I have an Outdoor Research Goretex bivi sack that I bought probably 25 years ago. It's a very lightweight and compact shelter that I've used instead of a tent, when I was much younger and didn't have the aches and pains that make sleeping on the ground so problematic now. It probably adds 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit to the sleeping bag rating in part because it traps heat, but also because it slows the moisture and makes the inside environment a bit more humid which increases comfort on the psychrometric chart. I've slept in the Goretex bivi when it snowed and I was toasty warm inside. It's a pain to crawl into and out of so hopefully you don't need to pee 3 times during the night.

Love to see a video of someone trying to get Into a hammock, in a bivi & sleeping bag😚

Always take a Poncho as a tarp, for your Bivi bag. Wind and rain do affect your comfort, and just because something is waterproof you should seek to minimise the water hitting it.

One of the most important bits of kit mate. I've used mine without a sleeping, just on it's own, and it's been great 👍

Another excellent video Paul

I have this same style bivy bag. It's very spacious and has always kept me dry, but I find the drawstring hood a real pain in the arse.

It's on the way....The MTP one. I am a Wildlife Photographer, and have various Camping Options, DD Hammock, DD Tarp, Vango Banshee 200, Coleman Cobra 2, so this is going to be a great addition. Looking at the Stars at night from the Bivi is gonna be a Superb experience. Great Video's, Very informative.

Good video... I have one of these and you are right, they are brilliant but lets face it British Army kit is the best, and you wouldn't really expect anything else from it

I just got myself one of these. Cant wait to try it out :) Thanks - Martin

I have one of these they are amazing I am going to experiment with using a wool blanket.

Good bag I put my Thermarest Matt inside & down blanket attaches to the Matt. Usually put a little but of tarp under to protect it but it's a solid waterproof item that keeps the sleep system together & out of the weather & its breathable enough to keep dry.i also added a bug net but have to admit I have just bought the Dutch army bivvie as the British one doesn't stop rain hitting your head it's not breathable enough to close up like the Dutch one..the Dutch one is about the same size to be in but packed up a bit bigger but the little hoop gives a head space with built in bug net so it's a tiny bit bigger packed away but it is better than the uk one..both waterproof both strong but only the Dutch one breathes a bit better is a bit heavier & has a nice little hope head area to keep the nett or gortex off your face if your hiding from the rain or bugs...I'd recommend a bit of tarp under it & maybe a little tarp over your head area so you can have them a bit open & if it's raining getting in/out to go toilet or dressed into your day clothes etc.it certainly adds a bit of warmth & a down blanket is enough on a Thermarest pad as down sleeping bags just compress un the underside so insulation is lost but still carried & taking space in your pack.thermarest blankets also give you space to move & clip to the sleep pad (optional extra) One last thing the Dutch one has a zip so easer to get in/out or regulate temp but it's not the strongest zip ever.the bags are both great & an absolute must for any outdoors sleep system.

Found these also at keepshooting.com, they always sell out quick when in stock, offer the green, DPM, & MTP pattern . Recieved ODgreen one in video, XMAS 2018 thnx, can't wait to try. As this completes my surplus sleep kit.

What a biff!!only biffs do the waist drawcords in!!! I have worked in Logistics for years and nevver seen a Sleeping bag covers NSN printed there!

Love the UK bivvi bag especially in its MTP fabric. It is fantastic, but I am not 20 something any more. I need a similar sleep system that brings greater comfort to my older bones. I have a Dutch single hoop bivvi which works well for me.

I need one of these! Great review 😊

Thanks great review .

Used mine for the first time last weekend mate.. In my hammock but on the deck... Worked well.. Nice and roomey.. Just bought a thermarest to go in it for a bit of ground dwelling over the summer... Great review vid.. Subbed ya. ATB - Marcus

Could you tell me what the difference is between what looks like a straight bivvy that you show and the British army issue Bivvy bag with the extra panel sewn in making it look like a bell shape, making the opening about another foot larger.

Used it twice now, and love it for total out in the open experience. last night Tues, was clear skies, so amazing view of the Stars considering it was a fullish moon. Note, I was using a Down Sleeping Back with liner, and nice a toasty warm, but, waking this morning to the Bivi Bag covered in ice. No rain had fallen at all, though there was a mist this morning. Anyway the thing is... No condensation in the inside!! only on the outside! Took an hour or so to dry out in the morning sun, but everything superb. I just need a small Tarp now, instead of using my DD 3x3. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction on the Bivi m8. Best Wishes.

Do you not but drip cords on your hammock webbing, just before where the hammock joins, depending on set up i guess.

I've used one a few times on freezing nights along with my v warm bag .can't fault it .

Liked and subscribed.......I`m not an out doors go camping and hiking in the wilderness type person but I thought it would be good to see what sort of stuff I could pick up on,for over over night fishing sessions and fishing in the colder winter months . Looking at the tried and tested and recommended stuff you folk use,makes common sense really. The fishing tackle companies here In Britain,generally palm us off with overpriced crap !!!

I put as no serum netr on mine with a zip for opening and closing I only use it in winter with a lightweight tarp

Nice video bud

is the bottom area thats facing the ground still waterproof when lying on it?.. surely stick n stuff can puncture it

Happy New Year! How does this differ from the USMC bivvy bag (aside from the USMC having a completely sealed unit)? Which would you prefer and why?

Yes a great way to add a few degrees warmth in addition to waterproofness. Regs sleeping system recipe isn't it: mat + 2 season sleeping bag + 3 season sleeping bag + goretex layer, combining as you need all the way up to a 4 seasons sleeping system. Note sure about no tarp hammocking in the rain. Normal hammocks would become a collecting bucket - a personal water bed if you want! :)

Do you sleep clothed in a bivi and 4 season bag or just use a base layer and socks, hat.

