Bivy Bag usage

[qjdb]

OK, treat this as a Civvie question, as I do not have a chain to go up to answer this one for me (I am CIC, so there is no 'institutional knowledge' of this for me).  I have searched, but have not found the answer, as most of you DO have that 'institutional knowledge'.

I have a Civvie Bivy sack, a Civvie sleeping bag, and a Civvie blue foam mattress.  I have a compression sack that came with the sleeping bag, but I also have another one that was purchased separately, that is slightly larger.

My questions are these:

1.  Is the mattress put inside the bivy sack, or does the bivy sack sit on top of the mattress?

2.  When you roll everything up, do you roll the sleeping bag up inside the bivy, like a huge burrito, or do you take the sleeping bag out, then fold the bivy sack up?

3.  If you have the mattress inside the bivy, does that get rolled up inside as well?

Thank you very much in advance.  And please, not TOO much CIC bashing, eh? ;D

 

[paracowboy]

1. I've seen some folks put their air mattress inside their bivvy bag. It never seems to work out too well for them. I can't do it, since I'm a big fatass, and barely fit in my bivvy bag as it is.

2. I stuff the sleeping bag/bivvy bag combo into my valise (or compression sack, in your case) together. It saves time, and it helps ensure that The Bag stays dry, should water seep into my valise.

3. Answers 1 and 2 above should answer #3, in my case, I would think.

Take it for what it's worth.

 

[devilins]

My answers are these.  This is personal taste though so you can take how I do things with a grain of salt.

1.  Is the mattress put inside the bivy sack, or does the bivy sack sit on top of the mattress?

I usually just sleep on top of the mattress thus saving my bivy bag from getting holes and becoming a casualty of the EX.  As well I have a tendency to roll around a touch and I would end up cuddling my mattress rather then sleeping on it.  As for where it goes on my ruck, generally the mattress is pushed against the frame and the valise or your compression sack gets strapped on top of it.

2.  When you roll everything up, do you roll the sleeping bag up inside the bivy, like a huge burrito, or do you take the sleeping bag out, then fold the bivy sack up?

I roll up my sleeping bag inside my bivy bag and then I put it all in the valise as the bivy bag provides extra protection from the elements IE that river you just had to cross.

Hope this answers your questions but I'm sure there are some hardcore pathfinder types out there that could give you even better suggestions.

Cheers!!

 

[BEN 621]

I second para-cowboy's motions, except the big fat arse part. I have a scawny, boney arse, and I too kept the pad outside & under the biv bag/fart-sack combo. And keeping the sleeping bag inside the biv bag when you pull-pole prevents the bag from getting wet as opposed to placing it inside the same valice/stuff sack as the wet biv bag.

There is no such thing as a stupid question (well, I take that back after being a cop for 3 years now; but I believed it in the army)

 

[Shamrock]

I don't recommend putting the air mattress inside the bivy bag.  I did it once, makes sitting up in the sleeping bag comically difficult.  If you like to run marathons in your sleep, you may want to consider this as an option. especially if you're sleeping outside of a tent.

For 82 ptn ruck:
I've seen a few guys put the air mattress inside the valise then stuff their sleeping kit inside at the centre.  I've also seen said individuals struggle to secure their gigantic valises to their rucks.  Normally, the air mattress is stored outside the valise but inside the cargo straps.  I recommend against slipping the straps through the loops on the air mattress carrier and securing it outsde because (in my opinion) the air mattress isn't secure enough that way.  The valise is large enough to store bivy bag and sleeping bag together with space to spare (in case some kid suddenly realizes the TV he brought with him is too heavy).

For Civy ptn pack:
My sleeping bag compartment of my pack is large enough for both seperately.  Left together, gets pretty cramped.  I'll seperate them, compress & waterproof the sleeping bag, then store it followed by the bivy bag (hey, it's civy camping and I have the time).  Bivy bags don't compress (no loft), but they do roll up nice and tight.  Air mattress gets secured in a vertical on the pack, I hate having my pack wider than my shoulders.  Be careful about using your bivy bag to waterproof your sleeping bag if you're doing some hard backwoods camping/canoe/kayaking -- Gore Tex® isn't as waterproof as garbage bags.  I'm a pack light kind of guy but I always garbage bag my kit (but my garbage bag serves two purposes: it's bright orange, so in case of emergency, marker panel).

 

[George Wallace]

but I always garbage bag my kit (but my garbage bag serves two purposes: it's brigh orange, so in case of emergency, marker panel).

