Soooo, sleeping in a bag you say? Well I had to give it a go, I did loads of research with people suggesting it should be tried befor taken seriously as there are some fairly pricey bags out there and it's not for everyone. I therefor decided to start with the Belgian Bivi bag.
First off it's cheap, there are loads of them on Ebay and it seemed the most logical choice with the only cheaper alternative being a plastic survival bag!
The bag is made from a material called seyntex, but has a canvas type top meaning it's breathable as well as water proof. As can be seen in the pictures the waterproof section wraps around the feet and up the sides so the bottom is 100% water proof.
This material has a type of PU coating so feels a bit rubber on the inside, I have slept many a times on the cold wet floor with only a slight bit of condensation in the bag, in fact last year I spent a night on Dartmoor in one with some terrible weather and stayed nice and dry. The top of the bivi has a flap that I use to stuff my clothes or pillow in but also pull into the bag as an extra bit of cover, there is a pull cord but it's a bit too claustrophobic for my liking.
What I find is the best setup is to get the sleeping bag inside the bivi an roll it up like in the picture below (ruler for measurement).
I hang this off my bag meaning it's all fairly water proof but I'm also not wasting space trying to squeeze it all in my bag which you will need as I strongly suggest you add a tarp to keep the dew off in the mornings, not so much the wet mind just that cold you get in the mornings. Perhaps others might not find this a necessity but I certainly do. I also think that this is where the sleeping in a bag idea starts to fall down, not only do you have to carry the bag at roughly 1kg but you then need to add on a tarp, poncho or basha. The more I sleep in these things the more I think there is a better solution.
The next problem I have with this bivi is the PU coated inside, yes it's all nice and water proof but leads to such a problem once you add the sleeping bag. I sleep on my side and due to the hard floor am switching during the night, unfortunately the sleeping bag sticks to the bivi bag due to it's rubber type finish, this causes endless frustration as the whole thing tightens up like someone wringing water out of a towel. For me this is the deal breaker, if I'm unable to get sleep then it's a complete waste with the only possible solution for getting sleep being complete exhaustion or a A LOT of booze (I don't think I could carry that much booze!)
I do intend to give the bag the odd dusting off as I REALLY want to like it and to give credit to the Belgians, the bag is pretty well made. I would however like to look into making my own kit as I like the simplicity and not having to setup the tent. All in all it's a cheap solution and worth a go, but it's not the game changer I thought it would be.
Pro's
It's a bag
It's fairly light an rolled up saves a bit of space
No need to mess around with poles etc, just get in.
It's a bag!
Cons
The need for some sort of cover
Getting stuck over night, horrible!
It's a BAG!
