The best bivy bags for backpacking & biking in the wild
A list of my favourite bivy / bivi / bivouac bags. I included a variety of styles from hooped to minimalist, at varying budgets.
WTF is a bivy and why would I want one?
Bivy (or bivouac) bags strip down a tent to its bare essentials, its just a waterproof membrane to keep you protected from the elements. They range from essentially just a waterproof sleeping bag cover, to a shelter with one or two poles that almost resembles a tent.
Why would you want something so basic and small? Well, because sometimes you just need your shelter to be basic and small— they tend to weigh a lot less than a traditional tent, and are a fraction of the packed size. If your bikepacking or hiking and you want an ultralight setup, then they’re perfect. They won’t take as much room in your bag, and they’ll save you some precious grams!
Another reason some people like them is to get the ‘real’ outdoors experience, sleeping in a bivy is as close to it gets as ‘sleeping under the stars’. They just give you that little bit more comfort so you don’t wake up damp and covered in slugs.
I also think there’s a lot of benefit in having bivy bags as part of a ‘modular sleeping system’. Combined with a tarp and maybe some trekking poles, you can setup a very comfortable campsite, which you can have complete freedom to adapt to whatever your environment you end up in. The great thing about bivvies is that you don’t need a large patch of flat ground, you don’t have to worry about trying to jam pegs into inch deep mountain soil, if your in a pinch you can just throw it down anywhere and have a decent night’s sleep.
Minimalist bivvies
Minimalist bivy bags are basically just weather-proof sleeping bags, they were originally designed for climbers who needed a lightweight shelter that can be put up almost anywhere, no need for flat and peg-friendly ground. The main benefit of this style of bivy is that its incredibly lightweight and packable.
In this category:
(Click the links to jump to section)
- Rab Alpine (£300)
- Sierra Designs Backcountry (£150)
- Alpkit Hunka (£55)
- Jorund Tech (£296)
Rab Alpine
When weight and space are at a premium, our Alpine Bivi enables you to sleep virtually anywhere.
Rab are known for creating very high quality hiking and climbing equipment, this bivy uses their fantastic Pertex material which is completely waterproof and highly breathable. Its pretty simple in design, with a storm flap (complete with bug mesh), to help with condensation and keep the weather out. It has a tapered shape to fit ‘mummy’ sleeping bags, so make sure your sleeping mat fits.
Where to buy
- Amazon UK* : £270
- Amazon US* : $250
- Rab Equipment : £300
Sierra Designs Backcountry
Just because you’re roughing it doesn’t mean you deserve a rough night’s sleep. Our Backcountry Bivy is a minimalist’s dream that maximizes comfort above all else.
This spacious bathtub from Sierra Designs is built to fit their famous Backcountry sleep system. As a bivy however, it has some nice comfort features for a reasonable price. A mesh opening lets you stargaze on a clear night, or use it for extra ventilation when combined with a tarp setup. It also has a hook so you can use paracord to hold the material away from your face.
Where to buy
- Amazon UK* : £150
- Amazon US* : $110
- Sierra Designs : $170
Alpkit Hunka
For weight-conscious bikepackers and wild campers: a waterproof and breathable bivvy bag to keep your sleeping bag dry. Weighs less than 400g and packs down small.
If your looking for a simple bivy that doesn’t break the bank, the Hunka is a pretty good choice. It really is just a waterproof sack with a draw cord that you close up to your face. There’s an XL version which is good for stuffing all your gear by your feet and having a bit more wiggle room. Although, if your expecting dodgy weather, I would bring a tarp as there’s no protection around your face to stop the rain hitting you.
Where to buy
- Alpkit : £55
Jorund Tech Bivy
If you can only bring a piece of hardware — this is it
Jorund Tech Bivy is more than the classic bivy bag; it is a sleeping bag, a poncho, bivy and a underquilt all in one — it is lightweight and packs small — easy to bring anywhere. When used as a sleeping bag, the zipper is at top. It can also supplement your regular sleeping bag increasing the comfort temperature. Designed with 10 attachment points it can be used as a tarp shelter or as an underquilt under your hammock. When using as a poncho, it protects against the elements, as it is both waterproof and breathable, additionally it has a hidden hood and the zipper doubles as front zip.
