There’s glamping, there’s camping and there’s bivvying.
One step up from cowboy camping (that is sleeping in the wild), a bivouac or bivvy is the most basic outdoor living set-up, favoured by extreme hikers, long-distance cyclers and survival experts.
A very small tent or temporary shelter (sometimes made of tarp pulled between tree trunks and secured with bungees to form a roof), bivvies strip everything back to the bare bones.
While it may not be the most comfortable of beds, anyone using a bivvy doesn’t plan on sticking around for very long. It’s a solution for backcountry adventures, unplanned overnight stays and those happy to compromise space and comfort for less weight and reduced pack size and focus entirely on the mission at hand.
A bivvy bag is part of this category. Designed to keep sleeping bags dry, think of one as a waterproof jacket for your sleeping bag, keeping you warm and dry no matter how wild the weather is outside.
A bivvy bag has just about enough space for one person, a sleeping mat and a sleeping bag. It means you can travel unencumbered by the poles, pegs and canvas of a traditional tent with barely any set-up or taking down involved. A bivvy is not for a leisurely weekend of camping or taking to a festival unless you want to become a trip hazard by laying in the path of tipsy revellers - a bivvy bag can’t protect you from flailing limbs.
If you’re looking for a low-weight solution for cross-country adventures, we’ve rounded up the best bivvy bags, sacks and compact shelters below.
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Sierra Designs Backcountry Bivy 3000 Tent
- Weight: 400g
- Packed dimensions: 25 x 11 x 11cm
Minimal camping, here you come! Sierra's bivy may strip things back to austere levels but slip inside and you'll find a surprising level of comfort. The interior is big enough to house a camping pad and sleeping bag, all protected by the waterproof and rip-proof shell. Mesh windows and a breathable top fabric prevent condensation from forming at the side, with the former offering the added bonus of viewing the stars above. As for packed weight, you're looking at 400g - not bad.
Buy now £170.00, Decathlon
Outdoor Research Helium Bivy
- Weight: 472g
- Packed dimensions: 31 x 9cm
If it's lightness you're after, the Helium Bivy has it in spades, weighing 472g and packing down to a minuscule 31 x 9cm.
Despite these dimensions, once set up, you'll have 66 x 48 x 208cm of space to nuzzle down and get some rest before the next day's adventures begin. The waterproof and windproof design boasts fully taped seams and comes with guy line loops and stake loops for extra security.
A clamshell opening and spacious foot box means there's enough wiggle room where it counts.
Buy now £197.50, Cotswold Outdoor
Survival Bivvy Bag
- Weight: 120g
- Packed dimensions: 10.5 x 7 x 5cm
An emergency solution for mountaineering or an insurance policy to keep on your motorbike, this insulating bivvy bag promises to provide some level of protection against the elements in a pinch. The bright orange is hard to miss allowing others to find you if necessary and it comes with a signal whistle for attracting attention too. Packed down, you'll barely notice it in your kit - it measures 10.5 x 7 x 5cm.
Buy now £6.99, Amazon
Unisex Helium Bivvy Tent
- Weight: 459g
- Packed dimensions: 34 x 18 x 7.62cm
Light and breathable, feel cocooned for the night with this bivvy bag, crafted from nylon, TPU and polyester. The fully taped seams stop raindrops from seeping in and it's breathable too, so no waking up with a wet footbox. Designed for year-round use, it weighs 459g so easy to stuff in a backpack or running pack without racking up the burden.
Buy now £220.00, Amazon
The North Face Assault Futurelight Bivy
- Weight: 785g
- Packed dimensions: 15.2 x 3.5cm
Specifically designed for mountaineers and hiking, The North Face delivers the goods with its bivvy bag. Crafted from the outdoor expert's Futurelight technology, the square-cut bag has enough space to squeeze in boots and a small pack, meaning you can keep the essentials inside with you when you're in desperate need of a rest. The 785g design is fitted with carbon fibre poles to give you a bit of breathing space inside the bag while a two-way zip means you can get in and out easily.
Buy now £225.00, The North Face
OEX Big Bush Bivi
- Weight: 403g
- Dimensions: 265 x 95cm
If you know pitching a traditional tent will be impossible on uncertain terrain like a rocky hillside, OEX can help. Its Big Bush Bivi performs on terra unfirma with a waterproof shell to protect you from wind and rain. It's essential for hardcore hikers, mountaineers and cyclists. The single-person survival pod features an internal pocket to keep essentials and tips the scales at just 403g.
Buy now £55.00, Blacks
Terra Nova Laser Compact 1 Tent
- Weight: 1.06kg
- Packed dimensions: 30cm
If you're happy to include a tent pole in your pack for the sake of being able to sit upright while protected, a one-person tent may appeal.
Made by Terra Nova, this compact low-profile Laser tent offers slightly more benefits than a standard bivvy bag. Draws include easy pitching, heightened durability and breathability and a scintilla more comfort, which after a long day in the wild, will feel like checking into a Hilton.
It comes at a price though, and we're not just talking RRP: it's 1kg in weight and packs down to 30cm, making it one of the more substantial options on our list.
Buy now £550.00, Blacks
OEX Salamanda Bivi Tent
- Weight: 1.24kg
- Packed dimensions: 43 x 11 x 11cm
Fitted with a single skin, this bivi is best kept for when the forecast points to warmer weather. Perfect for fishing and weekend hikes, the design pitches quickly and will remain secure to the ground once you hammer in the lightweight aluminium pegs. It weighs just over 1kg but packs down to 43 x 11 x 11cm making it remarkably easy to stuff into a backpack.
Buy now £125.00, Blacks
Vango Cairngorm 300 Tent
- Weight: 2.6kg
- Packed dimensions: 47 x 15cm
Off on a DofE hike, or know someone who is? Each level of the award is challenging and involves walking for various mileages - so you’ll need a light but comfortable tent to catch precious kip in. Vango is among the most trusted names in outdoor equipment, and this 2.6kg tent is more than up to the job of keeping you safe from the elements as you clock up those miles.
The tunnel tent claims to sleep three people but for those carrying bulky equipment, whittle this number down to two to leave space for your stuff. It uses a light, single-hoop structure with tension bands to make the most of every inch of space and packs down to 47 x 15cm - you have to see it to believe it.
Buy now £146.25, Snow+Rock
Forclaz Dome Tent 1 Person MT900
- Weight: 1.3kg
- Packed dimensions: 39 x 11 x 10cm
If you’re the kind of explorer who’ll go out (almost) whatever the season, this trekking tent has got your name all over it. Made in the French Alps, the Y-shaped tent offers enough headroom and space to bed down for an evening in the wild. Covered in a waterproof flysheet, there are pockets to stash your stuff and there’s even enough room to keep your backpack (up to 70L) inside with you, away from marauding wildlife.
Buy now £159.99, Decathlon
