I've always been a tent man but I'm now looking at buying a bivi bag, but the choice is mind-boggling. I guess that, as with all gear, there will be trade-offs when it comes to comparing features, but I would like -

I'll be using it occasionally and without tarps, etc.
I have some contenders in mind, but would be interested to hear what the favorites are on this forum.

Hmm, for some reason my list of features disappeared.
I'll try again -

Small pack size
Light weight (4-500gms)
Breathable
Waterproof
Reasonably hard wearing
Reasonably priced (how long is that piece of string?)

Hi Paul.
I've used a few bivvy-bags, and much prefer Event fabric for a 'stand alone' bivvy. I've found it much more breathable than Goretex. The one i use just now is an Integral Designs All Event Bivvy bag. It is 100% Event (most bivvys have a non-breathable floor) and i think this helps a lot with how little condensation i get. I think the non-breathable floor of most bivvys is a major cause of condensation in waterproof bivvys.
The ID Bivvy only has a drawcord hood though, so it isn't 100% stormproof. You could simply turn it upside down, but i prefer to use a small torso tarp with it. It weighs 528g in its s/sack, and was the lightest Event bivvy i could find.

I use a much lighter water-resistant bivvy for use under a tarp.

Hi Paul,

Don't know if it's one of the bags you had in mind, but I came across a Terra Nova Discovery Lite bag
for £80 on the internet the other day. Just can't quite remember where - I'll have another look and
post if I can find the site.

Regards,
Mark

Hi Paul,

I use an Army issue bag (£60 from surplus store), which is not as light as some bags. I got it due to its enormous size (I'm 6' 6'' tall, the bag in 2.5 m long), and it's made of a tough Goretex material all round. It does take up more space in the sack than I'd like, but I can use it without a tarp and on rough terrain in rough conditions. So it covers all possibilities. I saw one of Terra Nova's Jupiter bivvies in Fort William last week, and I baulked (again) at the idea of paying £250 for a glorified plastic bag. I might try out a lighter bag around the £100 mark in the future, but as I am fairly new to the World of Bag, I just wanted to get a cheapo to get myself blooded in.

Good luck in your search!

I just weighed my bag the other night and was shocked to find it was 885g! I hadn't even realised! It is nice and roomy, but I think I'll reserve it for the roughest terrain and weather. There are bags out there that weigh a third of my army bag and do much the same job, some of them at the same price or even less. Now that I finally have a decent lightweight sack (Golite Jam), I can get down to lightening my load properly. Getting to this point has been quite a journey...

Hi Max, I guessed that the military bag would be (comparatively) heavy, so had discounted that.

Mike, take on board your Event comments, but I was looking at my budget, and Mark's suggestion.

Marl, the bag you saw was on the Field and Trek website (http://www.fieldandtrek.com/terra-discovery-lite-bivy-bag-783081?src=google)

It's still on sale at £80, and that's for a very light 3 layer gore-tex. Maybe not as good as the Event option, but a good price - Ronald Turnbull likes the full weight version, so hopefully this will do the business.

I'm not likely to be using it a great deal, so didn't want to lay out too much cash. The Rab Survival Zone was another one I had in mind, but time came for a decision, so the Terra Nova it is.

Paul,
I bought the same bag on the same rational. I wanted it as an emergency shelter when walking alone and for the occasional wild camp under a tarp. It had to be less than £100 and light. While I thought there were other bags that were better, I paid about the same and thought it was a good compromise.

Enjoy, let us know how you get on with it.

Regards,
Mark

In a moment of madness I bought a Discovery Lite from Sports Direct online sale in March (£80).

The 300g attracted me (it's GTX paclite these days) , as did a zipped entrance along the top edge.

It was sent back same day.

Reason: It isn't even as long as my Alpkit PD400 sleeping bag!

Getting into it without a sleeping bag confirmed - with my feet pressed up tight against the foot, I could just get the zip closed without snagging my hair. My height = 6'/1.83m

When offered up against the Rab Survival Zone bivi I was hoping it would replace, it turned out to be a whole foot shorter! (TN is same length(2m) as where the 'lower edge -toggle/part' of the SZ hood comes to) I know the SZ is long enough to make a 'hood' when cinched in , but the TN sizing is daft.
I think they should make them in a range of lengths - to allow a sleeping bag to loft adequately at foot and head, I would need another 25cm in length. Coincidentally the standard Discovery is 2.25m. The 'Lite' tag comes not just from the materials, but the dimensions!

- It's a well made light (but small) bivi. Though I think a U-shaped zip would be more useful than the L-shaped one that it has. Just not suitable for anyone over 5'8"!

Hi there

See the original post is already resolved but thought i would add my 2 cents anyway.

I have 2 bags, the RAB survival which i found i was getting a little wet in if it rained heavily, could be condensation due to trygin to stop the rain get in the draw corded entrance so i also got the RAB Assualt bivi which although a tad large at 780g does a brilliant job of keeping the weather out. I would love it to be lighter weight is the only thing :(