This thread has been useful since I'm bivi curious but can't really decide between the myriad of options. Admittedly it's also given me a few more options just to confuse things
I've just gone and bought meself one of these: it's called a mini-mors survival scarf which basically is w@nk for a very long wide and pretty light sleeping bag cover. It's said to be splash resistant and pretty windproof, so Id not use it without a tarp, but for the price it's a gold plated bargain if you just want something to keep the mud and slugs off. Be easy to sew a mesh head cover onto it as well.
It’s just a shame the new Alpkit one is so small, nearer the Hunka than a Hunka XL size.
Saw one in the flesh in their Ambleside shop the other week, and was tempted, buy as it looked tiny, now gone back to thinking on getting the OR helium instead..
Survival scarf? I'm going mad here. Can you bring to '3L' Tim cos I'd like to see you strangle a lion with it. This is turning into a surreal thread which is brill for summat that basically keeps rain/bugs off .
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....
Im back in the market for a bivi bag again so this has been useful.
I generally have come to prefer my lunar solo as a good halfway between proper tent and a bivi.
There has been times though where id rather the simplicity of a bivi bag on a single night trip though. Small pack size is also important to me.
However I get destroyed by midge so having a net is a bit of a must for me. Its somewhat limiting, though the terrors arent out all the time I still prefer a net.
I used the standard borah bag for ages and generally used a borah tarp too. If nothing else the tarp catches the dew in the morning.
Ive never found a bivi that ticks all the boxes.
Waterproof, midge net, small pack size. I had an msr one once that was close, perhaps i should have given it a better chance
Does it have a midge net Colin? ,Was looking at the new OR alpine ,now they've dropped the weight to 580 it's a bit more attractive than before but the Rab is £70 cheaper ,looking for a winter bag now I've given the boy my helium
Aye, the Ascent has a zipped in midge net right around the top. On the current models there's a wee loop for attaching it to a guy line or similar so you can keep it wide open. IIRC the net on the Snowyside is more of a "letterbox" affair.
interesting thread, and thanks for the suggestions
as to tents.....
i have a terra nova solar photon 2
it is very light, compact, fairly quick to pitch, and spacious
however, a bivi is lighter, more compact, instant to pitch
on the dales divide i was wasting ~1hour a day putting up and down the tent
one night i slept in a barn, it was enlightening the time saved.
so, for me, a bivi seems the way to go when speed and weight are a premium over comfort
Like Scotroutes, i really like my Rab one, i have an older model the "Superlight". but the bag itself is a really good size (i've a 48"chest and can roll over happily with air mat inside, unlike Hunka XL where whole thing would roll with me!).
It is Event, so is breathable i find even zipped up and the best part is the guy attachment, so you can open the bag right up so it is doesn't feel claustrophobic or clammy against face.
Not the lightest, but because of the size, i rarely carry a tarp as well, so save weight of that
Alpit have brought out their new one - called a Kloke. Its an ultralight waterproof and breathable bivvy that sounds perfect til you see that it doesn't have an insect net. Which is a shame, as I would have traded my borah bag in for one otherwise.
Although on paper Kloke appears to be the same size as our Regular Hunka it actually has greater volume. This means it is suitable for a winter bag alongside your sleeping mat. Alpkit Rowan is 6ft 4" and he fits into Kloke just fine.
I love my Titanium Goat Raven Omni Bivi Bag. It's 229g, packs up very small. takes a full size large x-Therm mat, and has mesh and hood. Very well made and great service from, Mr Goat.
Borderer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 5:27 pm
Is it waterproof?
I've never actually been out in heavy rain with it but in light rain it was fine an I was warm and dry inside it. You will need to do up the hood or get a wet face!! They do a full on wet weather version I believe as well.
Waterproof 10,000hh base, 1,000hh top (so ok for a shower and dew) zip close mossie net but then relys on the overlap to close the rest of it. 420g
Sized in between an hunka and hunka xl
Had an older version whick was fine. This one is discontined too so was on offer.
It looks like the ti-goat business is in some flux - nothing is in stock and you get redirected to another site saying ti-goat products will be sold there shortly
I think the new company is the owner's son. When I got mine they used to be pretty much made to order. He happened to have a cancelled custom one when I emailed him so I bought that. It's dark green on the bottom and light green on the tp not that horrible purple. I'd drop them an email and ask if they are still making them. It arrived in about five days from the states and had no duty on it.