Bivy Sacks
Image via Wikipedia
. . . For The Real Ultralight Enthusiasts
Bivy sacks are not just for your average hiker or backpacker, they are definitely designed with the extreme enthusiast in mind. You might be very enthusiastic yourself, enthusiastic about getting out onto the hiking trails and experiencing the great outdoors, the wide open spaces which we all yearn for as we’re sitting in front of our laptops . . . but I bet you still like to tuck up warm and cozy at nights in a nice warm sleeping bag, on a nice comfortable sleeping pad, in a nice waterproof tent . . . well, bivy sacks are everything all rolled into one, and although some people find them adequate . . . they certainly wouldn’t do for us all.
Bivy sacks (or “bivouac sacks” to give them their full name) are mostly used by mountain climbers who need to be ready for anything whilst they are halfway up a mountain face and need to be able to rest and keep warm and dry. It’s really a sack to put your sleeping bag inside, and generally replaces the tent (told you it was for the real enthusiasts . . . not those of us who can’t wait to get back to plumbing). Many backpackers and hikers think that it’s well worth the effort to carry a tent, but then again, if you are hiking or backpacking with friends or family then you can always share a tent which means that only person has to carry it and the others can share the other hiking equipment . . . Bivy Sackers often travel alone!
Bivy sacks can, however, come in handy for the more regular backpackers and hikers who enjoy an overnight camping expedition but tend to feel the cold during the night . . . a bivy sack over your sleeping bag can help to keep the heat inside and keep you up to 10 degrees warmer, even if it is inside a tent.
Bivy sacks are a real lightweight alternative for all of those super adventurous types who drill holes in their cutlery and never chance their hiking socks to save on weight and are obsessed by traveling light (I don’t mean a flash light, I mean traveling without carrying much weight).
Alright, picture the scene, you’ve woken from a great nights sleep (in your tent, with your mates) and you’ve all packed up your backpacks and are enjoying an early morning hike . . . when you come across this! It would be enough to scare the crap out of you don’t t you think, especially if she was wriggling around inside of it. It looks like that giant earth worm thingy from that early Kevin Bacon movie (Footloose was much better) although, fair enough, it’s a bit smaller and more colorful than the earth worm.
Do you see what I mean now? Scary stuff.
Are You a Potential Bivy Sacker
You could be a potential bivy sacker if:
- You have no friends, or you do have friends but prefer to (and often do) go hiking and backpacking alone, preferring your own company and that of the wildlife.
- You’re a bit of a mountain or rock climber and just might get stuck halfway up (or even halfway down) a mountain and need to stop and rest, keeping warm and dry.
- You have got the “ultralight bug” and think that it’s far more important to cut down on the weight of your backpack than to get a good nights sleep in a tent.
- You enjoy sleeping out directly under the stars, in fact, you might be a bit of a star gazer.
“I’m an introvert… I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, flowers, the sky.” - Audrey Hepburn
Dramatic Bivy Sack Rescue
Can you believe that? He’s quite happy to sleep dangling thousands of feet above the world strapped to sheer rock face, and he got his zipper stuck. Those bivy sacks are full of hidden dangers.
