just got myself a Hilleberg Tarp and been building up my ultralight weight kit over years of alpine mountaineering. So want to try my hand at bike bivi'ing esp after digging out an old Singletrack article.

Done a list of kit and reckon i can get it down to 6ish kg 2 litres of water inc food, stove, sleeping bag/mat, tarp/poles and bag.

Kit lists of people who've done it would be good and experiences of bivi'ing and tarps would be good (always had the luxury of a tent in the past).

Cheers

Skin so soft
Stove (Pocket Rocket)
Single Pan
Plastic Mug (Better than Ti coz you don't burn your lips)
Headtorch
Camera
Small Tripod
Water
Hip Flask
Thermarest
Alpkit Hunka Bivi Bag
Beanie Hat
Gloves
Leatherman
Hearphones
Packet of Hot Choc
Matches
Flapjack
Will have a tarp next year 🙂

OMM MM25L rucksack

Light My Fire Spork
MSR Titan Kettle
White Box Stove
Disposable Lighter

Thermarest Ultralight
Marmot Hydrogen Sleeping Bag
Rab Superlight bivvy bag

Alpkit Gamma headtorch

Patagonia R2 fleece
Patagonia beenie

Singletrack Hipflask

My kit so far:

Bag – not got yet (see other posts)- maybe Alpkit Gourdon 30???

Snowpeak Ti Pot
Snowpeak Ti Spork
Snowpeak Ti Stove

Cut down foam mat
Rab Quantum Top Bag
Hilleberg Tarp 10UL (still new and needs using)
Groundsheet – (need to source a lightweight one – sub 100g but not sure what yet??)

Rab Photon Jacket (to supplement the superlight sleeping bag)
Merino hat
Buffalo Gloves

Hipflask – with Aberlour A'bunadh

Petzel Tikka or Hope 4led

Don't want to hi-jack, but I'd be interested to hear of people's sleeping-bag choices for bivvying. I was waiting for a Alpkit SkyeHigh, but seems they will be delayed a long time and so I was thinking of going somewhere else for a bag suitable for bivvying down to about -5 celcius.

Suggestions?

I use a backpackinglight.co.uk tarp and a homemade pertex / PU nylon bivvy bag. Alpkit wee airic is good for making things comfy. Walking poles for holding the tarp up and lots of dyneema guy and combo of 6g titanium pegs (superb things – very strong and light) and blue Y shaped alloy pegs for the ridge line.

Just made a meths stove following instructions on Outdoors magic and a wee pot stand from bike spokes and brass tubing from a model shop.

To be honest though not quite got the weight / bulk down to what I want yet as I'm using fairly heavy sleeping bag….

Current kit….

Berghaus mach25 rucksack

3l Camelbak bladder (enough for a decent ride and some cooking)

2 teabags, powdered milk and sugar

pre-mixed muesli and powdered milk for breakfast (beautiful when made with hot water)

Coleman Micro stove and gas cylinder(must buy smaller one), lighter

Kilosoft 40 sleeping bag

Army surplus bivvy-bag

Spare top (usually thermal top)

small head torch

Army surplus metal mug

Plastic my-first-camp-set spoon

My kit isn't really designed for weight more for bulk as I could have bought a slightly bigger pack but hey-ho. The plan is to put it on a diet over the next year and try to squeeze the alpkit wee airic I've just bought in. I'm mostly staying in wooded areas so a tarp isn't a necessity for me. I can take this lost and still get spare chain links, multi-tool, pump tube and patches in as well.

OK, my current set up:

Highlander down bag (good to 10deg)
3/4 self inflating mat
Alpkit bivvi bag
Army surplus poncho/tarp with para cord and 6 alloy pegs

Alpkit Ti mug
Spork
Triad meths/esbit stove
Fuel bottle
Matches

Wet wipes
Bio-degradeable soap
Mini tooth brush + tooth paste
Combe
Lens cleaner for glasses

Merino longjohns*
Merino longsleeve*
Merino socks*
Merino beanie*
Glove liners

Spare cycling shorts
Cycling jersey
Udderly smooth butt-cream
Sunglasses+case

Merino t-shirt
Zip-off trousers

Tool kit
First aid kit
Spare tube
Pump
Mini Gerber tool
Water purifying tabs

GPS
Maps
Fenix front light
Cateye rear light
4x lithium AA's

Arm warmers
Leg warmers
Montane Velocity jacket
Montane superlight over trousers
Sealskinz grippy gloves

2x 750ml bottles on the bike

On Me:

Normal cycling clothes
Ricoh CX1 camera and spare batteries in LowePro case over shoulder.

Thats for pretty much unlimited touring, for overnight stuff the casual clothes and extras would be ditched. It all fits in my Epic designs seat bag and Handlebar harness (sleeping kit in Alpkit drybag)

Total weihgt is c16 lbs inc water and 2 days of food. "race weight" is nearer 12 lbs.

