Thread: Nz army bivvy bags?? Advice

Hey guys currently running a old huntec bivvy bag and find it doesn't do much for insulation and mostur control, it also lacks in room with my blowup mattress in it,
Would one of the old type goretex bivvy bags be much better and how do they go in the cold 800 loft sleeping bag - 5 or colder etc
Cheers team

Moisture control is good. They breathe really well even if zipped right up. It’s effectively a goretex shell with netting and a zip.

You will easily fit any pad inside the bivy.

The bivy itself won’t insulate much but it will take away any draft and protect from condensation etc.

Plenty of soldiers have suffered through winters in Tekapo using 600loft bags.

I would suggest a quality sleeping bag liner as well. Imo they make a huge difference in comfort in both summer and winter.

Yea they good

I've had mine for 15+ years and it still works fine...I think you'll find they are not gortex but are actually made from" reflex" a similar product.

I’ve got the old gore-tex bivy had it for 20+ years, used it a couple of times this roar gone away from base camp as a lightweight overnighter. Used it in the snow orn tahr trips and do need a good sleeping bag for winter. A mate has a Rab bivy bag and he has way more condensation than my gore-tex bivy. Don’t use it as much as I like as my Hungarian Vizsla doesn’t like the wind and cold and much prefers a tent.

Most ex NZ army bivvy bags are made of reflex. They are a great design, lovely and roomy, insect screen etc but the reflex material itself is not renown for being very waterproof. Fine for under a fly/tent etc, but directly out in the elements they wont keep you completely dry.

We had gortex wet weathers for maybe a year or so in the mid 90's, and they were fantastic but it was too expensive for the bean counters, and the rest as they say is history. Davey Hughs' book covers the grief he had trying to make wet weathers on contract with the Army supplied inferior fabric.

Don't know what material the NZDF are using today, I just know that my British Army issue goretex bag still works fine. Goretex really still is the gold standard.

All the wet weathers I had both early and mid 2000 dpm models and bivy bags are all labelled goretex. Maybe they changed fabric when they changed to digital snow camouflage.

I joined 2012 and my bivy is gortex. Still goes good. Though if there's rain on the forecast I opt for a tent.

Originally Posted by SPEARONZ

All the wet weathers I had both early and mid 2000 dpm models and bivy bags are all labelled goretex. Maybe they changed fabric when they changed to digital snow camouflage.

Interesting.

At TAD 05/06 we were issuing wet weathers and bags that were labelled 'Milair'. Hopeless shit. Recruits were throwing on brand new wet weathers on field exercise and 4 hours later were soaked through

Still looking for one, cheers guys

P m me mate

Dragging up a dead thread, anyone know where I can grab one of these Bivvy bags in good condition?

Yea i've got the gortex model and can't fault it. I remember one night on the open high hills in Waiouru a massive storm hit and the tarp just would not take it. Pulled the tarp down around 0200 and just slept in the gortex bag. It was so much quieter than the tarp (even with the rain hitting it) and stayed completely dry - and this was chucking it down and blowing a gale. Never could fit the issued foam mat together with the sleeping bag inside though even though i cut it down to 3/4 and took some off the sides. I always opted to protect the bag rather than the foam mat anyway, so it never bothered me.

Originally Posted by Andrew46826

Dragging up a dead thread, anyone know where I can grab one of these Bivvy bags in good condition?

Army surplus is the only place I can think of other than maybe TM.

I had the gortex one 07-09 and on a couple of occasions woken up under snow and been warm and dry. The olive drab colour ones (not the Camo ones) were really good. 2 weeks of straight rain on the west coast sleeping on wet moss and the bag was dry at the end of the exercise. Chuck a fly up over your bivy and it's pretty fool proof. If hunting I'd use a ground sheet under my sleeping mat to keep it really dry.