Bivi bag vs hammock, discuss

Seeing chat about biviing is getting me keen on the idea again. Looked into getting some kit together last month, but when I saw the cost, and bulk of going the bivi bag route (decent bivi and mat ~£300), it but me off a bit. Then came across the idea of hammock and tarp (~£50 and no need for mat). Would have thought that it'd be more comfy as well. What are peoples thoughts/experiences on this? Issues finding trees? I would have thought this would be ok if you plan your route well…

I've known people who do it and some love it. As you say, finding somewhere to tether it can be an issue. Personally I find it very difficult to sleep in one because of the movement and that you need to be flat on your back.

I've got a army surplus bivi £25, Mats, you can get cheap ones but no you really need it for one night!!!

you need to hang a hammock, you can use a bivvy almost anywhere!

£300?? Hunka from Alpkit £25 and a wee Airic was £25 not long ago.

When it comes to mats, I guess you dont really need a full size one was thinking of this one Click me anyone tested these

I've an alpkit bag – excellent kit. normal one is out of stock, but the XL size is in stock at £50. plus £35 for a mat from the same place and you're sorted 🙂

having had a 3/4 length mat, I'd always now go the full length route, and try and get a lightweight one.

Just out of intrest why go for a full length one, if you in a bivi it doesnt matter right?

rarely even use a mat. let alone a full length – do you bivy on rocks ?

heather is super comfy , sand is also comfy …

bivy bag and sleeping bag – all you need , the rest is just extravagance for an over night trip

I've never missed not having a full length mat

going to cost a bit more than £50 to stay warm and dry in a hammock but i'd use my hammock over a bivvy bag every time given the choice

Hammocks look great but one small problem if your not is a wooded area… 😕

Hammocks are relatively colder – you compress the underside of the sleeping bag and then the air can circulate freely beneath the hammock.

thats what underquilts are for though too tall 😉

depending on the hammock you can go to ground if needs be, not ideal, but it'll get you out of the soft and smelly

Interesting, I assumed (without experience) that a hammock would be walmer than sleeping on the ground (which will also compress the bottom of the sleeping bag, but maybe less so??). I've never used on of the proper mats though, only the thin foam ones you have when your in scouts.

Also, didn't realise you could get a half decent bivi for low price. With something like the alpkit hunker, would you use a tarp as well?

i use both..not together though 😮
alpkit bivi with sleeping bag with no mat- heather,sand,soft grass,ideal 1-2 nights roughing it, nice and minimum to carry…
hennessy hammock if gonna be near woods (nearly always for me) it is real comfy and when inside you can turn on your side or front easy with out it rocking or spinning like a garden hammock,you can sit and get changed in it its that stable..dont think its better or worse than a tent…just an alternative and less restrictive where it can be pitched,
for example…staggered out the clachaig inn at glencoe,walked a few yards along road,cut up steep wood out of site and hung the hammock,no need for level ground & midge free in morning,i take both and decide what to use depending where i end up that evening,can sit under the hennessy aswell in wet weather to cook-as long as the rain is coming straight down 😮

only if it's raining

do you have the hennessy flatfish?, been impressed so far with it…got the snakeskins for it which keep it nice and tidy,

hennessy here. just about to clean down my tarp as it got a load of silver birch sap on it this weekend.

never used a tarp – have found my self sleeping on my front with the opening round my face pointing to the ground – works fine …. for 1 or 2 nights – but thats why i want a zip top one with a vent …..

flatfish what do you have on your head?

D+D hammocks are worth a look if pockets aren't deep enough for a Hennessy … mines been on a few outings and has been great so far.

on the (2) occasions i have done it i have used both together as a precaution, first time it chucked it down 2nd it was a cold night so i used the bivi as an extra layer for warmth as it was easier than taking extra layers/bulk with me and it did the job.i do wish i had taken a roll mat or something to keep the chill off my arse though

i did it on the cheap just for the crack and paid £20 for a parachute nylon double skinned cocoon type off ebay and the bivi was an alpkit thingybob £20-ish off the web-tex site.

folded over buff

Good luck hammocking in the Highlands.

