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On a bicycle it doesn't take much planning because I was usually on roads so it is rare that you go too many days without somewhere to buy food in Europe. On foot you do need to consider it because you can only carry so much. In the Caucasus I walked across Armenia following the Transcaucasian Trail ( https://transcaucasiantrail.org/en/home/).Val Ismaili hiked this route in 2017 and has some good tips: https://valismaili.org/advice-to-future-tcters The material used for the top section of the bivvy is Rab’s eVent waterproof and breathable technical fabric which is 40 dernier and consists of three layers sandwiched together. The bathtub uses a more weighty 70 dernier nylon waterproof floor – this won’t be letting any moisture up from the ground. The Paratex Dry technical material is a breathable and 100% waterproof fabric. It is treated with what is known as a Hydrophillic Polyurathane (PU) coating to raise the hydrostatic head to >5000mm. There are two U-Shaped openings on the top surface of the Sierra Bivy. The largest is for getting in and out and has dual zips to accomplish this task. Because it can open so wide, getting in actually pretty easy for a bivy. The second opening is on the top surface and forms a little window with a fly mesh and cover. this allows you to lie out and look at the night sky before zipping up for the night. Nice.
The top of the bivvy bag completely zips up, but there is no way of keeping it off your face, and sleeping can get difficult. On warmer nights this isn’t a problem as you can open more of a gap. As a result, we would say this is three season only, but of course your mileage may vary! The Durston X-Mid 1 seems really good, although more expensive than what I am used to and seemingly unavailable within the UK (I’m off in less than 2 weeks, giving not that much time for postage). The Bush Pro weighs in at a respectable 560g and has fully taped seams to aid with the water proofing. The nylon material is extremely sturdy and will not rip or tear easily. Length is a respectable 245cm x 95cm wide. There is a review of the Lanshan 2 which also mentions theDurston X-Mid-2 atsectionhiker.com/lanshan-2-tent-double-wall-review/ - hopefully these are sound reviewers!) I am treating the bivvi or tent as a redundancy item, because I am expecting to be sleeping in a youth hostel hopefully at least 90% of the time.The Ionosphere comes in two main parts – a double-hooped ‘undercarriage’ mesh section which forms the frame of the bivvy, and then a highly waterproof (5000mm HH) and breathable ripstop outer fly sheet which goes over the top. Both require pegging down using aluminum tent pegs which come with the Ionosphere. The fly sheet also has guy ropes to peg down to secure it. I have had it set up in severe gale conditions, and because of the low profile, there was absolutely no chance of it working loose and flying off. In Use woodtowater.co.uk/product/3fulgear-lanshan-2-tent-khaki/?utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=wood%20to%20water%20feed%20&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=14162#read-more Good advice for the dogs! At least I am vaccinated for rabies so don't need to worry too much about getting bitten. The OEX Bush Pro Bivvi Sleeping Bag offers the versatility of a sleeping bag inside a bivvy. It is perfect for all seasons, giving you protection from rain, wind and cold weather. The OEX Bush Pro Bivvi Sleeping Bag has extra insulation at the feet to keep your toes safe and warm on those chilly autumn evenings in Tasmania. I hadn’t realised accommodation is few and far between in some areas. In that case a tent or bivvi/tarp combination seems to be the logical choice.
woodtowater.co.uk/product/3fulgear-lanshan-1-3-season-tent-khaki/?utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=wood%20to%20water%20feed%20&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=14166&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9deiBhC1ARIsAHLjR2Bdf9x4AEiJ0xFsXWEXEJXIFLoG-fNpW_J9w2n_gMpECXGgexCydA4aAsaLEALw_wcB
For Russia I just drew a route using Google Earth and followed it. I usually carried 4-5 days' worth of food, walking around 30-35km/day. I have actually. However I don't anticipate that there will be a lot of trees in some parts of southeastern Georgia or parts of Azerbaijan (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_shrub_desert_and_steppe). I could be wrong as I have never actually been there, but my impression is there will be extended stretches without suitably spaced pairs of trees at all. The hood area can be zipped up to obtain complete coverage at night, although this does increase the chances of condensation forming inside. As mentioned above, some of the best bivvy bags include a rigid hoop in the hood which keeps the material off your face while you are sleeping, but even so it can be a little claustrophobic inside.
Getting in and out is ‘interesting’ as is the case with all bivvy bags. Our technique is to get it all set up with the head section fully unzipped, then undo our boots and literally step out of the boots one at a time onto the top end of the bivvy. It’s then a simple matter of sitting down and sliding in. One thing to note is that if you are over 6ft tall (I’m 6ft3 or 195cm) then you may be stretched for sleeping space inside – the sleeping area is 213cm long but this includes a sloping roof. Something to bear in mind. Well put it this way, I have read a bit about ultralight tents over the past two days, and I have decided that I want the flexibility to camp because I don't want to plan out everything in my journey (I don't think of it so much as an expedition as a walk into the beyond). The Lanshan 1 allows more traditional camping and isn't heavier or much more expensive than the Oex Salamanda. Exposing the Bush Pro Bivvi sleeping bag to any wet conditions will not cause it to leak or spring a ‘roof-shaped hole. It is made of tough ripstop canister fabric with a water-resistant rating of 5000 mm hydrostatic head, and its seams are fully taped for thorough protection from bad weather. Using a bivi bag can be a little like wearing a waterproof parka coat in the winter. The bivi wraps around your sleeping bag and includes a big hood which can completely cover encompass your head and face.
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I have an oex fathom sleeping bag (ev300 I think), and an oex self-inflating camp mat. I am hoping to fit both inside the bivvi bag, or maybe I can just have the self-inflating mat underneath the bivvi bag. It has a lot of stray dogs, which I anticipate having to fend off not infrequently with pepper spray in the middle of the night if I am sleeping in the Oex Bush Pro. I am sincerely hoping I never get discovered by a bear at night: that would be incredibly stressful. In that case I think having my head peeping out of the Oex Bush Pro would give me better situational awareness/readiness to use the pepper spray, and in this regard I suppose theOex Bush Pro would be safer. What is the deal with very small tents (or bivvy bags with supporting poles) vs more basic bivvi bags in regards to safety from bears and dogs, including from a situational awareness perspective?
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