[jay.scot]
[027]


--[ Twelve months of Bivvy - Month 1


At the end of last year, I set some goals to motivate myself to get out more,
deciding to spend at least one night each month in a bivvy bag throughout the
year. Originally, I planned to start in mid-January when I had some free time
from work. However, the north of Scotland experienced back-to-back storms, with
Storm Isha followed by Storm Jocelyn, making it a no-go. Finally, this Friday
became my last chance.


Unfortunately, leaving work early wasn't an option, so by the time I set out,
it was already 8PM. With darkness falling around 4:30PM, I found myself walking
five miles in the dark before reaching my chosen destination - a forest.
Beforehand, I had packed my sleeping bag into the bivvy and stowed it in my
backpack, making it easy to set up upon reaching the forest. I also set up a
tarp, as one weather report warned of a few hours of downpour, but it turned
out to be unnecessary.


During the Christmas sales, I invested in a new sleeping pad to replace the
uncomfortable Issue Nato Mat [0] I had been using. The new inflatable Multimat
proved to be a huge improvement, very comfortable! The winter sleep setup I
used on Friday was on the heavier side weight wise, I have comfortably used it
down to around -2°C, despite the forecast only predicting a low of 3°C. For
colder temperatures, I've found it necessary to combine the lightweight and
medium sleeping bags from the gear list below.


Here is a photo I took just before I hunkered down for the night:

  gopher://jay.scot/I/files/bivvy/bivvy-01-2024.jpg


My sleep system for the night:

    British Army Bivvy Bag [1]
    British Army Medium-weight bag [2]
    Multimat Adventure 38 Mat [3]
    Alpkit 3.5 Rig Tarp (for heavy rain) [4]


Now, what I've found is that I'm not getting any younger, and the process of
shimmying and fussing about getting into the top entry bivvy is becoming, let's
say, frustrating at times. Additionally, my current bivvy has a drawcord issue
I've been unable to fix [5], adding to the annoyance. So I have bought myself a
new bivvy bag today. After many reviews and videos, the Snugpak Special Forces
Bivvy [6] bag seems to be excellent! It's half the weight at 340g and also has
a center zip, making it easier to get in and out. This change should help with
some of the minor issues I've came across during my adventures!


I am looking forward to next months bivvy!

P.S. Sorry for the HTTP links, hard to find them in gopher space!

0. https://www.military.direct/products/multimat-military-issue-nato-mat-10-mod
1. https://goarmy.co.uk/collections/bivvy-bag/products/british-army-mtp-bivi-bag
2. https://goarmy.co.uk/collections/sleeping-bag/products/british-army-modular-sleeping-bag
3. https://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/1633-Multimat-Adventure-38-Sleeping-Mat
4. https://alpkit.com/products/rig-3-5
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuFZyMhr6BY
6. https://snugpak.com/products/special-forces-bivvi-bag-wgte?variant=42606104838316


.EOF