Cycling UK Forum

Tangled Metal wrote:
Get the Hunka xl!

Tangled Metal wrote:
Tarp and bivvy might work out heavier than lightweight tents but plenty of advantages. Ever kipped on top of a hill in 70mph storm in a lightweight tent? I've seen three venerable hilleberg atko get flattened against a user's face but my trekking pole supported tarp never budged at all. I slept through the night. It is amazing what a good, wind shedding tarp pitch can cope with.

Zulu Eleven wrote:Still have (but haven’t used in a long while) a double hooped gore-tex bivvy bag (which had a heavier rubberised base and really lightweight event-style gore-tex on top. Couldn’t recommend it enough. The hooped version is a lot better than just a bivvy bag IMO.

They were very rare, Gucci items, but I suspect that the carinthia made Dutch army hooped bivvy is as good (and a lot easier to get in and out of)

My one(but not me): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCThyi9nTac

Dutch hooped version: https://forcesuniformandkit.co.uk/produ ... -bivvy-bag

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
My summer kit my coast ride last year consisted of Off the top of my head-
Cheap synthetic bag two season 600 g
Cheap breathable bivy bag 350 g
Really cheap 5 mm thick foam mat 100 g
Pillow Which is just a pillowcase made from fleece half normal size that you use at home, stuff with your clothes overnight.
One early morning I was a little bit chilled, but it was tolerable.
Six night in bus shelters, two on the bench the rest on a concrete floor.
You knew floor was flat and hard but not that uncomfortable, surprising how comfortable with just a 5 mm foam mat.
Also although open at the front Overhead I was protected from any rain.
The night I was cold was probably on the floor of the glass shelter.
If you are going to camp on grass, once you have located your site I would normally lay the tent on the ground, And lay on the ⛺️ to see it was not uncomfortable and downhill.
This is the trick if the ground is soft grass et cetera then the mat does not need to be that good.
In my youth I found you had to sleep three nights before you actually got a good nights sleep.

Bivy verse tent, it's very simple if it rains and it's windy you will need more gear to match a tent.
If it doesn't rain you can probably get the weight down to about 60% of the tent pack complete all in with a bivy.
I took a waterproof balaclava in case it rained and I was in the open, I didn't need it so I'm not sure how effective it would've been?
Using tent as a pole is a total waste of time, not light and cumbersome to, definitely no weight saving there just a novelty.

One night you're not gonna get much sleep anyway are you, unless you're a really heavy sleeper, As I said further up post Surprising how comfortable just a thin foam Matt is, On grass say 6-9 inches moorland An air bed is simply just extra weight, and not as reliable either.

On the ground on the grass in the open, you are definitely going to need more bedding than any tent, as said.
So if it does not rain it's just temperature you need to worry about.

my gear up post cost me about £40 new.
If you spent £100 on some more quality I can see you using it again for sure.
Sleeping bags you need several and pick the bag for the season and the conditions.

I keep thinking for ideal light weight set up, you need a large bivy where are you can store some of the gear off your bike to protect it from weather and keep it secure.
then all that's needed is some protection for your head, like a light weight umbrella of sorts.
I am still working on the idea
Bivy bag needs no groundsheet
500 m up in a bivy you probably need at least a 1200 g bag in the summer.

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
Oh, they didn't tell you did they, The only way to sleep comfortably in a sleeping bag is with no clothes on, which is what I do and always have.
If you wear your clothes they hold sweat and in the morning it will chill you.
You need to try it to believe it first.

mercalia wrote:I think the ground sheet is about protecting the bag as they aint cheap

hamster wrote:
But as said, there is no need for a groundsheet under a bivvy bag, the whole point is that the bag is waterproof: the Hunka definitely IS!

mattheus wrote:You don't need a groundsheet UNDER your bivvy-bag!

If it's warm enough, you just unroll it, climb in, go to sleep. You'll often manage without a mat*. It's that simple.

(I'm not saying that conditions will always allow this, oh no … )


*The issue of whether your mat should go inside or outside seems quite complex - I don't think there is a "right" answer (I've tried both). I've even managed without one where I've had a dry flat surface to sleep on, and I wasn't desperate for 7 hours perfect sleep - I'm not great at sleeping away from home bed anyway ...

hamster wrote:Looks good, although you would still need a groundsheet - which is where a bivvy bag is just as effective.
I tend to err on the side of tents as they are much more comfortable and versatile except in settled weather. The bivvy bag is great for sneaky overnight 'smash and grab' trips.

horizon wrote:The bivvy versus tent debate must be done to death but for wild camping:

Bivvy: light, easy to unroll, put away, you can hear/see people coming, fresh air!
Tent: needs pegging and maybe better ground. Heavier.

But (I have a Jetpacker) here's the thing: a tent provides a dry environment around you. It will also provide some heat by trapping body warmth. On a bke, the weight IMV isn't an issue. I know what would be my choice.

mattheus wrote:Definitely bivvY


The only justification I need is that my favourite ever outdoorsy guide uses that spelling:
https://www.cicerone.co.uk/the-book-of-the-bivvy-second

Buy it.

mattheus wrote:Yes, but people your size generally recommend the XL version.

(have you searched the forum? there is a thread about bivvy bags that talks about the Hunka - back in 2012(!), but folks are still raving about the Hunka in the ultra-hip bikepacking world. I'm happy with mine, but haven't used anything else ... )

Oldjohnw wrote:I regularly use this sometimes with the Alpkit tarp:

https://www.alpkit.com/products/hunka

Excellent item. Been on top of Cheviot and Helvellyn with it. Light as a feather. You need a reasonably good sleeping bag if winter use. And a mat, inside or underneath.

Edited: I see it crossed with another post!

hufty wrote:Never used one but can see the attraction. Is that one breathable though, it doesn't mention it in the writing. Alpkit do some as well, may be worth a look?

Jamesh wrote:It does slightly supprise me that s brand like Cannondale still make use of such naff wheels.

Most over brands have managed to supply externally made or own brand wheels that a half decent except Cannondale!

Cheers James

Solidairs wrote:Hi Linus. I presume you found some 15g plain gauge spokes for your Maddux wheels. I have searched high and low without success although it seems they are manufactured by several spoke making companies including Sapim and Wheelsmith. Can I ask where you managed to source yours? Many thanks.