Bivi tonight – will I die?

It doesn’t rally matter how far you are from civilisation does it? You’re doing it for fun at the end of the day, not make some survivalist statement.

I’ll take a warm bed over the most glamorous campsite anyday, but when camping takes me to beautiful exotic places that are not accessible by more civilised means then that’s a good reason to do it.
Bivi-ing 20 mins from a pub in the British winter kinda reminds me of when I was a kid and thought it was cool camping in my backyard.
Not a critisism by any means each to their own its just interesting hearing what other people like.

Man survived by shelter and fire……………You have neither of these, get a grip, it won’t happen

when I was a kid and thought it was cool camping in my backyard.

that’s kind of it though isn’t it? The more I am looking into what I need for my first bivvy the more I realise howmany people are actually dotted around our hills and vales of a weekend, god on you all!

Good on you 40mpg!
Your’e obviously a crank with nothing better to do & probably no life at home (or no home at all) but good on you for doing what YOU want to do. It’s probly the last thing I’d be doing.

reminds me of when I was a kid and thought it was cool camping in my backyard.

This is exactly my point!

There are no campsites involved in bivvying. You seem to think that pubs and beautiful landscapes can’t be combined!

My afore mentioned bivvy will be atop an ancient hillfort with views to the somerset levels, Blackdown and Rowberrow forest. There are sweeping views across the Severn estuary too. Granted its not the Rockies or Scotland, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it because I can’t get to suitably remote places easily.

When time permits, I’ll be quite happy to go all survivalist about it too. Its all good for a giggle.

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 local weather station 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!

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P2111240[/url] by 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.
Nemo gogo

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)

alpkit

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
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.

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