Thread: small packing tent vs bivvy

cheers for the input everybody, much appreciated.
still not sold on what tent I'll buy but definitely feeling more like I will be getting a tent than a bivvy set up.. Especially after my last trip a weekend or two ago into the Ruahines on the worst weekend of the year so far.
If it was going to be real wet I'd probably add in a cheap fly I guess for a bit of outdoor shelter.

I don't know if it's been covered here yet but most of the decent brands have the option of using just the fly anyway if the weather was looking ok.
I've got an older Bubba Bubba which can be used either way but I cannot see me ever risking the fly only especially during this half of the year.


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I use one of these.

Luxe Mini Peak II






Can be used with or without inner mesh, Roomy for one ok for two, but need a fly for gear with two.
There are some good vids of these in stormy weather.

Well, I'm revisiting this thread again after the most unsuccessful "hunting" outing I have had yet yesterday.

I went out yesterday afternoon up Opawe road. Still snow all over the show which was exciting. Anyway, I decided to just go a little bit into the bush and then turn left (North). My goal was to reach the ridge before the Opawe stream and stay the night to hunt some slips and shit. This turned out to be a big case of ambitious map dreams however as I spent the day getting myself, and then my pack tangled in supplejack. We (my pack and I) are pretty big and bulky the both of us, and as my first pure bush bashing mission I made the mistake of having tent poles stick up out of it too which did not help my situation. After a few hours of tolerating it, I realised I wouldn't reach my target destination and so had a look around for somewhere to pitch my tent. No places were found. At this time I decided to walk down the ridge to the farm border and try walk along the fence line and find somewhere on the next ridge along, a bit closer to my original goal.

By this point I was pretty broken, and the site of pretty steep shit down into the next stream and up out of it along the fence line was enough to send me home defeated; walking out along the fence line like a little bitch. To be fair to myself I've been pretty sick this week with a bit of a dodgy pie earlier in the week giving me a stomach bug then into a pretty hectic man flu which has had me feeling dizzy for the last few days so I shouldn't have gone but oh well. When I got back to my car it was straight to Ashurst for a 1.5L chug of sweet sweet coca cola and then off to pizza hut for some Pepperoni. I'm normally a pretty keen man and generally pretty hard to break but that day I had had a fucken gutsful. If myrtle rust can get rid of all the supplejack I will be well impressed.

Morales of my story:

- I need to harden up, and probably leave earlier in the day so there's time to get where I'm going as bush bashing is pretty slow.
- I'm probably going to try just getting a bivvy bag and tarp so I can camp anywhere. I will probably get a proper sleeping bag that doesn't take up literally half of the space in my pack too.
- Whittakers berry and biscuit chocolate goes good.
- Bush is way less open, way more cunty, and contains way more supplejack, when wearing a large pack.

If you have read till here, I have a question for those of you that sleep/have slept in bivvy bags. Can you get away with a less warm sleeping bag if sleeping in a bivvy sack? I'm looking at just getting a standard big waterproof sack army style bivvy bag sort of thing, and possibly a sleeping bag like this Pathfinder Water Repellent Mummy Down Sleeping Bag v2 - Orange/Grey. I'm a pohara uni student so want something that can be used year round.

Cheers
Tom

Takes a big/good person to admit when you've might of bitten of more than you can chew. Add it to the experience list. I've walked out following a fence line before...not ashamed to admit it.


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A bivvy bag does give you a few degrees of extra warmth but not as much as a tent I don't think. And those army bags are great. There's a place I go where there is nowhere to pitch a tent even a small one but a bivvy bag you can always find a space to lie down

As will has said, a tent will give you more warmth than a bivy bag,though both give more than a hammock

Chur chur, I think I'll give an army bivvy bag tarp combo a go. Don't mind if it's not the most comfortable because if I'm going to be staying out for longer periods than a night (which I rarely get the opportunity to) itll be either in decent weather or at huts or at road ends etc where I know I can pitch my big hua tent.
Cheers

Originally Posted by huglife

Chur chur, I think I'll give an army bivvy bag tarp combo a go. Don't mind if it's not the most comfortable because if I'm going to be staying out for longer periods than a night (which I rarely get the opportunity to) itll be either in decent weather or at huts or at road ends etc where I know I can pitch my big hua tent.
Cheers

Depending on the area and conditions, I will use either a small tent, or a bivvi bag and tent fly set up. A couple of years ago i did a bit of an assessment of my sleeping gear and tried out a light weight sleeping bag bivvi bag combo. Worked very well and was far less bulky. To give me the option of more warmth i now use a Sea to Summit Reactor sleeping bag liner with the light weight sleeping bag.

https://www.bivouac.co.nz/sea-to-sum...eme-liner.html

Have done a few trips on the tops chasing tahr and have been snug and warm. I still take the tent with me in the car just in case weather gets crappy. Easy enough to stuff it in your pack if required.

@ROKTOY has a nice set up using a 3x3m tarp, one pole (pole optional if you can use a tree branch) and a few bits of string. I'm sure there is a you tube clip somewhere

Originally Posted by 223nut

@ROKTOY has a nice set up using a 3x3m tarp, one pole (pole optional if you can use a tree branch) and a few bits of string. I'm sure there is a you tube clip somewhere

I can't find the video I first saw that showed how to build but these two give a pretty good idea of the principles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwnXcW_MMkM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRBtof2pAqI&t=390s

I also use this setup if the ground is dry or too uneven to pitch a tarp with a floor. this is good over snow grass etc. as it provides your mattress. Use your pack to block the doorway once you are in for the night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMAtpWQdVbY

Not sure the tarp classes as lightweight though?