To erect these bivvies you simply connect all the poles then pull from the front putting tension poles in between to fan the sections. Maximising internal storage is a must, especially for carp anglers with lots of gear, so some bivvy accessories are designed to keep your bivvy organised such as rig stations, cooking stations, bedside pop-up cabinets or other organisers that can be attached to the interior of your bivvy or shelter.

Alpkit is a British company, with a slogan ‘Go Nice Places Do Good Things’, and their product holds true to this. They’re about facilitating you to get out and do nice things. With a focus on quality (they market themselves as premium) at accessible prices they have really shaken up the market and their reputation holds true with their products being incredible value for money. It tends to be a rule of thumb with camping gear that the smaller and lighter you go the more expensive things become. Alpkit have been trying to break the mould of this perception by offering high quality gear at a much more accessible price. You can take the bivouac tent all the way up to the top of a mountain without much effort and be prepared for sudden weather changes. A huge advantage for longer adventures.In this weeks blog I am going to talk about something a bit different. We are now coming into prime carp fishing season where 24hr + sessions are common when you will require a shelter of some sort. What bivvy you require largely depends on the type of angler you are. Whether your looking for a lightweight shelter so you can move between swims and onto the fish or a ‘home-like’ shelter where you can set up like home then this guide will run you through EVERYTHING! What to look for when buying a bivvy Note: The term bivvy is an abbreviation of its formal name is bivouac (pronounced bivvy-wak). Some people spell it other ways but I have always spelt it bivvy and it’s also the only accepted spelling of it in scrabble… so you know, 16 points for me. We have a few upgrades that can make a simple carp bivvy such as a groundsheet to keep your fishing gear off the damp terrain or a skullcap to extra layer of protection and heat retention over the top of your bivvy. In our bivvy accessory selection, you will also find a range of bivvy mats to wipe your fishing boots, bivvy tables for making rigs on, bivvy fans, heaters and bivvy repair kits.

Although you can sleep in just a bivvy bag, it’s generally a pretty unpleasant experience – both should be used in combination. In all but the warmest weather you would feel uncomfortable and cold without a sleeping bag once the sun has gone down. But if you’re racing, then pace tends to take precedence. In a short race (only one or two nights), it’s easier to rough it and sacrifice a good night's sleep in favour of better running performance. But for long, expedition style races or Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempts, the situation is more complex, with the aim of the game being to maximise performance over a prolonged period and changing circumstances. In this situation, you'll need to consider the following: will you be able to cope with prolonged sleep deprivation? Will you be able to dry out your kit? What is the terrain on the course ? What is the climate and season? Waterproof: the 10,000 mm hydrostatic head provides absolute protection against water even in heavy rain and keeps you completely dry. Fox’s bivvies and shelters come in a variety of sizes, so if you’re an angler who prefers to operate alone Fox has an excellent range of one-man shelter solutions. If you like to fish in company, or maybe you just like a little extra space, Fox also produces superb two-man options. With its range of overwraps, Fox has ensured you can turn any of its bivvies or shelters into the ultimate all-weather protection system. With manufacturers offering their own version of the material with different names, it can be confusing to anyone as to what is best. We suggest ignoring the name of the material and looking at the HH rating (hydrostatic rating), with most providing a rating between 5000mm and 25,000mm. Put simply, the higher the rating, the more waterproof the fabric will be.A camp by the Linn of Dee was lovely, beautiful sunshine at sunset and a few whiskies were had, it also is in the middle of a figure of eight route wise so you have options. MM rating: Measured in millimetres (mm), this is a measure of how waterproof a fabric is. In the case of a 10,000mm fabric, if you put a cylinder with inner dimensions of 1" x 1" over a piece of said fabric, you could fill it with water to a height of 10,000 mm (10m) before water would begin to leak through. The higher the rating, the more waterproof it is.

I was torn between the Elan bivvy and the next best thing in terms of weight, space and price – the Aplkit Soloist tent. If you fish a lot during the colder months, it is well worth spending more on a bivvy that has superior waterproof material and is renowned for its strength. A bivvy that has the option of an overwrap is essential to prevent condensation and keeps you much warmer too. All these things will make fishing far more pleasant during the miserable months. The bivvy bag market isn't as extensive as tents, largely due to them being reasonably niche. There are, however, still a solid range of dependable options. The best bivvy bags at a glance: Pegging Points: Plastic or metal rings fused to the fabric provide somewhere to push a peg through to keep the shelter anchored to the floor.A bivvy bag is essentially a lightweight sleeping bag cover that protects you from the worst of the elements but offers little in the way of shelter. It is usually composed of a waterproof bottom fabric (groundsheet) and a lighter upper fabric that is waterproof but also breathable. What is the difference between a bivvy and a sleeping bag? A bivvy, even hooped will be more inconspicuous but will ultimately offer worse protection and comfort in poor weather condition. When it comes to shelters, the bivvy is by far the most popular choice for many anglers. They are solid, comfortable and offer maximum protection against the elements when set up correctly. If you are on limited time, however, a more traditional fishing umbrella-style shelter may be preferable. The traditional construction of a bivouac tent consists of a synthetic fabric cut similar to that used for a bivvy bag, but with a tougher, more durable base. A bivouac tent also has an arched pole at the head and the foot end of the bivvy. These poles are really what differentiates a bivouac tent from a bivvy bag. The arch at the foot end is smaller than that at the head of the bivvy, and both are much smaller than those you’d find in a conventional 1-person tent. While a tent has enough space for you to sit down relatively comfortably, a bivouac tent does not. The material will hang down pretty close to your face, even when you’re lying down. The amount of guy line points is slightly less than you’d find on a “proper” tent, but the guy lines and pegs are the same. Who should use bivouac tent?