Bivvy dweller's insight .....

[AThong]

I'm looking for a bivvy that can be easily set up on an open beach in Force 5 gale winds like what dungeness has to offer.

I used to have a John Holden's beach buddy which is only big enough for one person sitting on a tacklebox. Just sold it off.

My kids now want to come along and stay in the bivvy with me for overnight sessions on the beach.

None of the sea angling manufacturers does a large tent/bivvy suitable for the beach.

So, with your experience of being bivvy dwellers, hope you can share some of your knowledge on what I would be loking out for.

I have just bought a twin wheel carp porter to lug my equipment down to my peg/swim from my car. Tried it out Saturday and it's great.

 

There is the Nash Double Top Extreme Professional and the Nash Combat Speed 1 or 2. Can it be erected in gale force winds conditions? Budget as about £169.00 I guess....

Would something like a Nash Hooligan 2 works as it's only £89.00 ? A Tardis on a windswept beach ? doubt it .....

 

maybe some other suggestions

 

thanking you guys for the time

 

cheers

andrew

[AThong]

Found some info in the

 

www.bivvies.co.uk

 

But still not sure how effective on a bleak deserted windswept beach .....

[Elton]

Found some info in the

 

www.bivvies.co.uk

 

But still not sure how effective on a bleak deserted windswept beach .....

 

LOL That's another one of our sites

 

To be honest, I think you'll be hard pressed to find anything up in a Force 5 on a beach. Something like the Nash Viper may do it. They just fold open, have an in-built groundsheet and take seconds to put up normally. It's the staking out that would cause you problems. You'd need some long pegs, I reckon.

 

I'll ask about and see if anyone else can suggest something.

[Julian]

You’d be best with a rigid-frame bivvy if you want it to stand up to the elements.

 

Forget anything anything ‘dome’ related or with fibreglass poles – they won’t stand up to a big wind and are a nightmare to get up in a stiff breeze. You just want something you can whip open and peg down with zero fuss. The easiest for this would be something from the Nash range. I have a Titan Viper and swear by it, I’ve had a few now and they will stand up to the harshest winds whilst others all around me get swept away in big winds. I use one without a groundsheet and can set it up and peg it out in about a minute.

 

Your only problem will be the price if looking for new as a Titan will set you back over £400 new. Ebay is an option for second hand but some of the older models were prone to leaking so you need to ensure you get a good’un.

 

Other option is an Armadillo but cost would be similar to a nashy.

 

There are cheaper rigid frame bivvies out there; I’ve seen this one in the flesh and it looks very good for the money: http://www.trevstackle.com/content/fr300__1_man_xs_bivvy

 

Cheers…

 

Julian

[RobStubbs]

Like Elton says, no bivvy will go up easily in winds (not sure sure force 5 is gale-force though ) and you need to peg them down somehow. I'd possibly opt for a smallish bivvy type tent and I'd prefer fibre arms in your position. Reason being you can peg out a flat groundsheet and folded down bivvy before erecting it, with things like a titan you can't - they need to be opened up and then pegged out.

 

If you get a small tent - the kids can stay in that whilst you rough it out. A bigger tent and you can all stay in it, but you'll want a pack mule to carry everything !

 

Rob.

[Oldfellah]

Found some info in the

 

www.bivvies.co.uk

 

But still not sure how effective on a bleak deserted windswept beach .....

 

Hi,I understand your problem as I used to fish Dungie in the 60's through 80's and know just how wild it can be. Try the single skin Rod Hutchinson Cabrio. It is very heavy duty, the 2 man is huge and the storm poles at the entrance give greater stability. The downside is that it is quite heavy. One tip is to take a blow up mattress for the kids as the shingle can be pretty lumpy !!!

[AThong]

Hi Elton,

Great site, the bivvy.co.uk... I knew it was yours as I did quite an intensive search for info on the internet... great info that I found useful. Keep on with the updates. Thanks.

 

Problem is pegs are difficult to sink into a pebble ground, it won't go in much. Best I did was fill bags with pebbles and tie guy ropes using these heavy bags as an anchor to hold tents down. The great revolutionary thing about the Ian Golds Beach Buddy is it has a long skirt all round the base of the shelter, where you can pile pebbles over the skirt which weigh down the tent, and prevent the wind from getting under it. The wind actually presses the tent down and keeps it stable due to this and it's shape.

 

Yes the Nash Titan Viper was also my safest choice, but I'm looking for something more on the budget that I can experiment with.

 

Julian, thanks for the thumbs up on that bivvy, as that was also one for consideration. I haven't actually seen any of these bivvys in real life, there lies my limited knowledge. I bought a porter barrow specially to shift all my stuff. I also will bring along a sofa cushion to place on the barrow and sit on it to fish like on a platform with the handles customised to take rod rests and a rod pod with optonics and swingers etc....

 

Rob, thanks but think I'll opt for a rigid frame one to withstand the pressure of the wind. Yes I would actually like to anchor down the groundsheet, possibly with pebbles like the John Holden's beach buddy.

 

Hi Oldman. Inflatable mattress is one thing I would get. Kids and missus have been with me quite a few times before and they hate sitting on pebbles. Will consider the Hutchinson Cabrio too.

 

Thing is I would like to experiment, and improvice. Just need to know which cheap version fixed frame bivvy has a sew in groundsheet, that I may cut up leaving a long skirt all around so that I can use pebbles to anchor the bivvy down once it is opened? I can then buy another groundsheet, lay it over, and velcro it over the whole thing.

 

Thanks guys....

[RobStubbs]

Thing is I would like to experiment, and improvice. Just need to know which cheap version fixed frame bivvy has a sew in groundsheet, that I may cut up leaving a long skirt all around so that I can use pebbles to anchor the bivvy down once it is opened? I can then buy another groundsheet, lay it over, and velcro it over the whole thing.

 

Thanks guys....

 

I can't think of any, every one I can think of is clip in (+ velcro) - that's another reason I though of the tent type bivvies. The clips may be strong enough to hold the thing down piled with pebbles, but I wouldn't bet on it, plus the stitching would be a major weak point.

 

On a budget you're also up against it as most of the bivvies you suggest are pretty expensive. I have an old titan, but that'd be too small plus I have a nash combat TT that I don't use but you'd never put that up in a wind and it's probably too big.

 

Rob.

Edited March 15, 2007 by RobStubbs

[carpstar]

How about a TFG Force 8 Bivvy as it can be put up in 20 seconds with practice and has an integral groundsheet! I've been told by owners of them that they have found no problems when using them in gale force winds!(very sturdy)

[Oldfellah]

If I remember rightly we used to pile shingle around the bivvy/tent to stop the wind getting under and lifting it. One other point is that if you get one with a removeable ground sheet there is a skirt that can be folded to the outside and piled with shingle.