Alpkit Hunka Bivvy Bag (RRP: £49)
The Alpkit Hunka Bivvy Bag is a simple, no-frills bivvy bag which is simply fantastic value for money. Made of waterproof, ripstock nylon, and weighing an advertised 330g (mine showed up as 360g), it’s an ideal protective layer for a sleeping bag, allowing you to sleep under a tarp or in the open while keeping the bag itself dry. It folds down into a permanently fixed mesh pocket so there’s no faffing around looking for a stuff sack. Using it in a tent may add a degree or two to the bag rating, but it is really designed to be used either on its own or with a tarp. As such there’s no zip, and the easiest way to get in and out is to stand up and raise/lower the bag and sleeping around you. It has a hood which can be adjusted using a drawcord; clearly that is more useful if using the bag without a shelter. Obviously the bag will have it’s limits as to water resistance on its own, but as part of a sleep system it does exactly what’s required of it.
There’s no zip, just a drawcord hood
The bag, packed in it’s mesh pocket
Mesh pocket at the foot of the bag
The Airdrie Rambler 