Bivvy or Hammock and Tarp

Or bivvy and tarp?

Bear Bones bikepacking is where you should ask.

APF

Your bivvy assumption is pretty much spot on. For complete flexibility of location it really can't be beat. Couple a bivvy bag with a small tarp and you've a good, lightweight setup. I've never fancied the hammock option as it's just too limiting for most of the trips I make.

Real or imagined, the danger of getting trodden on in my bivvy by the feral ponies that are common around these parts does tend to play on my mind but I still prefer it. Plenty of places I could use a hammock though, so I should try it at some point.

Bivvy bag and tarp FTW

1kg, free-standing tent ftw.

OK... might be a midge's over 1kg and need one or two pegs knocking in... but definitely my preferred option.

Echo others comments about relative flexibility (I was out in my bivi bag last night). If you do go the hammock route, sort out the underlying insulation so you're not trying to gain thermal equilibrium with the entire atmosphere (one of the coldest nights I've ever spent was in a hammock! I say 'night,' but in fact I gave up and bailed at 03:40...).

Whilst it looks comfortable and adventurous on your insta page,  I can't imagine many folk would use a hammock twice in Scotland during Midge season - you'd be eaten alive in and amongst the trees.

For precisely the same reason I prefer my wild country zephyros tent to my bivvy bag too.

Good point - slightest hint of midges and I’d be in a tent!

The midges / mosquitoes are one of my main problems with bivvying, I love the idea of finding a scenic mountain top spot like I see on instagram but usually end up just crashing out at the end of a day in the first convenient comfortable out-of-the-way place I can find. But there are definitely bivvies available with midge netting, if you're happy being fully-enclosed. I'm waiting to try out my new purchase, a Borah Ultralight which I took a punt on - https://borahgear.com/ultralightbivy.html - which seems astonishingly too-good-to-be-true light. I'll almost certainly use it with a tarp if in soggy conditions.

I was bivy and tarp Saturday night which was nice. Tents are just way easier and far better especially in Scotland with midges. Hammocks are rubbish unless it’s hot and you’re drinking something with lots of ice and a little paper umbrella in.

Hammocks are rubbish unless it’s hot and you’re drinking something with lots of ice and a little paper umbrella in.

Same!

Tents are just way easier

They are if you have a nice bit of flat ground that's big enough. You can get away with far worse spots if you are just bivvying.

The midges / mosquitoes are one of my main problems with bivvying

You can get a mozzie net for the top half of your body that you could hang over your head. Lots of options.

If you don't already have them, relatively inexpensive places to start are the Alpkit Hunka for the bivvy and D and D Hammocks for the tarp

Hammocks are well comfy but the ones you want are super-wide Mexican style, where you lie at right angles.

If you don’t already have them, relatively inexpensive places to start are the Alpkit Hunka for the bivvy and D and D Hammocks for the tarp

Awesome thx

If you go for an Alpkit Hunka, go for the XL. More room to move around inside and you can put the mat inside too so you don’t roll off. Not that much of a weight penalty.

I do like my Hunka but just treated myself to one of these

https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/helium-bivy-287809

Good compromise of bivy flexibility with benefit of bug netting and option to fully close if it gets damp (though likely to get a bit sweaty inside I suspect if I do). Getting its maiden trip this weekend.

Good choice. My most recent bivvy trip was using a Helium I bought off richpips.

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A good example of where a tent would have been impractical.

Do you peg it and use the guy loop on the top of the hoop @scotroutes? I’m thinking it’ll help keep its shape better.

I peg it but haven't used the loop. It would work well under a branch or even attached to a tarp pole (which is how I've used a loop on a different bivvy bag).

How much room is there in the helium to side sleep? I had an alpkit elan and didn’t really like it as I had to sleep on my back to fit in without it being really taut…

It's pretty roomy - even with a 7cm mat and sleeping bag. I guess it depends how much foetal position you adopt. 🙂

Another OD Helium user here... I'm a wriggler/sprawler and find it pretty comfortable. Also the hoop lets me read my kindle if it's raining or the midges are vicious. Another thing to consider whether you go for a bivvy or tarp/hammock option is that you don't have the air gaps and wind protection a tent offers, so it'll be much cooler. Nothing major, but just something to plan in. Added bonus of the bivvy option is you can put your mat and sleeping bag in before you go and roll it all up together (I tend to stick it on my bars), and then when you get to your spot just roll it out, inflate your mat and you're good to go.

You can get a mozzie net for the top half of your body that you could hang over your head. Lots of options.

It's called a tent 😂

Shit the bed I just looked at the prices for the Alpkit Hunka XL!! £70! I'm pretty sure I bought mine for £40 two years ago. Blimey!

This guy made his own tarp!