UKC

hi guys

i am after a Goretex/eVent Bivi bag, must be light weight and durable. preable all goretex no ground sheet. need for use i Uk and chamonix in summer as i am going next summer. thanks 4 advice

Bruce

In reply to Bruce Allmighty: Id go with a standard ex army, under £50, Ive used mine all year round in scotland, depends how much use youll get.

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:

Dont bother with gore base as you are paying lots for no advantage! The gore wont breathe with you laying on it and in adverse conditions it could even be a negitive! Just buy a good nylon groundsheet!

There are lots of good bivi's out there and i wouldn't like to be biased and direct you to any brand just make sure you get in it and check its big enough and also check ALL seams that are exposed to the out side world are taped so both sides of the seam are covered with tape and the fabric the tape is on isnt porous! Small things but makes alot of difference when its pissing down with rain!

Expect to pay £120 upward for a good gore/event basic style bivi!

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:
Try the terranova factory shop

In reply to Bruce Allmighty: Bruce, Ive used the an army one bought cheap off ebay, seconed hand and well used and it has been fine on ice on the Mer de Glace and in rain in the lakes. Bought for £40

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:

If you can afford it try and get one with a hoop. It makes a big difference if you have to spend time in it due to poor weather.

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:
rab bivi bag cheap and light, packs v small and keeps you dry!
army bags are great but i always found them too bulky

In reply to Billy:
everything I buy which is ex army is knackered or leaky never bought bivi bags though

In reply to Woker: join up and run away as soon as they hand you all the gear. then you get to be the one who makes it knackered and leaky

In reply to Bruce Allmighty: In reply to Bruce Allmighty: I use an army one, mainly cos it's free it's not exactly lightweight & it's fairly bulky, but it does the job well.
You want lightweight AND durable - you'll have to trade one off against the other I'd have thought.When you buy it make sure it's big enough for you + any kit you want to get in it - i'm 6 foot and i can get in mine with a 40l rucksack and a rope.
Plus, it's green so you can put it anywhere with no hassle.

In reply to Bruce Allmighty: Rab pertex, small, light. Excellent performance... and cheap. Far better than the goretex bags IMHO.

LD

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:
Hello Bruce,

I've recently bought a Special Ops Black Shadow bivi bag (great name) from John Bull Military Clothing in Catterick for less than £50 brand new - only used it a couple of time but it appears to be completely waterproof and very breathable. http://www.kitbag.com.au/category124_1.htm

The cheapest place I've found for good quality used ex-army bivi bags is Field and Forces in Barnard Castle, Co. Durham. http://www.britnett.net/kws/listings/465.html

In reply to Alan Mc:
Special Ops Black Shadow? Tactical Black and non shiney?
A must have for the gear freaks

In reply to Bruce Allmighty: its not definate that you're are going 2 chamonix

In reply to big joe: more likly than not.

In reply to Lurking Dave: are they water proof? cos pertex isn't.

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:

Yes it is waterproof. It has a coating...

In reply to Bruce Allmighty: I've been disappointed with bivvy bags generally. In rain or wet snow the goretex ones may well be waterproof for the first few uses but after a year or so start to leak. My latest attempt is a Petex aquablock Snowdon one - light and cheap - but leaks now after 5 or 6 bivvys last summer. After several wet and miseable nights I would say don't risk a bivvy if there is any chance of significant rain, take a very light tent instead, it probably isn't much heavier between two people.
I don't rate bivvy bags for the uk .

In the alps if the weathers bad either stay down or take a full on mountain tent, lots of fuel etc if you really need to have an epic. Also there are lots of excellent bivvy shelters in the interesting places - Rossi Volante on the Monta Rosa for example. The bivvy bag is probably most use for extreme stuff where a tent isn't an option.

After many nights of no rest whatsoever in bivvy bags waiting for the pre agreed get up time I'm beginning to think its better to go as soon as the snow has re-frozen (if its a snowy start to the route).

