BIVVY BAG

A bivvy bag is simply a small, light but durable waterproof bag, which acts as an alternative to a tent. Bivvy bags are commonly used to avoid the weight or size of a hiking tent in their pack, or as an emergency alternative in a bug out bag. Unlike hiking tents or hammocks, the bivvy bag only allows space for sleeping as it is just slightly bigger than a sleeping bag. The bivvy bag is more useful when constantly on the move. The bivvy bag is typically a lot lighter to carry than a tent or hammock and takes up little space as it is smaller and doesn’t always require zippers, mesh and other materials a tent or hammock requires. It is a lot smaller when in use, allowing you to take advantage of smaller sites and retain a low profile where required.

There are different types of bivvy bags available from basic lightweight and mosquito-net-only bags to the heavier, more advanced models designed for more extended use and heavier weather, with poles to keep the bag off your face. Which type suits you best depends on your circumstances and intended use.

When you’re planning the purchase of a bivvy bag, there are a few criteria you need to keep in mind.

•It is important you get as useful a bag with as minimal a weight and pack size as possible, yet retain the protection you require. For instance, if you plan to use a bag during heavier weather and for extended periods of time, you may wish to use one where a pole holds the fabric off your face. Alternatively, you may appreciate a lighter bag with mesh sewn into the material at face level to help vent moisture if you are in a dry climate.

•The bag needs to be weatherproof. What this means to you depends a bit on your environment.

•The bag needs to give you as much comfort as possible. You’ll want a bag that remains dry inside and evaporates sweat easily. Perhaps in some climates, you only require a bag to keep the bugs off, in which case you can purchase a mosquito net bivvy. You need to consider how much space there is inside. Can you move around a little? Is there space for your gear? (If not, bring a separate bag for your backpack.) Can you bring a sleeping mat inside?

•You want the material to be durable. If you need to camp in an area with sharp stones, thorns or similar terrain, a super-lightweight bag may get damaged and let water in. Many bags provide a breathable, lightweight upper portion and use heavier materials for the bottom. Many bivvy bags contain zippers. As these will be used a lot, you’ll want to make sure they’re sturdy and don’t catch the fabric.

Typically, if your bag is made out of breathable material such as Gore-Tex fabric, it will help reduce condensation, but still not eliminate it altogether. Managing the entrance helps to vent the rest of the moisture. Ideally, when using a bivvy bag, you’ll want to keep the entrance as open as possible. For this reason, a lot of bivvy-campers will set up a small tarp over their head end so the bivvy bag only covers from the shoulders down while the tarp covers from mid-waist to above the head. This method often also allows some extra space for your equipment.

Even though the bag is waterproof, you still want to avoid lying in puddles, seeking instead as much natural shelter as possible while avoiding any hazards as discussed before. As you are only covered by the most minimal of shelters, a good site is extra important.

BELL TENT

Bell tents are often incorrectly marketed as lavvus. This is in part to give them more of an ethnic appeal, but also because the shape so closely resembles the lavvu’s. The main difference is that the bell tent only has one supporting pole in the center, rather than the 11 or more poles used in the lavvu. For this reason, the bell tent also does not have a smoke hole, though it does have a rather sizeable vent, which can be opened or closed as desired through the use of strings.

I have seen people using small, open fires in a bell tent, but with the size of the vent, I would be extremely cautious and perhaps opt for a small, wood-burning stove instead. If this is what you intend to do, ensure the tent you purchase is adapted for the use of a wood burner, with fireproof material separating the canvas from the stove flue.

Setting Up the Tent

1.Setting up the bell tent is fairly easy. Lay the canvas out in the circle formed by its bottom edge and peg it to the ground in such a way that the circle is taut all the way around. Be sure to orient the doorway in the desired direction before you do so.

2.Once you’re happy with the footprint and all the pegs are secure, unzip the entrance and crawl inside with the assembled pole. Place the tip of the pole in the space provided at the tip of the tent, and push the pole up until it can stand upright, exactly vertical below the tip of the tent.

3.When you don’t have a wood burner, you can lay out your internal space any way you wish. If you do have one, you’ll find it’s usually nicest to place your bedding so the stove is between you and the doorway.

Quality bell tents are usually a bit pricier, but this is because the design requires strong cloth and excellent seams to retain its shape and durability. In return, you get a large tent with ample space inside to live in comfort. It may well be worth it to bring a tarp to sit and lie on, though, as these tents usually do not include groundsheets. There’s also no protection from mosquitoes or other bugs as there is no bug-proof inner tent. Due to its solid construction and ability to accept a wood burner inside, this tent can be quite usable in extremely cold or snowy conditions. Depending on the design of the tent, you may be able to travel without the pole, and fashion your own when out in the wilderness. However, there is little flexibility with the length, so you may wish to attach a non-stretching string to the tent to represent the exact length of the manufactured pole.

Chapter 5

Mental Preparedness

As anyone can see when glancing through this book, its pages are filled to the brim with physical skills that can be learned to aid the outdoorsman or wilderness skills enthusiast. Obviously, many of these skills are extremely important to survival. However, being able to perform them well and reliably in energy-sapping cold weather or searing hot, willpower-draining desert conditions is but one of the pillars of survival. This chapter attempts to deal with the other pillar—your mental and emotional attitude.

Your brain is, after all, your biggest resource for information. For survival knowledge, intuition, judgment or capability for forward thinking, it’s clear that the brain is the key to survival. Unfortunately, just like a strained wrist will negatively impact a canoeist’s performance, a brain affected by stress or panic will negatively impact your chances of staying alive in difficult situations or your comfort level and enjoyment in less extreme situations. Learned information stored in the brain can become difficult to access during extremely urgent situations, leaving the individual to rely more on instincts. The trick is to interrupt this natural tendency for the brain to revert back to instinct and access the survival knowledge learned instead.