Tent or Bivvie

Paul Brookes · Oct 28, 2008

Hi all

I have yet to go on a 24hr session, but am interested.

So, I have started to look at bivvies. £100 - £300 is quite a price range and I expect I'd not get the use out of one ofthe high end ones to justify the cost. However, I can get a 2 man dome tent from Millets for £50.

Is there any practical reason to go with a purpose made bivvieinstead ofa tent, or is it that pitching a cheapie tent would be the social equivalent of fishing with a stick and a piece of string?

Cheers, Paul

Lee Swords · Oct 28, 2008

No reason just fashion

I use an oval though...up and down in the blink of an eye!

Nathan · Oct 28, 2008

I've found that fishing 'tents' aka the bivvy provide you with better waterproofing than a standard tent (essestial for the weather we get in this country). Also some bivvys come with a winter skin which will keep you that extra bit warmer during the winter months. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

trev (100M bronze) · Oct 28, 2008

In a nutshell Paul yes.

Earlier this year several of us went to Sywell Reservoir for the James Farrow memorial match and there was loads of discussions about the difference between Bivvies and tents.

Tents belong on a campsite, Bivvies belong next to lakes and rivers.

Save your money and if your going to be doing a lot of night fishing invest it in a decent green bivvie.

BTW it might be a tad cold to be starting an overnight session, stick to fishing during the warmer daylight hours at least until late March when it starts to warm up.

paul tant · Oct 28, 2008

you dont have to spend silly money mate , have a look for a "shakespeare cypry dome" the one man dome will set you back between £50/65 there green , and a very reliable bivvy , my old one is seven years old now , i just use it ,as a kitchen when on long trips in france.

you wont go far wrong with one of these /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

nik saunders · Oct 28, 2008

Ido hear some lakes will only let proper fishing bivvys on ,elphicks is def one lake that has this rule, but i agree with paul tant you can get some really good deals these days and i think you will be better off with a twin skin ,my fist bivvy was a scarab i think ,went up the same way as fox easy dome and had twin skin and just enough room for two bed chairs ,i paid £70 sec hand ,wish i still had it some times/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

CatmanDan (emmo Jnr) · Oct 28, 2008

All bivvies are green so they blend in with the natural enviroment. Tents are mainly bright colours or blue they are all highly visible to everyone. as for how much you want to spend then thats down to you, whether you want a 1 man or 2 man depends on how much gear you have plus personnal preference. Totally different but would you wear branded trainers or not, I`ve always been a branded lad. It doesnt really matter what you have or havent got, its what makes you happy or content.

Paul Brookes · Oct 29, 2008

Thanks for the opinions guys.

I always considered it to be a fashion thing, but can appreciate theremay befeatures in a dedicated bivvy (mostly colour) that are preferable. I think I'll look second hand until I know that longer fishing trips are my thing.

I scuba dive year round (3 degree water in the winter) so the cold is not an issue for me. Not sure a dry suit is in keeping with fishing fashion though/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Cheers, Paul

PS. Anyone got a quality, easy erect bivvy for sale for £50?

dadondo · Oct 31, 2008

The difference is that tents use guy ropes for rigidity and bivvies have frames .

Specihunter · Oct 31, 2008

Plus it's easier to get in and out of due to the design of the door.

trev (100M bronze) · Nov 1, 2008

my bivvie has guy ropes and my tents both have frames, in fact one of my tents is better than my bivvie but because its orange and blue I cant use it next to a lake.

Agent no.9 · Nov 1, 2008

I have a leeda xl bivvie for sale excellent condition £20.

about 5 mins timeto put up

CatmanDan (emmo Jnr) · Nov 1, 2008

5 minutes thats ages

mick goodman · Nov 16, 2008

where can i get a fox frontier xoverwrap or winterskin from as fox dont do them no more dont care if it is fake i im freezing at nite thnx

Frothey · Nov 16, 2008

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Nathan wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>I've found that fishing 'tents' aka the bivvy provide you with better waterproofing than a standard tent (essestial for the weather we get in this country) </blockquote>

dont see many bivvies on the top of everest..... bivvy's are just overpriced tents. buy a decent tent and dye it green! btw my 8 man camping tents green, does that mean i could use it at Elphicks?

for overnighters i'd just stick to the oval brolly with a decent sleeping bag though.

Medders · Nov 16, 2008

You've gotta be warm, dry and comfortable right?!

Well, in my early days, I bought a low budget easy erect bivvy and it was a complete bloody nightmare. As previously mentioned, with the weather in this country, it just couldn't cut the mustard! When they get wet they get heavy and when the wind is blowing, they just collapse.....quite funny if it's not you! But whenit's blowing a good um and raining, you'd rather be cocooned in your sleeping bag, not cocooned by your bivvy. Lesson learnt!!

I have invested in a Berkley B-Hive Bivvy and it is the mut's nuts!!! For about £180-£200 (shop around), you get the pram-hood style, groundsheet, multiple door positions, mossie panels, over-wrap winter skin and decent hardcore pegs....bargain and money well spent!

Frothey · Nov 17, 2008

we aren't talking about cheap bivvies though - we're talking about proper camping tents.

Agent no.9 · Nov 17, 2008

Mark had a bee hive for about 4 months cannot fault it /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

nik saunders · Nov 17, 2008

elphicks say only proper fishing bivvies,dont know why if ya dye it green,one thing i will say is tents have guy ropes and me for one would be tripping up these ,and would most probably be falling on a very my spod rod or marker rod ,just buy a cheap bivvy loads out there mate /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Frothey · Nov 18, 2008

a lot of the "proper" bivvies on the market use guy ropes too.....

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