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I'm considering a new tent for occasional camping.  Not hiking and carrying a tent, but one to set up beside the van.  Something handy to put up and fairly waterproof.  Has anyone tried the fishing bivvys from Go Outdoors etc?  Any advantages to these over a regular tent?

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Look on angling directs website got some good deals👍... A fishing bivvy will be quicker and easier to erect than a tent....most of the 2 man's you can stand up in 👍I use one of these,had lt for £160 got lucky, would of payed more if I'm honest .

WWW.ANGLINGDIRECT.CO.UK

Key Features 20000mm HH Hydra-Tex material High performance 2 rib structure Optimal foot-print / inner space ratio Peak system Zip-out...

 

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6 hours ago, Daniel cain said:

Look on angling directs website got some good deals👍... A fishing bivvy will be quicker and easier to erect than a tent....most of the 2 man's you can stand up in 👍I use one of these,had lt for £160 got lucky, would of payed more if I'm honest .

WWW.ANGLINGDIRECT.CO.UK

Key Features 20000mm HH Hydra-Tex material High performance 2 rib structure Optimal foot-print / inner space ratio Peak system Zip-out...

 

Cheers.......that's the sort of thing I'm thinking of.  Do the poles stay attached to it all the time or do you need to thread them through like tent poles every time you are setting it up?

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Depends on the type of camping you are intending on doing ?

A bivvy will be quicker to erect but will be heavier and bulkier to carry than a normal camping tent. Also depending on time of year single skin bivvies can be terrible for condensation where as most camping tents are twinned skin. Plenty of extras for bivvies available now so you can do add ons, skull caps porches, different types of doors etc.   

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5 minutes ago, littlefish said:

Cheers.......that's the sort of thing I'm thinking of.  Do the poles stay attached to it all the time or do you need to thread them through like tent poles every time you are setting it up?

Almost all bivvies have the poles attached, most can be put up in seconds. 

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4 hours ago, littlefish said:

Cheers.......that's the sort of thing I'm thinking of.  Do the poles stay attached to it all the time or do you need to thread them through like tent poles every time you are setting it up?

Depends on what model you buy,most come threaded through the shelter,you just lay them out and clip together,takes seconds👍

 

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15 hours ago, littlefish said:

I'm considering a new tent for occasional camping.  Not hiking and carrying a tent, but one to set up beside the van.  Something handy to put up and fairly waterproof.  Has anyone tried the fishing bivvys from Go Outdoors etc?  Any advantages to these over a regular tent?

It comes down to space and mobility, if the space don’t matter and mobility isn’t an issue then a bivvy is fine if your don’t mind sleeping with a door wide open or breathability isn’t an issue.

That said, sleeping with the door down will require good water proof sleep system as you are effectively sleeping in a still with a bivvy and they will condensate heavily.

If camping is it’s sole purpose then a proper purpose made tent with a porch and ventilation is the way forward, its what they are designed for…..can get them in all sizes.

I saw one from Asda on the telly last night, think it was £70 and it was a proper double skin job and withstood an immense overnight downpour……pop up as well believe it or not so no poles to mess with.

It packed away to nothing, as big and as flat as a plastic hoop…..you couldn’t hike with it but it would fit down the back of van seats.

My simple up tracker bivvy is old now but I think the newest one is a grand to buy…..I bought that for weight, mobility and ease of use because most others a bulky……that little tent I seen on the telly last night shows that with fishing bivvys you are being totally ripped off. 

Edited by WILF
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3 hours ago, WILF said:

It comes down to space and mobility, if the space don’t matter and mobility isn’t an issue then a bivvy is fine if your don’t mind sleeping with a door wide open or breathability isn’t an issue.

That said, sleeping with the door down will require good water proof sleep system as you are effectively sleeping in a still with a bivvy and they will condensate heavily.

If camping is it’s sole purpose then a proper purpose made tent with a porch and ventilation is the way forward, its what they are designed for…..can get them in all sizes.

I saw one from Asda on the telly last night, think it was £70 and it was a proper double skin job and withstood an immense overnight downpour……pop up as well believe it or not so no poles to mess with.

It packed away to nothing, as big and as flat as a plastic hoop…..you couldn’t hike with it but it would fit down the back of van seats.

My simple up tracker bivvy is old now but I think the newest one is a grand to buy…..I bought that for weight, mobility and ease of use because most others a bulky……that little tent I seen on the telly last night shows that with fishing bivvys you are being totally ripped off. 

This one?  I'd be looking for something more substantial, i's only 1500  hydro head and anyways, tents like this have to be kneeled on to be wrestled into the bag again........i haven' the knees for that these days lol.....image.png.b5ac60af5c8f16de543df52f6ae9b0ef.png

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1 hour ago, littlefish said:

This one?  I'd be looking for something more substantial, i's only 1500  hydro head and anyways, tents like this have to be kneeled on to be wrestled into the bag again........i haven' the knees for that these days lol.....image.png.b5ac60af5c8f16de543df52f6ae9b0ef.png

Yeah, that’s the thing I watched, if it’s just outside a van then 1500/2000 head won’t be too sorry in a double skin…..anything that requires 5000 /10000 HH would see most blokes getting back in the van ! Lol 

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6 hours ago, WILF said:

It comes down to space and mobility, if the space don’t matter and mobility isn’t an issue then a bivvy is fine if your don’t mind sleeping with a door wide open or breathability isn’t an issue.

That said, sleeping with the door down will require good water proof sleep system as you are effectively sleeping in a still with a bivvy and they will condensate heavily.

If camping is it’s sole purpose then a proper purpose made tent with a porch and ventilation is the way forward, its what they are designed for…..can get them in all sizes.

I saw one from Asda on the telly last night, think it was £70 and it was a proper double skin job and withstood an immense overnight downpour……pop up as well believe it or not so no poles to mess with.

It packed away to nothing, as big and as flat as a plastic hoop…..you couldn’t hike with it but it would fit down the back of van seats.

My simple up tracker bivvy is old now but I think the newest one is a grand to buy…..I bought that for weight, mobility and ease of use because most others a bulky……that little tent I seen on the telly last night shows that with fishing bivvys you are being totally ripped off. 

Oh yes 

zzzzhhhhhhhhhhhh zzzzhhhhhhhhh zzzzzhhhhhh

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3 hours ago, WILF said:

Yeah, that’s the thing I watched, if it’s just outside a van then 1500/2000 head won’t be too sorry in a double skin…..anything that requires 5000 /10000 HH would see most blokes getting back in the van ! Lol 

 

image.png.b20835e05191507cc441b4784a37a735.png

Cheers!  This is what I have at the minute, 5 man air tent.  It's been good, but great to hear about the alternatives.  The bivvys look handy, but good to hear about the condensation issues.  The pop ups are not an option for me.  Thanks for the advice.

image.png

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2 hours ago, low plains drifter said:

Like the look of the fishing bivvies, I reckon one of them with a stove Jack would be the shit for the colder weather 

For REALLY cold weather it’s a canvas hot tent…..but your bag is more important than your bivvy, with a good bag you will get away with a tarp to keep you dry. 
In British climate you won’t need a hot tent, it’s just a nice thing to have….a 5 season bag will cover every eventuality.

Ive slept out in big storms with temps down to -6 and never been cold…..that’s a good bag, a waterproof cover and thin bivvy. 

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