Pic here

SSP

*excellent Chocolate Fish merino products 🙂

Everyone in the world probably does this already but it never occurred to me before: make a brew while watching the stars the night before, pour it into a flask overnight then in the morning you've got tea in your bivvy with minimal faff.

SSP – Bio-degradable soap, where from?
I've been meaning to get some for a while.

…

Some good kit ideas.

Wondering if a superlight ground sheet or bivi bag is the way to go under a tarp.

Was thinking a 2m roll of this: point north fabric As it wide enough for 2 people.

Bivi bags always seem so heavy esp. if your carrying a tarp

I got a very light groundsheet (spinnaker fabric I think) from a chap on Ebay for use with my tarp & bivvy bag. It works well but does rustle a bit and you can slip down it if pitched on a slope.

I've found that I actually rarely use the tarp set-up though, as a lightweight tent (I use a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1) isn't much heavier and still packs into a 32L rucksack with the rest of my overnight kit.

The sleeping bag I use is a Mountain Equipment Dewline 300G. For me it's fine to -5C and packs very small and light. No zip, but I don't find that a problem.

Bio-degradeable liquid soap from Lifeventure, lots of outdoor places stock it. Great for washing you, your food and clothes 🙂

That point north fabric looks interesting if you could get someone to add some tape anchor points to the edges.

SSP

That groundsheet looks ideal epicsteve – do you know how much it weighs?

Think I may have found a bag now – Osprey Talon 22 – looks spot on. Just need to find one cheap now.

Bit rusty, I haven't managed to get out this year but here's my kit:
Osprey talon
M E helium
alpkit bivvy bag and mat or ebay hammock and highlander tarp
M S pocket rocket
cheapo kettle and pan
petzl
special brew…. 😉

What rucksacks are people using to kart this stuff around in? Thinking of doing a Polaris next year.

That groundsheet looks ideal epicsteve – do you know how much it weighs?

Can't recall exactly, but it's virtually nothing.

What rucksacks are people using to kart this stuff around in?

I use the OMM 32L.

Some other kit I use:

InsulMat Max Thermo (inflatable mat with insulation from the US) – much comfier than any other mat I've used and still light at 500g or so.
Jetboil usually, although I've got a pocket rocket and meths stoves
Orikaso folding bowl
Alpkit Ti mug (I cook in this if I'm not using the Jetboil)
Light-my fire spork (prefer it to a Ti Alpkit one)
ME Dewline 300G down sleeping bag or a Vango Venom 225 if it's warmer
2l and 1l platypus water bottles
Tiny little single LED headlamp

Went last night in the dales, bit windy but pretty good!

30L north face rucksack
alpkit hunka
mountain equipment starlight something or other. was toastie at 10deg with a fleece and pants on
half a foam mat – reckon this is perfect and wouldn't need anymore. although i'm only 5ft7
normally wrap my sleeping bag up in the hunka to do away with a dry bag

howies waterproof
endura shorts+chamois
seal skin gloves and socks
endura baa baa base layer
north face fleese
dappy-esq beanie
either wearing this or in a 10L dry bag

tub of pasta
malt loaf
chocie rice crispy things
whisky
spare tube, chain tool, park tool, patches, tyre levers, pump, zip ties
hope adventure light on the bars and tesco torch on me helmet.

think thats as low as i can get it comfortably. bought the new rig 7 alpkit tarpe. its massive for the pack size! weather was ok though so we didn't put it up.

mat

Is everyone putting all their kit in a rucksack on these bivi trips? … I'm wondering about using a rack to carry the lightish bulky stuff like sleeping bag, bivibag and sleeping mat in a rack top bag, not being too heavy should be ok on the back for off-road? Anyone know of a decent rack top bag for this sort of thing? I'm liking the Epic Designs bags mentioned further up but want something like that for the top of a rack. Any suggestions?

How do people find meths stoves in day to day use compared to a pocket rocket or the like?

I've got a Jetboil free a few years ago but I have never been that impressed (other than a very expensive brew maker). How do you get on with yours Epicsteve?? Do you use it for more than just boiling water as for that it seems heavy as you dont really need the 'super efficiency if your only out for 1 or 2 nights?

get yourselve a hessony hammock and get off the ground and never look back,i wouldnt bother with a bivy again after buying one http://hennessyhammock.com/catalogue.html
and a hoochie to cook under http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/81-Australian-Waterproof-Hootchie-Flysheet/

epicsteve- do you use a groundsheet instead of a mat? are you warm enough?

here's my kit list from an august bivvy-was way too hot. took the same amount of clothes 2 weeks ago and was just about warm enough. actually the amount of whiskey drunk is more of an explanation 😉

clicky for details, yes i have a lot of time on my hands!

as for stoves, sometimes it's good to be able to control the heat and know that it'll 'just work'. but meths is loads lighter. and another vote for omm bags

Kojak I carry my stuff in a Carradice Super C saddle pack. I can get just about everything in it. Fastens to your saddle, waterproof and made in the UK.

I find it much easier on the back and shoulders than a backpack.