Ah!  Yes!  Those Bright Orange ones......They really are heavy duty and work great.......but they really aren't 'garbage bags' though, are they!  ;D

 

[Sloaner]

Well from one CIC WOG to another, there is some limited institutional knowledge on the topic, just depends on your Region and when you did your courses.  Like most of the responses here Air matress is generally outside the bag when in use, believe me this will make your life easier.  I've tried it both ways and when you're chasing down you cadets on a pull pole this will save you time in your personal kit re-load.  I tend to keep my sleep kit inside the bivy bag and then into the valise, again quicker and adds protection as many have already pointed out.  When packing follow the same rules as when sleeping keep the matress outside your valise as it will save time in a number of different ways when establishing and striking a biv site with your kids.  I do a bit of adventure racing as well, and I follow the same rules with my civy kit and it always works well.  If you're looking for some of the institutional references, I'll see if I can dig them up in my boxes of manuals etc.  If I can find it, I'll scan it and send it your way, just PM me with anything you may need.

 

[1feral1]

What works for me? Foam mattress under the bivvy. What's inside the bivvy? Depending on the season in Australia (there is two in Queensland, warm and hot) I would only have a poncho liner, or in the colder times, a sleeping bag and poncho liner.

I don't use my bivvy often, instead most here have a swag (google Australian swag). Its bulky, and ties up well on the top of a LAV. A bit of comfort in the field, and to see a LAV with 3-4 of them strapped on a LAV is not unusual.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[qjdb]

Thank you for the quick responses everyone.

Outside the bivy is pretty much what I had figured, but I just wanted to make sure that I was going to do it correctly.  Or at least the way that the majority does it, as I have found that if the majority does it a certain way, it is probably the way that makes the most sense.

Again, thanks.

 

[Bzzliteyr]

By the way.. I am not sure if you are using the term "roll" literally, but it's always been a good practice to actually "stuff" the sleeping bag in.  Most outdoor companies suggest it with high end sleeping bags as it keep the feathers random I believe.

"When packing your sleeping bag into its stuff sack, do exactly as the name suggests and simply stuff the bag in. This has 2 advantages, firstly it is a lot easier than trying to roll the bag and then put it in, and secondly it means that the bag will not be folded in exactly the same places over and over which could in time damage those areas.
The easiest way to stuff it in is to push the foot end in first."

taken from http://www.outdoorgear.co.uk/Camping-Equipment/Sleeping-Bag/default.htm (thanks google)

BTW, the same goes for tents.  Better to stuff than to fold and roll!

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Stuffing your mil issue sleeping bag, helps it dry out and keep the feathers fluffed. If you roll it, you'll always be getting into a damp sleeping bag. Makes it look like your carrying a bigger load too! ;D

 

[qjdb]

By the way.. I am not sure if you are using the term "roll" literally, but it's always been a good practice to actually "stuff" the sleeping bag in.  Most outdoor companies suggest it with high end sleeping bags as it keep the feathers random I believe.

Yeah, I do stuff them, yes.  For the tents, I tend to fold and roll those, though, as they just don't make those frikkin' bags big enough to stuff them in there, I find.  I usually stuff the fly in, though.

Again, thanks, all.

 

[GO!!!]

I put my air mattress inside the bivy bag in the winter, because that way only the bivy bag gets wet.

In the summer, air mattress goes outside, so the bivy bag does'nt get holes in it.

 

[NL_engineer]

Yeah, I do stuff them, yes.  For the tents, I tend to fold and roll those, though, as they just don't make those frikkin' bags big enough to stuff them in there, I find.  I usually stuff the fly in, though.

You can stuff most tents, unless you are talking about the $30 Crappy Tire two man tents.

 

[qjdb]

no, more like the freakin' huge family cabins.  Stuffing doesn't work so well for those.

My smaller tents, yeah, those get stuffed.

Quentin

 

[scoutfinch]

Hmmmm.  I have yet to use my bivy bag.  I typically sleep with my ranger blanket on my air mattress under my hooch.  I know this sounds like a ludicrous question but Is the bivy bag simply used to keep you dry in the event of rain?

 

[paracowboy]

prevents moisture period. Sleep without it and you can get dew or frost forming on your blankie. Makes for a rude and chilly awakening.

 

[BernDawg]

That bivvy bag is one of the best pieces of kit they have ever issued.  Many a night I have lain on the ground in a mod dreaming of being warm and dry.  Of course that was back in the day....  :warstory:
Now I can be warm and dry wherever I am.  Kinda like an issued woobie!

 

[scoutfinch]

Isn't that funny... the reason I haven't used it was because I assumed (I know, I know....) that it would actually act as a barrier to moisture evaporating off of my body and the bivy bag itself would get  gross and clammy.  Serves me right for not asking before.  Fortunately, I got out of Gage'nam before the cool summer nights hit... or maybe  I was just too sleep deprived to have noticed the cold anyway. 

 

[geo]

Huh???
they let you sleep in Gagetown?
Where are the standards going?