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The picture below shows an Army bivvy on the left, a Rab one in the middle and a snoring Welshman in an unknown bivvy on the right. The Hunka comes in three different colours: green, red and blue. It isn’t the lightest, but at 330g it’s still a big weight saving on any tent. It has a hood that goes nicely around the outside of your sleeping bag hood, with a simple drawstring at either side so it can be tightened around you and your bag. It has no additional venting or faffy zips and the bag tapers towards your feet. You can pair it with a tarp for added protection from the elements, if you like, but many choose not to. And that’s it. There’s not much else to say. The Hunka is a simple product with no-frills. But, on a clear summer’s night, where your aim is to feel at one with nature with your face exposed to the fresh air, then it’s absolutely the best value product on the market. Hi! I’mm Alastair, an adventurer and author. I invented the phrase #Microadventure and I’mve been shouting about it for a few years. You can follow the microadventures people are doing on social media here or say hello to me here.
The Helium bivvy itself uses a flexible fibre glass pole to form a hoop shape above your head with a zippable hood which can be pulled down over the hoop to fully zip up the enclosure if required. In good weather, the hood can be withdrawn and toggled up on the hoop, leaving a net mesh to keep bugs out. Putting the bivy tent up for the first time took me about 10 minutes, but I think I could probably half that with a bit of practice. A short hoop is threaded through the foot region and a longer one up at the head end. The base structure is then pegged out with 6 pegs and the fly sheet added on top. This is then also pegged with a couple of guy ropes if it is windy.There are two U-Shaped openings on the top surface of the Sierra Bivy. The largest is for getting in and out and has dual zips to accomplish this task. Because it can open so wide, getting in actually pretty easy for a bivy. The second opening is on the top surface and forms a little window with a fly mesh and cover. this allows you to lie out and look at the night sky before zipping up for the night. Nice. You are not cocooned from the environment as you are in a tent. In a tent you are basically in a rubbish version of indoors. In a bivvy bag you really are outside. You feel the breeze on your face, look up at the stars before you sleep and sit up to a brilliant view in the morning. Exposing the Bush Pro Bivvi sleeping bag to any wet conditions will not cause it to leak or spring a ‘roof-shaped hole. It is made of tough ripstop canister fabric with a water-resistant rating of 5000 mm hydrostatic head, and its seams are fully taped for thorough protection from bad weather.
Fancy it? If you do, then you’re in the right place. We’ve done the hard work for you, putting several products – ranging in design, style, size and price – through their paces on wild camping trips to Scotland, the Brecon Beacons and the Lake District. So, whether you’re looking to venture into bivvying for the first time or if you’re a seasoned pro at sleeping under the stars, there’s something for everyone here. The Best Bivy Bags Tested by Our TeamAs Rab’s cheapest and lightest bivvy, this is well suited to campers looking to ditch the tent for the first time. The Trailhead is crafted from hardwearing 40 Denier ripstop nylon with a breathable yet waterproof polyurethane coating on both its top and base. This durable combination ensures that any rain is kept at bay, while a zipped mesh vent enables appropriate ventilation. All seams are taped, completing what is an impressively watertight product. The hood area can be zipped up to obtain complete coverage at night, although this does increase the chances of condensation forming inside. Getting in and out is ‘interesting’ as is the case with all bivvy bags. Our technique is to get it all set up with the head section fully unzipped, then undo our boots and literally step out of the boots one at a time onto the top end of the bivvy. It’s then a simple matter of sitting down and sliding in. Overnight testing showed no signs of the dreaded condensation, and I did get rained on heavily. I was impressed with the ability to keep dry inside the Ridge Raider and it is now definitely my choice of best bivvy bag if money is no object. There are two options for sealing the bivvy: you can either zip up the mesh panel or you can pin the mesh panel up with a toggle and zip the whole thing closed. Unlike many other bivvy bags, it doesn’t taper at the foot end, so it’s good for those who don’t like the feeling of being in a mummy bag. It also has a reinforced brow, to help keep the bivvy off your face, which makes things so much more comfortable on a wet night. According to North Face, the DryWall single skin also ‘provides unparalled single-wall breathability’. At 420g, the Assault Bivy is not the lightest, and for some it might seem just too big. But, if you’re after a top quality, waterproof bivvy bag with extra space for your boots and bag, then look no further.
A sleeping bag is an insulated bag that is designed to keep you warm. This warmth is provided by either a down or synthetic filling that traps air around your body as you sleep. In contrast, the single-skin fabric of a bivyy bag provides negligible warmth. It is designed to keep out moisture (from rain, dew or snow) while having sufficient breathability to minimise moisture build up on the inside. A sleeping bag will often cover the head but doesn’t cover the face, where most bivvy bags allow for the whole person to be sealed inside (i.e. the bag is closed fully over both the head and face). Do I need a sleeping bag with a bivvy? Even the best bivvy bags leave some condensation on your sleeping bag. For a single-night trip this is no problem, but for extended use you need to be able to hang your sleeping bag up to dry occasionally. Although you can sleep in just a bivvy bag, it’s generally a pretty unpleasant experience – both should be used in combination. In all but the warmest weather you would feel uncomfortable and cold without a sleeping bag once the sun has gone down. Using a bivi bag can be a little like wearing a waterproof parka coat in the winter. The bivi wraps around your sleeping bag and includes a big hood which can completely cover encompass your head and face.
Downsides are the same as for any bivvy of this kind. If it’s raining you can find yourself having to get into it when you otherwise wouldn’t with a small tent. Using a tarp can overcome that problem, and we would certainly recommend that if you think there will be trees to set it up. Alternatively bring along some poles for the tarp. Next, consider the nature of your running excursion. For a long adventure (more than a few nights), the importance of comfort and plenty of rest can't be underestimated. This is where a slightly heavier set-up might be preferred (eg a one-man tent with some space inside and a comfy sleeping mat).
But if you’re racing, then pace tends to take precedence. In a short race (only one or two nights), it’s easier to rough it and sacrifice a good night's sleep in favour of better running performance. But for long, expedition style races or Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempts, the situation is more complex, with the aim of the game being to maximise performance over a prolonged period and changing circumstances. In this situation, you'll need to consider the following: will you be able to cope with prolonged sleep deprivation? Will you be able to dry out your kit? What is the terrain on the course ? What is the climate and season?
However, in an emergency situation, especially one that is wet and windy, a bivvy bag (or basic survival bag) can offer enough protection to save your life. For this reason, it is advisable that all trail runners carry a survival bag when running in high or remote areas – even if you’re not expecting to be out for long. Is a bivvy bag worth it? When you’re ready to camp, the Ridge Raider is effortless to put up. Thread the 8mm pole through a duct in the head section of the bivi, a bit like putting up a dome tent. This then lifts the top of the bivi off your head meaning you can easily lie down and read a book, or even tend a stove located outside close by. It’s no-frills, but no-frills is sometimes fine if the bag is light and protective, and that’s certainly the case here. layer Ripstop nylon upper / 10,000 mm hydrostatic head / 10,000/m2 breathability / width: Shoulders – 80 cm; Foot – 50 cm The tarp will allow rain to simply slide off meaning the ground underneath is kept dry and you can cook and place your bivvy bag with no chance of a soaking from above.
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