I've got the outdoor designs assault bivi. It's the first bivi with gore-tex exchange fabric. Its completly waterproof and alows gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. It means you can completely seal it up and still be able to breath inside. Its awesome and very long to alow your rucksack in the bottom. £160.

In reply to Simon Templeman:

It worries me that you have had this problem! Gore bivies should remain waterproof for much longer than a year, unlike some fabrics with a coating that can (with extreme extended use) rub off eventually Gore's waterproofness relies on a ptfe membrane that should remain waterproof pretty much whatever. This leaves the seams to leak and any half decent brand with half an idea of how to use a tapping machine should be able to stop that so if its leaking after a year send it back!!!

Will agree on the weight thing though as often a small 2man tent can work out lighter than 2 bivis but its personal preference and the bivi offers better weather protection in as much as you can leave it with sleeping bag inside ready for your return in the evening and be sure its not going to be soaking wet unlike a tent that lots more things can go wrong with! Personally i'm not overly comfortable with fabric on my face so would generally carry a super lightweight tent instead but bivi's have their place!

In reply to Trull and Epic: About 15 years ago I had a North Face Expedition System bivvy bag (costing about 250 at the time) and I returned it to TISO's Edinbugh when it started leaking big time looking for replacement or refund. The told me to sod off cos I hadn't wash it enough - ie they thought it was dirty and smelly. Being a grubby bugger where climbing gear is concerned I didn't. Seriously though it wasn't that bad.
I was told that Gas Permeable PTFE membranes are rotted by body oils etc and have to be washed after evey use or they will be knackered in no time. Can anyone confirm/deny this ? If its true I would say that Gas Permeable goretex is too delicate for bivvy bags but ok for tents.
I have a Outdoor Designs summit raider and think its a cracking tent, although it weighs 2.4kg not 1.9kg as quoted.

Gore-Tex membrane material is, I believe garunteed (sp?) waterproof for a year after purchase. If you need to, send it directly back to William Gore's people in the UK.

In reply to Simon Templeman:

Ok well gas perm gore of 15years ago would have most likely been the equivelent of first generation gore which did suffer from contamination from sweat etc thus the reason all gore today has a PU membrane to protect the ePTFE!

The Gas Perm Gore in the OD bivi's hasn't got a PU back (as PU isnt gas perm) but does still have an alternative protective layer which could be many materials though gore would never let that secret out! It wont be AS robust as normal 3layer gore-tex but is still offers good endurance and should be more than sufficient protection for bivi's but obviouslt goes without saying that you should try to care for your bivi (although i'll admit i dont tend to) but shouldnt be a problem and if it does leak after such a short period of time i would send it back to the manufacturers!

As for the first generation gore leaking from rubbing fat into it (to try and make it fail) i have never made it leak though sweat and oils seam to clog it up pretty well and stop its breathability which could feel like a leak due to build up of sweat! As i say NOT a problem with NEW gas perm!

Hope that clears it up and i would definetely not wash it after every use though clean the worst of the mud off with a damp cloth would help a little as it cant breathe through mud but leave the inner alone! THe less you tamper with the protective membrane the better!

As for the summit raider glad you like it and the 1.9kg is the minimum usable weight i.e. 4 pegs, 2 poles and fly, add all the extra pegs, guys, stuffsack etc and you have the magic 2.4kg! marketing men aye?

In reply to Bruce Allmighty: : Slightly different approach ...the blizzard pack bags work really well. you may rustle and look like a roast chicken but they will do the job.

In reply to earlsdonhammer:

Blizzard bag is great, there is slight condensation though, I use a cotton liner in mine.

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:What about a nylon vango flysheet and poles above a bivi for when it's very wet or windy,or not,it's just an idea?

In reply to Bruce Allmighty:

I have a Rab pertex, its fine and light too. Yet to use it in wet weather but used it as a windsheild over my bag and it was great and breathable.

picture of it in action in my photo gallery