WTB [NSW] Bivy bag

[ausvegguykk]

Sup all, i am looking for a bivy bag, i am particularly hoping for an outdoor research alpine, but please let me know if you have something

cheers

[Eljimberino]

If you want to experiment with cheap options try here: https://m.aliexpress.com/search.htm?key ... +mesh+tent

[ausvegguykk]

erm, i don't... i want something reliable if i am going to be using it for weeks at a time

not to mention the ones in that link aren't weatherproof whatsoever

[Moondog55]

Believe me you do not want to be living in a bivvy bag at all; bivvy bags are for occasional/emergency use. More than overnite you need a large tarp at a minimum, which most of those in the link are or a proper tent and a sleeping bag cover.

[ausvegguykk]

Believe me you do not want to be living in a bivvy bag at all; bivvy bags are for occasional/emergency use. More than overnite you need a large tarp at a minimum, which most of those in the link are or a proper tent and a sleeping bag cover.

I will be using it for bicycle touring, so weight and bulk are issues, alot of tourers use bivy bags bc of small size, low weight, and quick set up, tents are atleast 2x as heavy as the heavier bivys (like the alpine)
if you guys have some better suggestions i'm open for it

[Zapruda]

Weighs just as much as the alpine bivy

http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/big-agn ... di/tfly114

Bivys are famous for their discomfort and condensation. There are plenty of sub 1kg tents available that would be far more comfortable.

[photohiker]

I have two bivvy bags, and they have both been excellent.

1. Bristlecone Bivvy 215g https://katabaticgear.com/shop/bristlecone-bivy/

2. RAB Ascent Bivvy 630g https://rab.equipment/us/ascent-diamond-bivi

Sorry, not for sale. My suggestion is to buy new.

I use the Bristlecone usually with a tarp or trailstar, and the Ascent is fine on it's own.

Bivvy's are fine for multiple days as long as they have adequate moisture transmission. Without transfer of moisture, your sleeping bag or quilt will become a bit soggy!

[fiendWithin]

What about a Tarptent Moment DW at 960g https://www.tarptent.com/momentdw.html

I haven't used one but the company seems really well respected in the ul community and all their tents are well reviewed. I'm saving to buy a two man Tarptent at the moment.

[photohiker]

What about a Tarptent Moment DW at 960g https://www.tarptent.com/momentdw.html

I haven't used one but the company seems really well respected in the ul community and all their tents are well reviewed. I'm saving to buy a two man Tarptent at the moment.

Tarptent are excellent tent manufacturers. One of the best.

This thread is not about tents, it is about bivvys for bicycle touring.

[Eljimberino]

Yes Tarptents are 'great'...but a rip off for what they are and how much they cost to get to Australia (at the moment).

[ribuck]

Bivvy bags are great for bicycle touring! I have used a MacPac Aurora bivvy for over 30 years, and have had about a thousand great nights in it. Condensation has rarely been an issue. The little hoop that holds the fabric away from one's face is a great feature, and I like that bivvy so much that I usually use it even when I don't need to go lightweight.

Scan 13_2.jpg (148.51 KiB) Viewed 21637 times

The photo is from 1984, and I still use that bivvy bag, but it's starting to tear and I need to replace it. The closest I can find now is the MacPac Bush Cocoon, but it's $350.

Good luck with your search, ausvegguykk.

[ausvegguykk]

wow, lotta replies since last i checked... yeah i have looked at tarptents, but the fact that they take more time to set up and take down, and that they cost about 600 aud shipped, with the minimal features to australia is a turn off... if i could get one second hand or find a distributor i would try that

@photohiker, is it less comfortable to have the non hooped bivi?

@ribuck i think i will go for a ride up to newcastle in a few days and check out their store there

have any of you bivi owners got any comments on the waterproof...ness(?) of bivis? i have read that the outdoor research alpine has excellent waterproofing, it's also on sort of the heavy end of the spectrum for bivis though..

[ribuck]

Mine had excellent waterproofing, both the GoreTex above and the nylon bathtub below (although the nylon needed to be re-proofed every couple of years, as did the un-taped seams on the GoreTex).

Even in torrential rain I never had a problem with water ingress. On the other hand, water gets in every time you get into or out of a bivvy while it is raining. I do this thing where I hold my raincoat over the opening while I try to wriggle out of the bivvy and into the raincoat. This cuts down the entry of water, but doesn't eliminate it.

[racca]

I have a Roman Centurion bivy. Not the smallest or lightest, but it is waterproof, breathes well and doesn't cost a fortune.In saying that i jut don't use it anymore, I use a mid with innernet. Let me know if your'e interested in the Roman.

[Moondog55]

Even in torrential rain I never had a problem with water ingress. On the other hand, water gets in every time you get into or out of a bivvy while it is raining. I do this thing where I hold my raincoat over the opening while I try to wriggle out of the bivvy and into the raincoat. This cuts down the entry of water, but doesn't eliminate it.

It is this problem that I alluded to; when you add in the weight of a decent tarp and pole a tent is often lighter in weight and more compact.

Good luck with the search

[photohiker]

@photohiker, is it less comfortable to have the non hooped bivi?

I have a 'hooped' swag, but no way I could carry it on a bike. lol.

The mesh and material is easily kept off your face, even the Bristlecone has a tie out so there is space without the material contacting your face. I have found both of my bivvys comfortable. There is enough room in them for me and I'm not a midget

have any of you bivi owners got any comments on the waterproof...ness(?) of bivis? i have read that the outdoor research alpine has excellent waterproofing, it's also on sort of the heavy end of the spectrum for bivis though..

There are two facets of waterproofness for a bivvy. Firstly the material needs to have been properly treated with water repellent so rain does not get absorbed and eventually soak through. Secondly, the material needs to be designed to move moisture from the inside face of the material to the outside, otherwise your perspiration will soak the inside of the bivvy.

[Giddy_up]

I have one of these and it's been very very good. Recommend it to anyone.

http://www.globewalker.com.au/bivvi-bag/


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[slparker]

I have used a bivvy bag a few times but not extensively. I doubt very much that you will be dry and condensation free inside the bag in constant rain. The physics of vapour transmissable (breathable) fabrics is that they depend upon a gradient of temperature and/or humidity to transmit moisture from inside to outside - irrespective of brand or material.

When the DWR fails on your bivvy (and it will) the outside will be wet. There is insufficient gradient (in fact the gradient works the other way) for vapour to get from inside to outside, particularly in warmer conditions.
As you produce vapour from insensible loss from your skin and your breath this vapour will collect in the bag and will not be able to exit. Combined with water ingress every time you enter or exit the bag this means that you are very likely to get damp inside the bag and, in extended wet conditions, your sleeping gear will stay damp for days.

You can stay warm and damp but not warm and dry. That might be true of whatever you do in a week of rain though - nothing seems to dry out in high humidity, for obvious reasons. The benefit of a tarp or tent is that you get less damp when sleeping. How much of an issue that is to you will dictate how certain you are the a bivvy is right for you in very wet conditions.

[ausvegguykk]

If i were to go for a 1 man tent, anyone have any suggestions? my main concern would be keeping it compact, more than the weight of it

[[Jack]son]

Just came up on Massdrop:
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/outdoor-re ... elium-bivy