For serious minimalists and bushcraft warriors this might be the perfect bit of kit to carry in your leather satchel. It’s a cleverly adaptable bag with insulating properties and a tough waterproof fabric. Watch the video to see all the different ways you can configure it, you can even turn it into a poncho. With an open face it’s not completely weather proof without an additional tarp, but it is a real swiss army knife piece of kit.
Where to buy
Hooped bivvies
Hooped bivies give you a little more comfort (and a little less claustrophobia), by using a pole or wire to hold the fabric of the sack above your face. This also allows them to have mesh openings for better ventilation, which are generally protected by a flap or overhang.
In this category:
(Click the links to jump to section)
- Rab Ridge Raider (£420)
- Outdoor Research Helium (£250)
- Outdoor Research Alpine AscentShell (£365)
- Alpkit Elan (£100)
- Terra Nova Jupiter Lite (£296)
- Carinthia Micro Tent Plus (£1150)
Rab Ridge Raider
If you want to hike and bike without the bulk or the baggage of a tent, the new Ridge Raider Bivi is a brilliantly versatile solution.
Where to buy
- Amazon US* : $375
- Rab Equipment : £420
Outdoor Research Helium
The Helium Bivy is an award-winning, ultralight, durable, minimalist shelter built with premium materials to move fast and light in all conditions.
The Helium bivy from Outdoor Research is the lightest weather-proof hooped bivy on the market (that I know of). Its ridiculously light and packs down to almost nothing. Its a very popular and highly reviewed product. With a mesh opening by the head, its easy to ventilate and look at the stars as you drift off.
Where to buy
- Amazon US* : $160
- Amazon UK* : £157
- Outdoor Research : $225
Outdoor Research Alpine AscentShell
The Alpine AscentShell™ Bivy features premium technology and thoughtful design elements, ideal for alpine-style pursuits, solo adventuring, fast-packing, or anytime pack weight and volume is at a premium.
This is probably my favourite product on this list, to me it has everything you’d want in a bivy without becoming too complicated. Its pretty similar to their Helium bivy (see above), except that the opening runs along the length of the bag. This makes it easier to get in and out (there’s no graceful way to get into one of the head opening styles (trust me). The large opening also features a bug mesh which gives you plenty of ventilation options, and you can have it fully open to get that great outdoors experience. If you can afford the premium price, its a brilliant piece of kit.
Where to buy
- Amazon UK* : £351
- Outdoor Research US : $299
Alpkit Elan
Bivvying at its best: a lightweight, hooped bivvy bag that’s more waterproof than a bivvy bag, more packable than a tent and weighs less than 1kg.
Alpkit comes back with another solid budget option, the Elan. It has a two-hooped design (pretty reminiscent of the Snugpak Stratosphere). This gives you a very stable and spacious headroom, along with some mesh ventilation under the storm flaps, to prevent condensation. These duo-pole designs are popular but I think its getting dangerously close to becoming a tent, I imagine it doesn’t support itself very well without pegs so it may be limiting in some circumstances. With that said; it’s affordable, fairly lightweight, and will be perfect for most situations.
Where to buy
- Alpkit £100
Terra Nova Jupiter Lite
The Jupiter Lite Bivi is a lightweight, waterproof and highly breathable hooped bivi, perfect for minimalist camping.
The Jupiter Lite is a similar design to OR’s Helium, with a single-hoop design and a mesh head entrance. Terra Nova makes some great tents, and the material used here will be of a similar quality so your sure to trust them in the worst conditions.
Where to buy
- Amazon UK* : £219
- Terra Nova : £275
Carinthia Micro Tent Plus
A one-man tunnel tent for special unit personnel. Two all-round zippers allow a middle part to be opend. The zippers are made waterproof by specially designed storm flaps. The integral mosquito net can be closed separately. Five loops on the back hold the insulating mat in place.
This one’s a bit of a different product, it’s got the ‘T’ word in the name and I will admit, it’s a bit more complicated than a traditional bivy. Carinthia make military-grade survival gear, so they’re not really going for the backpacker market. This thing is a bit heavier than the rest of the products on this list, but with that weight comes an ultra-durable fabric and lots of hooks and mounting options. It has two poles on either end, a bit like a tunnel tent but with a much lower head height. It features a large opening along the length with a mosquito-proof mesh. If your looking for a military-style survival experience, a shelter that you can drag through the jungle and not worry about it failing on you, then maybe you’d consider something like this.
Where to buy
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