I used to have a hammock with a portable frame, probably weighed about 5kg though.

Err, hotels anyone?

good point, well made

Hotels Whats the fun in that, the cash you save on that you can treat yourself to a little something else…nice

My hammock kit is really comfy but weighs a lot more than an Alpkit bivvy.
Paradise double hammock which allows sideways and stomach sleeping – 650g
Tapes to tie – 150g
DD Tarp 3m x 3m (plenty of room for bike and bag under it)- 650g
Ridgeline – 200g
Midge net – 300g
= 1950g
I save a slight amount because I only need a quilt instead of a full sleeping bag. But basically it's the same as a tent.
However, I sleep so well compared to a thin mat.

Alpkit hunka – 400g
Having a Tarp over is nice, but it's not as practical as for walkers who can use a walking pole. I keep meaning to try two wheels leaning together to form a pole, but I haven't done yet.
Micro tarp + guys is approx 300g

The hennessy hammock is probably the lightest, but the tarp is small (no room next to the hammock for doing things or storing kit). Some light versions weigh only 900g all-in (I think all-in anyway).

I've never tried a hammock, and it depends on what you're doing but for my purposes, I'm incapable of erecting a tarp (or probably a hammock) at the end of a big day. I tried it once with a tarp and I was too tired figure out a decent pitch so I went with the bivvy bag alone. I tend to bivvy when I'm doing big miles, hence the tiredness. If I was going shorter distances, I'd take a tent.

Of course, if I was a bit less useless, the pitching might be easier and it wouldn't be a problem.

FWIW, I got a Terra Nova Discovery Lite for 40 quid recently so it's not expensive.

Out of curiosity, how well do hammocks breath? My sleeping bag is always wet after a bivvy (I'm a pretty hot sleeper) – the hammocks look better from that point-of-view.

With Tarps, can you turn your bike upside down and use that as a center post with the tarp over and pegged ,sort of like a tent and you and your gear????

remove the front wheel and balance the bike on it's forks, then take two small guy ropes tied to your seat rails to make the bike solid. drape the end of your tarp over the bars creating an entrance and peg down. the front wheel can also be used at the other end as a "pole"

What size tarp is tht and what tarp? 3m?

Thanks

Hennessey hammock hex fly 70d

I do my tarp/bike pitching slightly differently from flatfish with the bike upside down and the central supporting cord running through the top of the back wheel with the saddle turned sideways to give extra stability. Don't have a photo to illustrate it though but I think you get slightly more headroom that way. I might give flatfish's method a go next time and see what's easiest/best. However, If there's a wall handy….

Im loving ya work here, those look great thats the kind of thing I had in mind…. Slug, what tarp is that?

It's the smaller of the Alpkit ones…

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16474&category_id=253

I was going to make my own one but never got around to it. Now I'm going to make my own lightweight hammock instead, but I'll probably never get around to that either 😉

Currently (occasionally) using a cotton hammock I bought in Mexico. Too bulky to carry around on longer excursions but fine if you're just cycling/walking a few miles for a camp-out 🙂

… and I recently discovered that if you sleep diagonally in a hammock it's actually quite comfortable. No-one had ever told me that before.

slug, try raising you leg end of the hammock 2-3 inches higher than your head end too makes it more comfortable.

Decathlon do a fairly cheap tarp which I've been really pleased with. Comes with poles, but they weigh a ton so you'd ditch them for this sort of thing. About 20 quid

Aidan – the normal hammocks breath really well because they aren't waterproof fabric. Because you're off the ground you don't need it. The tarp is there to keep the rain off.

Great bike/tarp setups there. Thanks Bigface0_0, Flatfish and Slugwash.

Slugwash – yes I found them uncomfortable until I got one big enough to sleep on the diagonal. If I pitch mine fairly tight I can even sleep on my side and front!

I really can't believe how light those Hennessy UltraLight and HyperLight models are – one day….