Bivvy Bags

Finally got to use my Rab Alpine bivy. Spent the night at Ledgers Cave after a super wet day up Mweni pass.

There was a bit of a splash going on at the edge of the Cave so I whipped on the bivy. It was 10 deg a during the night and I slept with my Blue Kazoo bag half open to not overheat. Overall I was very comfortable as the bivy sheltered me nicely from any drafts and there was zero condensation. I also found that there is plenty of room width and length wise so in really wet conditions I could store my pack and other items inside with me.

So far so good.. a great piece of gear then

ASL wrote: Finally got to use my Rab Alpine bivy. Spent the night at Ledgers Cave after a super wet day up Mweni pass.

There was a bit of a splash going on at the edge of the Cave so I whipped on the bivy. It was 10 deg a during the night and I slept with my Blue Kazoo bag half open to not overheat. Overall I was very comfortable as the bivy sheltered me nicely from any drafts and there was zero condensation. I also found that there is plenty of room width and length wise so in really wet conditions I could store my pack and other items inside with me.

So far so good.. a great piece of gear then

Happy days!
May I ask how/where you bought it and the price?
Thanks

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

I got it in the USA when I was there last year. Got a bit of discount on Amazon at $189. Retail price was $223..

Does anyone want a bivvy bag?

So I'm looking at getting an Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag from the Alpkit store in the UK so basically, I'm hoping to share postage. You don't have to get the bivvy, they have quite a lot of other items at pretty good prices but considering the availability of bivvies in SA (or lack thereof) it seems like a good opportunity - especially now that the pound is playing nice for a while.

• They cost £40 on their site (however in talking to them they said because I am 'exporting' it I won't need to pay VAT, therefore it will cost £33.33, but might carry import duties on our side)
• Postage is £10 - divided by how many people are keen.

I'm looking at getting this before the end of the month so if anyone is keen, please let me know before then...only looking for one or two people.

About the Alpkit Hunka:

• Voted 'Best value for money' bivvy
• Sculptured hood with dual drawcords
• Fully taped seams
• Non-zip
• Integral stuff sack
• Width across foot section: 22 cm
• Packed circumference: 40 cm
• Tapered shape: 215 cm long x 80 cm wide at shoulders
• Weight: 330 g. (Kelp 30 g heavier)
• 2.5 layer ripstop nylon construction
• Waterproof: HH 10,000 mm
• Breathable: MVP of 10,000 g/m²/24 hr

Viking has one and it looks pretty rad - hence why I want one now.

Would have loved to, but I just bought a bivy bag about 2 weeks ago.

Ghaz, what did you get?

Black Diamond Twilight Bivy from MMO. Haven't had to use it yet, hence the lack of a review.

My first post here. I have been sucking up info for quite a while as I lurked and thank you all for sharing so generously.

I first hiked in the Berg as a youngster in 1978 but stopped in the early 90's and recently started hiking there again, hence my interest in this site.

To get back to the topic. I bought a goretex bivvy bag made by Phoenix in 1990. I still have it and it is like new. I have used it hiking in Europe and in the Berg. It has done unconventional service on the decks of various ferries in rough seas and on a six month rough bicycle tour from Israel to South Adrica in 1993/4. I have also used it at music festivals and to protect myself from bed bugs in dodgy guest houses all over the world. It is a wonderful piece of kit.

Just a few obvious things I first overlooked. All kit needs to be waterproof when you use a bivvy as all other kit ends up outside. Theft is always an issue for the same reasons. These things take a little getting used to. It is at first a strange feeling to lie on the side of the road as a thunderstorm sweeps over you and you get pelted with hail but remain dry. Water pools on them and you can wake up feeling like you are being buried alive but it's just water and rolling over sloshes it off. When it rains very hard it's not fun crawling out of a bivvy into a mud puddle. Animals can be a little scary. I had a fox type of thing walk over me in Turkey. I had lots of hyena tracks around me on many occasions in Eritrea and Ethiopia, that really was disturbing. There is something very liberating about a bivvy. I ended up using it for all my solo hikes. It's not a good idea for anyone who has issues with claustrophobia.

Anyway that's my rather extensive experience with bivvies. Again thanks for all the advice I have been getting on this site. I hope I have begun to repay some of it

Thank MartinK,

I've thought of a bivvy as an absolute luxury for quite some time and I really didn't think I would ever get one. But now I am really seeing the versatility of them and the added freedom/emergency protection this small lightweight little package can add to your kit. It is starting to look like a necessity instead...looking forward to getting one.

...hopefully, I won't wake up with any hyena tracks around me, though.

Hi Macc....

I would be interested in two of the Hunka XL bags but see they are only expecting stock (for dispatch) mid Sept.
When are you wanting to place the order?

Cheers

W