£20 Blue pop-up tent or £300 green bivvy?

[Titus]

tle history... Back in the days that Walker and his mates were pioneering carp fishing they used tents. There weren't any bivvys back then. Time passed and the various tackle manufacturers realised there was an opening for something a bit more than the standard brolly or tent from the local camping supply shop. Firstly came the overwraps for those brollies closely followed by special designs like the 'Brotel'. All had some sort of problem big or small. Brollies poles and ribs tend to get in the way, accepting that some people just get by and shrug off these niggles. Then came the proper bivvy. They were rather heavy (some still are) but they were generally good value and they were strong. They had bags of room inside, including plenty of headroom. Most importantly, together with that headroom they were easy to exit in the case of a run. This last is most important when comparing to tents.

You forgot the plastic bag your new mattress was delivered in draped over your brolley.

 

[nicepix]

You forgot the plastic bag your new mattress was delivered in draped over your brolley.

We used pallet covers sourced from the local glass bottle factory. Happy days. Sorry, I mean nights.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Yesterday I went to Big Hayes with my pal (Todber Manor, Sturminster Newton, Dorset)

Todber is a nice little venue with different lakes for different species/levels of competance.
We (FM) held a charity fish-In there a few years back which was a great weekend.

 

[Cliff Hatton]

This really is quite interesting! To my own astonishment I'm coming up for 60 and I've never fished from a bivvy or a tent - not once. I started-off night fishing as a 13 year old feeling rather chuffed to have a brolly for shelter. When it rained it kept me dry, and when it didn't I was able to fish and look around; this way I was able to detect the subtle stirrings of margin-cruisers and surface feeders. I could watch the night sky: shooting stars, passing birds, wind-blown trees and, just once, a mysterious light which simply couldn't have been of Earthly origin. The air was fresh under my brolly, and when the wind blew, I felt it on my face. When the mist rolled in I covered my legs with a blanket, congratulating myself on being fully-equipped. I'd watch unsuspecting foxes coming along the bank, and herons landing in trees close to my swim. My mode of fishing worked well so it never did occur to me to change - why would I want to deprive my senses of all this wonderful activity? Only last year, fishing on a Colchester club water, I was approached by one of the regular carpers out for a stroll. He assumed I'd be leaving that evening but I told him I'd be fishing until Friday, three days away (I wish I could have video'd this...) He looked at the beautiful, new, big, dark green brolly-with-sideflaps I'd satisfyingly erected to fit my swim, and the positively luxurious Kevin Nash 'day-chair' I'd positioned to the rear. He'd have seen my water-carrier and kelly kettle, my cool-boxful of bait and grub, my blanket and the small radio I sometimes listen to through ear-phones in the wee, small hours.
"Where you staying then?" he wondered, looking around for some alternative accommodation he may have missed, "where's your bed?"
Well in the nicest possible, bemused way, this ****** me off a bit 'cos I'd spent hours on and off standing back and admiring my home from home; I'd never known such luxury! "Where do you sleep?" he persisted, and I told him that my main purpose at the lake was to catch fish - not to sleep! When I DO eventually drop-off it'll be there...just there in that seat! The look on his face was worth a mint!

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

Conclusion.

Yesterday I went to Big Hayes with my pal (Todber Manor, Sturminster Newton, Dorset) and took the blue Pop-up tent along. Everyone else had big Bivvies. Ha! I thought, good test opportunity, I'll show those carp tarts.

It was very windy so I opted for the umbrella (it was a day session, the tent was there in case of wind-driven rain or cold). Conditions didn't change so I didn't use the tent at all.

When we packed up the car my mate grabbed the thin, flat, folded tent, but I told him to leave it 'til last as it should probably go on top of everything. He put it on the roof of the car and told me it was there.

We forgot about it and drove off, only realising when we got home 45mins later. What *s we must have looked.

If it had been a large bivvy we would have seen it, so I guess the answer to this post, is:

£300 green bivvy.

1. If you were fishing a day session then why the tent????? Surely the tent is only necessary for an overnighter?
2. The 'carp tarts' with their big bivvies were most likely staying over night. I would never go to the trouble of erecting/taking down a bivvie if only fishing for a few hours during the day.
3. You can get a a good quality bivvie for less than £300. Have a look at the chub bivvies around £100.

Did you catch anything or were you so pre-occupied with the tent/bivvie issue that you forgot about fishing?

 

[bub81]

Answers for Mr Corker, PASC, ABCD, 123:

1. Various reasons including the small chance of me staying the night and generally just to try it out. Why not, when it weighs nothing, takes no time at all to erect/take down and takes up no space (esp on the way home)!
2. Absolutely agree with you, but remember all of us were there fishing during the day, and they were inside their bivvies the whole time, so why not compare? There was a strong cold wind, a little rain, and it was chilly...
3. Well aware of that. Also, pop-ups for £60. What's your point? Mine, for the title, was to demonstrate the entire range of cost options.

(4?) Not pre-occupied, what makes you think I was? To answer your final 'question', out of the ten-odd bivvies and me and my buddy with our umbrellas there were only two people that caught all day. One of the Bivvy guys and myself. Pretty sure my 12.5lb was the biggest, too. Sorry to disappoint you there, but you asked.

Also, did some float fishing with luncheon meat in the evening and had a stunning little crucian on the centrepin. Probably missed the news tho, or a radio one phone-in competition.

 

[godsdice]

I Barbel fish on the Trent and wouldn't be without my JRC Contact bivvy. If it's summer, the weather is lovely and i'm there for the day it just stays in the bag. If the weather isn't the best and theres some wind and/or rain i put it up and zip the front off and use it as a day shelter. If i'm there for 2-3 days like i will be next weekend then at night i just zip the front on and use it as a bivvy when i get some sleep.