Best Ultralight Bivy Bag
Terra Nova Moonlite
Packed Size: 21cm x 6cm
Weight: 210g
Price: £215
Here comes the lightest bivvy bag on test. The Terra Nova Moonlite weighs in at only 210g, including the lightweight stuff sack. As with most ultralight adventure products, it also boasts one of the highest price tags. So is it worth the extra cash? In short, yes. The Moonlite is a high-end, top quality product. The fabric is waterproof and breathable, with taped seams; the absence of a hood, with the ground sheet ending flat beneath your head, saves space and weight; a draw cord enables you to cinch the bivvy tighter around your body; and the black colour is excellent at absorbing the morning heat.
Marketed as a sleeping bag cover – nothing more, nothing less – the Moonlite, like Alpkit’s Hunka, is another no-frills product. There are no extra hoops or pegs and tapering towards the foot end ensures there’s no wasted fabric. You’ll struggle to fit anything else in with you, neither your pack nor your boots – but that won’t matter if using it on a clear, dry night. Sadly, there is no way to fully waterproof the bivvy around your head, but there is a fully-zipped mosquito net mesh at the head end, although there is no way of stopping the net from flopping onto your head.
But these minor gripes are a small price to pay for an excellent, ultralight product with amazing packability. We certainly wouldn’t recommend using the Moonlite in very bad weather, but if weight and size are key factors for you, then this bivvy is in a league of its own.
Pros:Ultra lightweight; superb packability
Cons: Expensive; low on features
Full Specifications
Waterproof fabric with taped seams / zipped hood / 200cm x 76cm
Get the latest price at:
terra-nova.co.uk
Best Bivy Bag for Comfort
Snugpak Stratosphere
Packed Size: 31cm x 14cm
Weight: 1130g (includes pegs and poles)
Price: £160
snugpak.com
If you’re progressing from traditional camping to bivvying, but you’re concerned about being too exposed or too claustrophobic, then the Stratosphere is the perfect transition option. Snugpak have designed a solid, tent-like structure to one half of the bivvy, enabling a night of guaranteed comfort with no flapping mesh nets or fabric collapsing onto your face. How does the Stratosphere achieve this? Two poles criss-cross to create a free-standing, sturdy, spacious hood. Once inside, there is a surprising amount of head room, far more than any other bivvy on test, and the zipped stretch pocket above your head is really handy for a torch (or midnight snack). On wet nights, the bivvy can be fully zipped around your head, thus providing waterproof shelter – and there’s no worry about condensation, as a rear fixed mesh with its own waterproof cover provides adequate ventilation. On warm nights, you can leave the bivvy completely open, or zip up a mesh to keep out the midges.
The Stratosphere has a series of other useful features. The poles are colour-coded to their corresponding sleeves and snap reassuringly into loops on the ground sheet; six alloy pegs enable you to fine tune the position and structure of the bivvy, creating maximum space and comfort for your night under the stars; and the military shade of green is ideal for stealthy wild camping. The generous three quarter length side zipper makes the Stratosphere easy to get in and out of; the thick, hard-wearing materials used provide a waterproof cover; and the low-profile performs well in the wind.
But all of this comes at a price. With two poles, six pegs and a top-loading stuff sack with multiple compression straps, the 1.1kg Stratosphere is the heaviest bivvy on test – and it weighs in heavier than many one-person tents. But Snugpak aren’t looking to break any ultralight weight records with this product. And, if you’re after a comfortable, hooped bivvy, rather than just a glorified sleeping bag cover, then the Snugpak Stratosphere might be the bivvy for you.
Pros: Excellent head room; tent-like structure; well-ventilated
Cons:Heavy
Full Specifications
50D Ripstop outer with 5000mm hydrostatic head / 5000g/m2 breathability / 70D Ripstop floor / 8.5mm aluminium poles / supplied with ultralight alloy pegs.
Get the latest price at:
amazon.co.uk
Best Bivy Bag for Long People
Sierra Designs Backcountry 3000 Bivy
Packed size: 25.5cm x 10.2cm
Price: £130
Weight: 400g
This bivy bag follows the basic bivy design – basically a simple waterproof back that you climb into – but there are some nice touches that elevate it above some of the other simpler options in this round up. It has a little mesh window, for instance, which is covered by a zip sealed flap. It’s also PFC-free, has a fully taped seams and comes with a handy burrito-style sack that makes packing it all away (into a nice small bundle) quick and easy.
The fabric feels light and quite thin so you wouldn’t want to lay this down anywhere where there’s a risk of a puncture. The same can be said for many of the other bags in this round up though, including the Snugpak Stratosphere and the Alpkit Hunka.
We used this with a thick Exped Ultra 5R sleeping mat and found there was still plenty of space to sleep in this comfortably.
Overall, out of all the bivy bags here, we’d say this provides the best balance between weight, performance, feature set and price. As it’s available in a long version that caters for anyone up to 200cm in height, so it’s a good option for any taller campers out there.
Pros: Lightweight but well-specced
Cons: No pegging loops
Full Specifications
Top fabric: 20D 10,000mm / base fabric: 30D 3000mm / large U-shaped opening with storm flaps / mesh window for ventilation / fully taped seams / 1 guy loop to increase peak height.
Get the latest price at:
ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk
Rab Storm Bivi
Packed Size: 25cm x 13cm
Weight: 664g
Price: £125
Slightly high-spec than the other Rab bivy in this round up, the Trailhead, Rab’s Storm Bivi is a lightweight, single-person bivvy with a host of excellent features. The breathable 70D Hyperlite Storm fabric is waterproof and breathable; a small mesh panel improves ventilation and helps to minimise condensation; and the Velcro-sealed waterproof cover, which can be fully zipped over your head, ensures optimum waterproofing. The bivvy bag is also longer and wider than average, and doesn’t taper at the foot end, thus enabling you to store and waterproof your equipment such as a backpack or pair of hiking boots.
At 664g it is the second heaviest bivvy bag on test, but at £140 it is very competitively priced. One gripe is that the Velcro straps around the waterproof cover are fiddly to close when you’re in the bivvy – but that’s nit-picking. The Rab Storm Bivi is another top-notch offering from a well-respected brand and a solid choice for all of your bivvying needs.
Pros: Competitively priced
Cons: Relatively heavy
Full Specifications
70D Hyperlite Storm fabric / end zip entrance / small mesh panel vent zip rand / wide sleeping bag profile design
Get the latest price at:
alpinetrek.co.uk
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