I love bivy bags. I own the Canadian version of this one, the American woodland camouflage one and the 2GoSystems tyvek bivy (both the V1 and the V2). The only issue I have is finding time to use them!

I always wondered if a bivvy would work inside a hammock. I have the Rab Storm and it's quite small with a down bag in but I found it incredibly warm. Personally I think all bags should have a centre full length zip as they are hard to get in on wet ground.

I need this bag but cant find it on mean amd green. Any other sites?

Another great video Paul especially for anyone looking for a bivi bag, look no further peeps. I own two one in DPM and one in MTP. As Paul says it's totally breathable it's 5000hh it's totally breathable and as long as you don't abuse it will last a very long time as its robust. I agree with Paul using the bivi over your sleeping bag does create more warmth. ATB Reeco

Very amusing to the non outdoors. I'm waiting till "They come".

I got one from a market in Yorkshire. Cheap. Perfect though, better than spending £300 for the fancy crap.

Enjoyed your video. Very informative and down-to-earth. Have just bought a twice owned Ex-British Army Bivvybag on Ebay. Is it OK to run it through a washing machine before I use it? TIA.

you can make a triangula alluminium fold away frame which can be used to push it up around you as if in a tent. this allows you to breath easily and it holds more heat in.

You sleep on the ground in the outdoors not the floor! That said an informative video.

attach a carabiner between hammock and suspension system. Prevents wicking,. Simple. Erm.. bivi bag in hammock in rain ? without a tarp. would keep you dry to an extent but surely water would collect in hammock if heavy rain. Not a great situation. Interesting vid btw. Thinking of getting one of these, would use on ground with insulation and small tarp above head.

Are we sure "Army issue" really is an endorsement ??

Because the bivy breathes the air inside is drier and therefore insulates better.

Or any other gore tex bivi bag

I've got water based emulsion paint on my bivi any help on how I might clean it or is it safe to put in washer

I tested mine by sitting in the bath (yes i know potty sod) not a single drop came threw

How many get left behind by soldiers everywhere? First attack? You aren’t packing a camp away? I’m sure the ‘powers to be’ knew that and so gave us buggerall! Ha ha! Not to worry, back to the mess for a snifter Cuthbert? Ah yes, too bloody cold out here. Ha ha!

Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance =be prepared and you won t suffer I to hammock camp never got wet and dont use this stuff just go prepared

Good video, but I'm not sure lying in a hammock asleep without cover is a good idea, people could drown because the water would collect at the heaviest point - the person - and if they hammock is something like tarp, it won't leak out, instead it will rise up in its container and cover the person.

On using a bivy in an uncovered hammock: won't the hammock collect water under you if it rains? That can't be a good thing. There's "water proof," and then there's sleeping-in-water proof.

ive had my eyes on one of these fer a while now! army surpluses do some good deals on em for aprox £20 ebay sometimes less can you recommend a supplier? & are they all standard sizes as ive got a brit army issue 4seasons arctic bag with outside pkts centralzip etc that tapers but has centre zip style 3qtrs length of bag my biggest concern with these is without a zip also on bivi bag is getn out of it super quick becomes a tad more difficult say in case of event of a fire or flood or other type of emergency where speed is of the essences!! there is a technique you can use to overcome this lack of a zip but by times you add in the sleep mat bag liner and bivi its quite a few layers to pull cleanly off!! at speed! making it harder to do! in any emergency but i do like them they look ok size enough for me? im 6ft+ how are they width wises no feel restricted?!

I like the idea of the Biva Bag...but what bothers me, despite my size, is vermin (rats/mice) getting inside! Is the hoop variety not better?

Hello, what's about the weight? Thanks

Thanks for the useful video :) But that's not how water molecules work at all ;) ;)!! Water as vapour, rain, condensation, or even ice is always - famously - the same H2O molecule.

I would not put the matress inside the bivy. Moisture wont go through the mattress and thus your sleeping bag will get damp from the bottom. It's not also a good idea to just lie on the ground with out a ground sheet. You will extend the life time of the bivy by having ground sheet. But then again, brittish army bivys cost 70 euros new so if you want to be light weight, I guess you could risk it and just get a new one if it wears out. Sleeping directly in the rain is not fun, even in the hammock, so having a tarp is a must.

Didn't work on tac ex spent 2 day sleeping with out anything to sleep in, mornings were even hard army at the age of 16 was shit

I am hoping that this material works...how many of the things that I have purchased....did not work...

except that the hammock will turn into a swimming pool unless you've taken precautions or modified the hammock.

Pack size

We've all heard of goretex and need no explanation as it's been around since the 1960s.

Mmm I know it's probably a great bit of kit but, I personally wouldn't like to be in that slug and come under attack. It would take all day to get out of it.

I got pissrapped in an issued bivvy bag so no, it isn't half as good as it's made out to be. Use it as a "shelter" and you are setting yourself up for a fail.

Water proof 👍 wind proof 👍 not midge proof 👎 might need to save the pennies for a Dutch army hooped bivi with midge net. 😉

I used to believe all this "breathable" stuff, about waterproof, until I get caught in torrential rain, and my Northface Jacket clung to me, froze me and seeped lots of water in. What if it really rained when you were in that bivvy?

The problem is that in a heavier rain your head n face is gonna get soaked, wet....so not that waterproof like promoted

Personal shelter system? Its a waterproof bag you crawl into...

Don't care bugs spider's climbing over my face is a defo no

The Army never gave me any even half decent kit, everything got soaked and heavy or was never waterproof at all. The Army needs it’s soldiers cold, I really believe that, to keep them on the move? No comfort, keep em’ miserable! We envied all other armies their gear, so I don’t see how British Army’ is any endorsement for good outdoor gear? If it is? Good luck to the modern soldier, I say.