is a negligible weight, tent pegs maybe not so much. All up I think my kit weighs 2.5kg and the cost was fairly modest (as far as these things go). I haven't had a bad night's sleep, even with heavy wind where sitting out was uncomfortably cold with all the clothes I had on.

You could fit all of the above into a day pack (and, as it was chilly the morning after that windy night so I had all my clothes on rather than in the bag, I have done once). I tend to use a dry bag on the bars, haven't bothered getting a seat pack as I have a dropper post. This still gives reasonable handling if you can get the dry bag sitting right (Depends on control hoses/cables etc.).

I might think about a lightweight tent next time I'm feeling flush, but only really cos of the midges, I'm quite happy that I'd stay dry/keep the worst of the wind off me with my current setup.

example?

Summit of Cairngorm mid-summer to watch the dawn. Too rocky for a tent.

Huddled behind a big boulder in the Lairig Ghru with high winds driving rain through. Too rough for a tent.

In the doorway of the Glenshee Ski Centre - again escaping the winds.

On beaches where the sand won't support a tent peg.

In and behind numerous summit cairns.

I have tents too. A Lunar Solo (which is like a super-tarp) and a Tartptent Scarp 1. They make an appearance on some trips and have some advantages but I now prefer to bivvy if I can.

I find that I rarely NEED a bivvy bag but I carry one in case it rains. I do make sure I pick the right night in terms of weather, though.

But a good sleeping mat is essential.  And a sleeping bag of course, and some warm clothes.

For beeches and rocky ground.

Don't fancy the doorway approach! 😆 I'll have a tent for shelter!

If it gets too rough, the tent will handly convert into a bivvy bag if needed anyhow.

Not really seeing any benefit to a bivvy bag at all!

If there are beeches I'd tie my tent to them.

For beaches though.... are you seriously suggesting you've not been on a rock-free beach? One where there are miles and miles of sand, perhaps a few grassy dunes?

You really need to get out more - and I mean that literally 🙂

you only need rocks if it's windy, free standing tent will go up anywhere!

In the doorway of the Glenshee Ski Centre

Classy 🙂

you only need rocks if it’s windy, free standing tent will go up anywhere!

Like I said...

In the doorway of the Glenshee Ski Centre

Classy

Yeah, well. I'd planned to stop at Braemar but it was a clear, still night and it was obvious we were in for a temperature inversion so I opted to stop at the ski centre. The doorways are built as little corridors to cope with winter snowstorms so I stopped in one of those. Not a bad spot either. I was right about the temperature inversion too. There was a freezing mist and frost on the ground as I dropped into Braemar the following morning.

I'm firmly in the bivvy camp rather than a tent, if the forecast is looking good then I won't bother with a tarp, though carry it with me as it only weighs 200g.

My complete sleeping set up including tarp, bivvy bad, mat, sleeping quilt weighs in at 1.3kg. I can't get anywhere near that with a tent and it also costing a lot more money.

Thanks for all the input , certainly given me more idea now. Particlularly liked the Pub/Ibuprofen idea, definitely the lightest  :}

scotroutes

Like I said…

In the doorway of the Glenshee Ski Centre

How does having a tent preclude me from kipping in the door of glenshee ski centre? 😆

Thanks again guys, successfully completed (in my view)first one! Went with bag, mat and tarp. (as well as pub before hand) Weather was cracking and hot in just t-shirt in sleeping bag. Mat was a very good shout indeed, as was small inflatable pillow.

Sunset/sunrise spectacular along with mists in valleys.

Sunset

Sunrise

I have “camped” in the woods above llanberis in February in nothing more than an ajungilak 3 season sleeping bag and a survival blanket. (I was 17 and pissed on stella tho). In this wether I would bivvy and enjoy sleeping outside.

photos not working george.