>>1779990(1/1)
welcome to the wierd and wonderful world of using a bivi. sorry to hear you aren't happy, but don't give up, bivis are an odd animal and take a little getting used to.
Firstly. Condensation is unavoidable in certain situations. Get over it now. The trick is learning the conditions that will lead to condensation so A) you can avoid them and B) you know when you can't avoid them so you can make prepartions to dry your bag out the following day.
>>1780004>Airing out the bag should be routine practice for everybody, but when you're using a bivy it is an absolute must.This anon nailed it. So days this will mean taking advantage of every little bit of sunshine to you get crisp up your bag.
To put it simply there are two types of bivi bag. The first is the classic stand alone, fully waterproof, closeable, bivi. These are for mountaineering. And this is really the only setting they should be used in imo. The second is the spalsh bivi, they are meant to be used with a small tarp, they offer light protection from rain splash but are not fully waterproof. As the material is more breathable they can be used in a wider number of settings, however, they do still get condensation. I own a bivi of this type, a borah bivi. I love it and after a little bit have worked out when and how to use it.
On to the bivi you own, the alpkit hunka. I don't quiet understand this bivy. I think it sits in the middle of the two bivi designs so is failed at being either. It's got a material that is trying to be waterproof but doesn't have a proper way of closing the hole. But it's not breathable enough.
As you bought alpkit I'm guessing you're euro/uk? If you're in the UK then biving can be a bit tricky. It's a very damp, dewy island. I get away cowboy camping with my bivi in the UK when I am in a forest or amoungst trees. The micro climate under a tree helps to reduce the dew and condensation.
Pic related, my bivi and quilt during a dry break late morning.
