If you’ve ever visited a camping supply store you would have come across bivvy bags, which, at first glance, may seem somewhat odd, more resembling a sleeping bag than a tent. However, they offer many advantages as a sleep system, being lighter, smaller and easier to pitch.
Knowing more about these benefits is essential when making an informed decision on whether or not a bivvy bag would be suitable for you. To help with this, we’ve put together our list of 6 of the more notable advantages and benefits that a bivvy bag can offer over a tent.
Closer to Nature
One of the more obvious benefits that a bivvy bag offers over a tent is its ability to bring you closer to nature, with no walls separating and cutting you off from your surroundings. Whether this is a benefit or not comes down to personal preference, with some people preferring the illusion of safety that tents provide, however, in our opinion at least, a night in a bivvy bag is a far more comfortable than one spent in a hot-box of a tent.
Small Pack Size
Bivvy bags benefit from a much smaller, more compact pack size than a tent, which is something that gives them a real edge for through-hikers and those enjoying other strenuous outdoor activities. They also eliminate the need to bring along the usual heavy tools needed to pitch a tent, such as mallets, tent pegs and telescopic poles, which helps to keep both pack size and carry weight to a minimum. That being said, there are also hooped bivvy bags on that market, which include a single telescopic pole, however, this pole is relatively short so doesn’t have much of an impact on either pack size or carry weight.
Light Weight
Bivvy bags are usually much lighter than tents, with even cheap bivvy bags that are made of heavier materials weighing in at less than 1 kg, whilst those made of premium, ultra-light weight materials being much lighter. Their light weight makes bivvy bags more suited than tents to a range of activities, including distance cycling, night-fishing, and through-hiking, as their low weight makes carrying all the equipment and supplies needed for such activities far easier.
Need Less Space
Being much smaller than tents, bivvy bags benefit from requiring a much smaller area to pitch in, resulting in a footprint that is many times less that of a tent. This makes pitching easier, as you don’t need to clear as much ground before setting up camp – something which is particularly useful in low-visibility and poor weather conditions, where you’ll want to setup as quickly as possible.
Easier to Pitch
In low-light or bad weather conditions, the very last thing you’d want after a lengthy, strenuous hike, is to struggle with setting up a tent. Bivvy bags eliminate this problem, with there being almost no setup, with no ground sheet, telescopic poles or pegs to deal with, you simply need to unroll the bag and you’re all setup. Packing up a bivvy bag is just as quick and easy as setting one up, making them ideal for a quick getaway, perfect for stealth camping or in an emergency, as you simply need to roll the bag up and you’re away.
Typically Cheaper
If you’re looking for a light-weight, cheap sleep system, then a bivvy bag could be a great choice, often being far more economical than an ultra-light weight tent of a similar size and carry weight, as these tents tend to be very expensive, due to the use of premium materials in their construction. When it comes to cost, some of the best bivvy bags retail for around £100 or less. Their lower price point makes bivvy bags more accessible than tents, making them a far better choice for those looking to spend time in the great outdoors, but not enough time to justify forking out hundreds of pounds for a high-end tent.
Conclusion
Although there are pros and cons to both bivvy bags and tents, the former offers a range of benefits than many people may miss at first glance. They’re compact, easy to setup, ultra-light weight and are often relatively inexpensive, with a low-cost, good quality bivvy bag retailing for far less than tents of a similar weight and pack size.
Whether you’re an avid through-hiker, fisherman or distance cyclist, a bivvy bag can be a great alternative to carrying around a heavy tent and are worth taking a closer look at for your next overnight trip in the wilderness.
