Bivvy experiences / advice

[Oscar's dad]

... I'm planning to ride my first 600 later in the year (Tomsk's Flatlands 600) ...

My one and only bivvy experience, shown in the photo up thread, was on the Flatlands, I had a few hours kip in a wood an hour or two after turning for home at Goole.

The OS grid reference for my bivvy site in the woods on the outskirts of Haxey is SE 77182 00485.

On the A161 between Walkeringham and Beckeringham I noticed some nice looking fields, particularly on the left, which looked like likely spots to duck down behind the hedge and unroll your bivvy bag on the field margins.  The OS grid reference I noted is SK 77208 92117.

Are you hoping they'll put up a blue plaque to mark the spot ?

Mate, I love that - thank you 

[Phil W]

Here lies Oscar's Dad, blown up by a stick of dynamite supplied by Wiley Coyote, ACME. Neep neep.

[Oscar's dad]

 

[Banjo]

Do you ever wake up with slugs crawling on your face and in your mouth?

my most disgusting awakening was finding my head resting on a dead mixomotosis rabbit under an Irish hedge.

[Jurek]

This thread, encapsulates most succinctly why I think I will never do audax.

Decent food.
Clean sheets.
Running water, hot and cold.
Weather protection.
That's me.
Unparalleled admiration for those who broach that rubric.

[tonyh]

Yebbut the 10 minutes sleep (it's all I have time for, and needs no equipment) is of a heavenly quality rarely experienced between those clean sheets!

[marcusjb]

This thread, encapsulates most succinctly why I think I will never do audax.

Decent food.
Clean sheets.
Running water, hot and cold.
Weather protection.
That's me.
Unparalleled admiration for those who broach that rubric.

All still possible on Audax. No rules about making life uncomfortable. (Says he just on a 2500km DIY with a bivi bag to be mixed up with hotels when I can).

PBP involved a hotel this time for me. Was nice.

[GPS]

This thread, encapsulates most succinctly why I think I will never do audax.

Decent food.
Clean sheets.
Running water, hot and cold.
Weather protection.
That's me.
Unparalleled admiration for those who broach that rubric.

I love audax partly because it takes me out of my comfort zone. I appreciate all the finer comforts much more when I return from a long or gruelling ride.

I also just love riding my bike.

[Smeth]

RE Highlands and Glens - note the nice looking helium bivvy with no-see-um net. Any tips for midge exclusion by lighter/cheaper means?

 A friend has a drawstring bag of net for upper body that might go over the upper half of something like the alpkit or escape bivvies or just a bag if under cover, and can be used on it's own to sit and eat and fix punctures.

[mattc]

This thread, encapsulates most succinctly why I think I will never do audax.

Decent food.
Clean sheets.
Running water, hot and cold.
Weather protection.
That's me.
Unparalleled admiration for those who broach that rubric.

You could say the same thing about camping (let alone wild camping!).
or going for a ride when it *might* rain.
etc ...

Audax is hardly unusual in being an "athletic" activity that takes place outside of a 5* Hotel Gym/Spa

(and even simple - not necessarily rubbish - food tastes EVEN better after 180miles than after 100. Trust me! )

I'm a pretty unadventurous molly-coddled woose - I've been surprised how much I enjoy this stuff.

[hippy]

Some of this stuff I've used (and froze in both times) and some I've not used yet:

PHD Sleeping Bag Cover (http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/drishell-sleeping-bag-cover) 154g, £88
or
Alpkit Hunka (https://www.alpkit.com/products/hunka) 330g, £40

+

PHD Minim 200 Down Sleeping Bag, from €209.93, 430g, +6°C
and/or
Wafer Down Jacket, from €217.43, 230g, 0°C
and/or
old Kathmandu Silk Liner, unknown g, $AUD

+

Cut to hip-length 3mm yoga mat, ~70cm, ~325g
or
Karrimor 8mm sleeping mat (http://www.karrimor.com/karrimor-2-tone-foam-mat-782166?colcode=78216622), £6, not yet cut it down or worked out how to attach to bike, 210g, 185cm (~80g).