Cheers
Stuart

I used to use a rack with all the kit stuffed in an Alpkit drybag and strapped on with a couple of straps 🙂

I am selling a Jandd rack bag if any one is interested. Its the Rack duffle and pretty useful for lightweight trips 🙂

SSP

I've got a Jetboil free a few years ago but I have never been that impressed (other than a very expensive brew maker). How do you get on with yours Epicsteve?? Do you use it for more than just boiling water as for that it seems heavy as you dont really need the 'super efficiency if your only out for 1 or 2 nights?

I usually use it to boil water and heat up wayfayrer type meals (I use the army surplus ones mostly). I have cooked pasta and soup in it but it needs a lot of stirring so it doesn't burn on the bottom and it can be a pain to clean afterwards.

If I'm by myself and using wayfayrers then it's my stove of choice, however if I'm in a group or planning to cook anything else then I'll take the pocket rocket.

I've made several coke-can style meths stoves and while the work quite well I tend only to use them for single night trips if I'm travelling really light.

get yourselve a hessony hammock and get off the ground and never look back

I don't tend to have trees to hang a hammock from as I like to camp in places like this:

epicsteve- do you use a groundsheet instead of a mat? are you warm enough?

I use a mat as well. I've got one of the Aplkit Wee Airics but tend to use an inflatable InsulMat as it's not really any heavier, easier to pack, warmer and much more comfortable.

Thank Steve. How easy are the meths can stoves to make- i've seen the article on outdoormagic and they look pretty cool?

Just bought and took back an Osprey Talon 22 bag, just a tad to small. All the kit fitted in nicely but no room for bike related bits.so still on the look out for a new bag – shame as the back system felt great. Not sure if i want the 33l version esp when you compare the weight to an Omm bag.

Any other views on tarp ground sheets?

Thank Steve. How easy are the meths can stoves to make- i've seen the article on outdoormagic and they look pretty cool?

They're pretty easy really – if I can make them then anyone can!

please feel free to delete this post. it was made in error.

Really interesting read, first bivi for me in May (southdowns way) but with a gelert solo so not really bivi but you know what i mean. My only real worry is to wake up to find my bikes gone but Im guessing thats never happened right!! 😯
Anyone used one of the Gelert Solid Fuel Folding Stove ??

so long as you don't have a lie-in and your fairly remote/hidden your bike will be fine. if your still worried tie a guy line to it so your tent gets pulled over if someone stealing it.

bigface – you need to choose a spot thats hidden away enough that the chances of anyone finding your bikes are slim.

I have bivvied the SDW – if you want some advice on camp spots mail me.

I always take as little as possible, for one night only trips you can get down to almost nothing. I go for a bivi bag unless camping in a wooded area where a hammock and tarp is often comfier and almost as light. Small tent for most winter conditions or when I'm not alone- that isn't really bivvying though.

To keep kit low, in summer you often won't need a stove, you can carry fuel in a small bottle/film canister and make a stove out of a small tin (like tuna tin proportions)- found this to be very reliable for a week after a stove failure in the arctic.

Typical minimum summer kit list for me is something like…
Water
Food
Bag/Primaloft jacket and wooly hat
Knife

Then next level adds…
Sleeping mat
Sleeping bag (can remove warm jacket)

Then all the other things come in as needed, eg. bivvy bag/tarp and hammock, stove, fuel, lighter, mess tin, toothpaste. I'd only take any wash stuff for longer than a 2 day trip or if there is no running/open water around. If you want you can get silly adding stuff, but really take as much or as little as you want and need.

As for bivvying with a tarp- I've got no advice other than they're good for areas with tree cover (when I use with hammock). In bad conditions on open ground I'd always prefer a tent. I don't really get the preference for tarp plus poles over a bivi bag- there may be a slight weight/space saving, but I simply prefer a bivi bag. If conditions are making you want a bivi and a tarp, then a small tent is often lighter and more comfortable.

Thom you missed out last night, very pleasant night out a few beers and pub dinner in Hursley, bivvied up on Beacon Hill.
followed by a muddy ride back this morning to get ready for work.

how's your hair 😉

Anyone been out in the Bivi, Picks advise is always good, got the stuff and heading out next weekend…

Tarp? WTF? That's not a bivi, it's camping with a good draft.

from last wednesday evening

I usually take:
Macpac Epic150 liner
Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag
(optional) Thermarest paclite 3/4 length
MSR pocket rocket & small jetboil gas canister
spork & single ti mug (MSR i think)

iRule merino beanie & merino gloves
iRule EXXO which is our new underlayer merino top – in production now
cactus climbing fleece if cold
Macpac paclite jacket & trousers if wet
Macpac down jacket if really cold.
spare pair Bridgedale socks (X-Hale multisport)

Backcountry cuisine dehy food.

Have done a fair few trips like this and its essentially what i would race with excluding the bivy bag. I also have a homemade fly with ties down each side that comes if its wet.

For carrying I use a Freeload on the back (www.freeload.co.nz) and a modified Seal Lines drybag on the front with custom clips to hold it under my bars. Backpack is a macpac AR pack 35ltr