Winter camping bivvying?

[uphillstruggler]

Little audax secret from me. RSPB nature reserves have lovely dry bird hides which do not have locks and are deserted at night and in a place unlikely to be disturbed. Often a short gravel track to approach. Then wake to the dawn chorus of the birds. Take binoculars / monoculars.

be careful

the doggers have the same idea in the reserves around here ..............

unless of course that's your bag

 

[Blue Hills]

Perhaps this explains the curious popularity of audaxing. Cover blown.

 

[Milkfloat]

This was the Scouts (actually an Explorer in this photo) at the weekend. They all complained of being too hot.

 

[Brains]

This was the Scouts (actually an Explorer in this photo) at the weekend. They all complained of being too hot.

View attachment 446386

For many years our Explorers (and Ventures) used to sleep out in Cardboard boxes on Palm Sunday (good for Church collections).
Some of the boxes were works of art, roofs, wallpaper, raised floors etc.
Unfortunately the local churches had the event banned as it spoilt the area (and severely diminished their collection plate)

A tip from a Leader who has done this more time than I care to remember, sleep in a hammock with a tarp, warmer, dryer, more comfortable.

 

[Blue Hills]

Can appreciate the positives of being off the cold ground but never been comfortable with swinging iff iff the ground. I gather that you still need unsulation below and above in addition to the sleeping bag. Some of the arrangements make you look a bit enclosed. One of the things I like about bivvying is being aware of your surroundings. So in some instances feel more secure than wild camping in a tent. Also of course you need suitable trees for hammocking.

 

[mudsticks]

Can appreciate the positives of being off the cold ground but never been comfortable with swinging iff iff the ground. I gather that you still need unsulation below and above in addition to the sleeping bag. Some of the arrangements make you look a bit enclosed. One of the things I like about bivvying is being aware of your surroundings. So in some instances feel more secure than wild camping in a tent. Also of course you need suitable trees for hammocking.

There's a lot to be said for hammocking but it does limit you to being amongst the trees.
And there's all that "Under quilt over Quilt.. Wombling free" aspect to it.

Each to their own but I prefer an actual shelter.. So much more versatile.

You can do all that 'connecting with nature' business if you leave the door open, but have options on long dark nights.. And more room for cooking in porch, changing clothes n all that.

My tarp tent is 1.4kg..Thats real world numbers.. Wth extra blizzard stake, beefed up guy lines etc etc.

A bivvy and tarp, or hammock and tarp and extra quiltage, is no less weight and more faff - less versatility imo.

But at the end of the day, its all just 'Going out to Play' so whatever floats yr boat

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I'd love to try a hammock!

I personally don't get it, but it seems to be quite a popular option, so I'd like to see what I'm missing/not getting.
I've used a bivvy bag, but only once out in the open, every other time was under some kind of a shelter.

I'm with @mudsticks that a shelter gives more comfort for cooking, dressing etc. One/two nights ok, a bivvy/tarp will work. But anything longer and the disadvantages really start to build up. Or am I completely wrong?

 

[Blue Hills]

By the by, folk feel free to post pics of their tarp arrangements/tips - have collected two or three tarps and fixing systems - hope to set off to do a bit of practice soon, possibly within site of a hostel in case all turns pear shaped. One thing I have been encouraged by (as a poor cub and scout) is that there appears to be no great need to use mysterious knots these days - plenty of cheap clever systems to avoid them and ensure a firm fastening.

 

[Milkfloat]

Whilst I like a hammock and tarp, my setup is far bulkier than my 1 man tent. However, I find the hammock and tarp give me far more options for cooking and relaxing and far better for setting up a shelter if the weather gets too bad. I am favouring a bivvy bag and tarp at the moment.

 

[DanZac]

Hammock and tarp convert here. I find it a better nights sleep and often easier to find somewhere to pitch the hammock than a tent or bivvy.
No need for flat ground and if you can be sure it's not going to rain no need for a tarp so just about any trees are useable as long as there far enough apart, and if you can get amongst some trees you tend to be well out of sight.
Agreed it can be chilly but I find a half inflated roll mat (Or a bit of the thin shiny foam stuff) in the bottom of the hammock makes enough of a difference for a great nights sleep.

 

[andrew_s]

Many years ago, when I was a penniless student and had better things to spend money on than accommodation or tents (such as beer, food, caving gear, and transport), I used to go caving in the Dales most weekends, and bivvied most of the time, equipped with a yellow Karrimat, an orange plastic survival bag, and a -5° rated hollowfill sleeping bag.

Use such shelter as you may be able to find. I used to know where most of the usable derelict barns etc were, and quite often used the pedestrian underpass under the A65 at Clapham at one stage.
Sleep on top of the survival bag unless it's actually raining, or windy/cold enough that the sleeping bag on its own is inadequate. If I did get inside, the sleeping bag soaked up enough condensation that it took about 3 days to dry out (OK as it was only used Saturday nights).

One lasting memory is of a milk tanker driver stopping to express his astonishment when he saw me standing dressed in T-shirt and undies in about 6" of snow on Ingleton Common. He'd come along just as I stood up to get dressed, with the sleeping bag out of sight round my ankles, me having picked enough of a dip that I wasn't visible when lying down, as camping on the common had recently been banned.

If you do use a proper bivvy bag, it's very useful to also have a small tarp & support. If you don't have any additional shelter, and it's raining hard, it's very difficult to get your sleeping bag unpacked & into the bivvy bag, and you undressed and into the sleeping bag, without getting the sleeping bag wet enough to make for a pretty uncomfortable night. Cycling waterproofs are nowhere near sufficient shelter.

If you want to be reasonably comfortable, there isn't going to be much of a weight difference between tent, bivvy & tarp, or hammock & tarp, and probably not much of an overall cost difference either.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Also check church porches (not lynch gates) as often the outer door is unlocked even when the inner is locked.

 

[12boy]

My favorite camping set up was something I learned from Colin Fletcher, author of the Complete Walker. He endorsed a fly +bag + bivouac cover or groundsheet. Set the fly to block the wind, and shield rain or snow. The groundsheet keeps the ground moisture away. You then set up a Svea stove right next to you with kettle, water etc close by hand. You can lounge in the bag while fixing dinner and again in the morning with your coffee and breakfast. Hopefully it is a little warmer then so you get up, pack up and head out. For light weight and small cost, Tyvek is cheap and fairly durable although being white, ain't stealthy.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Best tip is to get in your bag before you cool down. So you need to have your camp setup down to a T.

 

[mudsticks]

Best tip is to get in your bag before you cool down. So you need to have your camp setup down to a T.

If you eat your dinner, and have a hot drink once you're in your bag, you keep that warmth in too.


Until you have to get out again for a 'comfort break' - but you don't have to go too far ...