Would love to be able to get this bivvy malarkey right. I even bought and read "Book of the Bivvy" for some tips. Maybe I should just ride faster and use hotels..

[Frank9755]

My kit is

Alpkit Hunka Bivvy Bag
+
ultralight down gilet (£19 from uniqlo and compresses to not much more than tennis ball size)
+
Silk liner
+
Blue sleeping pad with reflective back - cut in half lengthways.  From ebay - cost about £4. 
I fold that in half widthways and roll it up.  That makes it pretty small. 

The whole lot goes in my Apidura saddle pack (small size) along with any other stuff I don't want to access during the day.

I've used that set-up twice this summer (the last two Friday nights).  Got a bit of sleep the first week but it was slightly chilly (c.8 C).  Not much sleep the second time although it was milder but it started raining.  I stayed dry in the bivvy but the thought of getting wet when I got up pissed me off so much I couldn't sleep.

[Dave_C]

Re the Original Poster. I suspect they may be cycling to the start, and kipping before the Off, meaning two nights away.

I'm doing a 600 from Galashiels this weekend. I am sharing kit with a mate.

Wild Country Zephryos 2 split between us
Silk Liner
Down Jacket (instead of down bag)
Foil bags (instead of foil blanket - off ebay) for the Roast Turkey look

Later in the month we are riding the Highland Glens Audax and planned to take a bivi each but if the tent works out well, we may take the tent instead. We rode PBP last year the whole way together and it worked out well. The Bivi's we own are around the same as the tent combined, so splitting it doesn't weight much more and offers midge protection.

[thesloth]

Partially inspired by this thread & as I am planning a trip later in the year that may require some rough sleeping I went off piste last night to reacquaint myself with the discomforts.

I took the following:
Groundsheet
Rab Ascent bivi
Rab Quantum 200 sleeping bag
Silk bag liner
Thermarest 3/4 self inflating

I cheated a bit and stopped at a pub for a big feed and a lot of liquor in the hope that it would help me remain unconscious. ...it was partially successful. Probably the best 2hrs of sleep I've had in ages.

The groundsheet I have is a piece of tough plasticised material that I had cut to body size ages ago. It's useful for casual outings like this, but if I was trying to cut down on pack size and weight I'd ditch it.
The sleeping bag and silk liner are great and have had a lot of use. I normally always use the liner in order to keep the bag clean, even though it gets a bit hot at times.
For my trip later in the year I think it will be overkill and so am thinking of "investing" in one of these. £20 what could go wrong?

I've never really gotten on with the bivi bag. Last night my legs and feet got too hot and I could feel condensation forming so I climbed out of it. I see that my Rab bag is now twice the price of what I paid for it!
I expect I'd be greatful for it in the rain. But I'm not really that keen to test it in those conditions. I think it would need to be very cold for me to be comfortable in one. I'll maybe give it a try with just the silk liner and that value gillet.

The Thermarest has given many years of good service, but it's not very light and packable. I'd like one of those 3/4 Neo Air Thermarests, but it's pretty expensive for something which I have to admit sadly wouldn't get a lot of use.

While searching through my equipment cave I came across my Siam Hammock. I used this a few times a long long time ago.
It has various different ground configurations, but is best suited to being used as a hammock. Obviously this makes one dependant finding suitable points to secure it to.
I seem to recall my back wasn't too happy the morning after.
...I suppose I'll be heading to a nearby wood soon to confirm all of this.

[hippy]

bivvying - "probably the worst 2hrs of sleep I've had in ages"

[Oscar's dad]

There are plans afoot for a bivvy night in the mid-Essex / Suffolk area in the next month or two.  If anyone is interested let me know and I will make sure we include you in our plans which are very vague at the moment.

[Delph Cyclist]

... I cheated a bit and stopped at a pub for a big feed and a lot of liquor in the hope that it would help me remain unconscious. ...i

That's a bevvy experience