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Bivvy Bags ......

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340 g Snugpak Special Forces Bivvy Bag
1030 g Snugpak Special Forces 1 Sleeping Bag
50 g Ortlieb Ultra Light Dry Bag 7 litres
425 g German Army Folding Mat
400 g Defcon 5 Military Poncho
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2.245 g

I carry the sleeping bag in the bivvy bag in the dry bag, pull it out in one rush, throw it on the sleeping mat, and I am ready to sleep.
If it rains, when I reach the place I tension the poncho -tarp.

That is nearly as light and compact as Paul Kirtleys lightweight set up, but I can wash my sleeping bag in a washing mashine, what I prefere on longer trekking tours.

The closed cell foam mat protects the bivvy bag, but it is of course less comfortable than an air mat.

Using a light poncho instead of a tarp saves in summer times the weight of the rain suit in the ruck sack.

Having in bivvy bag and sleeping bag a central zipper is outstanding comfortable.


"Robens Couloir 250" down bag with central zipper, 610 g, would probably be a good summer option. I don't have it.

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I think all single wall bivvy tents with bows get horribly condensation problems.

I have no Idea what sort of Austrian Wunderwaffe this Carinthia bivvy bag could be.

Is somebody of you very old and rich???
He could buy it and try it out!

;0)
 
Because I’m not tall I tend to use my British army Bivvi upside down in that i sleep on what should be the shorter upper and pull the longer hood over the top of me so it protects my head from drips but still allows fresh air on my face (which prevents claustrophobia kicking in).

Bit confused by the discussion about breathing through fabric as I thought that was part of the point of zipped novo bags; i used to close my zipped Bivvi bag right up and not suffocate; I just went mental when I cross threaded the zip and got stuck in it one morning!

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38thfoot said:
Because I’m not tall I tend to use my British army Bivvi upside down in that i sleep on what should be the shorter upper and pull the longer hood over the top of me so it protects my head from drips but still allows fresh air on my face (which prevents claustrophobia kicking in).

Bit confused by the discussion about breathing through fabric as I thought that was part of the point of zipped novo bags; i used to close my zipped Bivvi bag right up and not suffocate; I just went mental when I cross threaded the zip and got stuck in it one morning!

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I've used the bivvy bag as an extra underlayer when I've broken it out but not felt the need to use it properly. That's more to protect my inflatable mat than anything else, I've had a couple of blowouts in the past so maybe a bit paranoid. I've just not used it plenty times too of course, sometmes the sleeping bag is enough.
 
That "breathing through the fabric thing" is simply a new Goretex fabric. Just available on the surplus market, but relatively new.

All the old bivvy bags are made from Waterproof Jacket fabric.

And now Goretex developed a new special fabric for bivvy bags.

Unfortunately this bivvy bags are as expensive as heavy. From my point of view.

But compared with the old NATO bivvy bags not to heavy: The weight of this bivvy bags is 1 kilogram. They have this really good rain protected zipper.
Somehow two flaps protect it.

So far I understood it, that's more an emergency thing: Really bad weather, airplanes which are surching you and other heat detecting cameras.

I do not believe, that you don't get condensation problems in such a bag if you close it whole the night.

But if one can get them used and weight doesn't matter, they probably are a good option for warm weather and older people with this long zipper.

They are constructed for thick military winter sleeping bags.
 
Pretty certain you’ve been able to breath with a Bivvi bag closed up otherwise there would be a lot more dead wild campers and companies wouldn’t have sold many bivi bags with full zips which have existed for at least 25 years.

My original one zipped fully closed (which was in 90/91 and wasn’t new then) and unless I’m just finding out that I’m featuring in some weird 6th sense plot twist I’m pretty certain I’m still alive.

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Has anyone ever tried those Miltec bivvy bags. I'm seeing them around quite a bit, new condition usually £40 ish,
Someone was also reccomending Czechoslovakian army bivvy bags for the larger gentleman. I don't know much about this sort of thing so I'd value your thoughts.
 
38thfoot said:
Pretty certain you’ve been able to breath with a Bivvi bag closed up otherwise there would be a lot more dead wild campers and companies wouldn’t have sold many bivi bags with full zips which have existed for at least 25 years.

My original one zipped fully closed (which was in 90/91 and wasn’t new then) and unless I’m just finding out that I’m featuring in some weird 6th sense plot twist I’m pretty certain I’m still alive.

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Subtle telltale, avoid a fully zipped bivvy bag if it has a little document window on the outside and is rubberised with a handle in each corner.....💀
 
How about a Sol escape bivvy

16582
 
I’ve got both a dpm and an OD bivi; I prefer the OD one as there is less chance of people standing on you or my favourite dropping heavy, preferably sharp, objects on you as they sort themselves out.

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I've got the old camo pongo bivvy bag, I normally steer clear of camo stuff but it is what it is, its still doing its thang so no point changing it.
 
A couple of years ago I had the Miltec bivvy bag in my hands, because they offer it in a dark coyote brown too, which blends in southern French nature very well.

If I remember it right is was relatively stiff and heavy.

My problem with Miltec is, that the stuff often looks good but usually is far under the quality of Aldi dog walking equipment.

In German bushcraft forums as well as in trusted surplus shops we call them Mülltec.

That means Rubbish tec.

Seams of rucksacks open in city use, shirts fall in pieces in the shops, ponchos which aren't waterproof. And so on, and so on, and so on.

I wouldn't buy it for the children to play with it in the garden

The business strategie really seems to be like that in my opinion:

The client buys in the little surplus shop original NATO stuff, delivered by Miltec.
This cheap German Army stuff works very well, it is exactly how expected. All the other original stuff too. Seller and client become friends. They share the same hobby.

And now the client buyes a cheap Miltec product. Half a year later he discovers, that it doesn't work how expected.
Does the client now goes to the seller, and wants his money back?

No, he doesn't doo that!

He probably is richer than the shop owner, who sold him loads of very cheap and very good used NATO stuff.

He doesn't want to torture his friend because this 15 € product is rubbish.


Yes, he will tell it him probably, but he will not ask the guy about the guarantee.

Most shops threw this stuff out.
Most others closed after it became difficult to get used original stuff.
Some started to sell mainly new quality products, mixed with the NATO stuff they can get.

In poor areas they mainly sell MFH products and used stuff.

I tried a lot of this stuff, and looked at nearly all.
Nearly every thing was rubbish.
Not worth the money for sure!
The MFH products I bought had been better, but rubbish too.
Really: Aldi dog walking stuff is better!
 
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