When it comes to buying your first bivvy, or you’re looking to replace an existing shelter that is past its sell by date, there are a number of key factors to consider.
This guide talks about some of those features often found on some of the most popular bivvies, including materials, addons, such as overwraps, and making sure you’re bivvy is looked after.
Let’s jump in!
Budget
First, it would be a good idea to have some sort of budget in mind. Budget shelters often sell for around £150 to £200, mid-range bivvies around the £300 to £350 mark and top of the range bivvies can go for £500 plus!
Once you’ve decided on a rough figure, I would suggest thinking about any existing tackle you own, the size of your bedchair, or if there is a particular brand you loved.
Capacity
This brings us nicely onto capacity!
Bivvies are typically measured in how many persons each is suitable for, e.g. One Man and Two Man. Some are billed as ‘One Plus’ which often means there is a bit more extra space for luggage, or they may have increased head space for taller anglers.
Of course bivvies are measured in centimetres; length across the front, rear, the width from front to back and the height. It’s worth noting what these measurements are for the bivvy you have your eye on.
This is because you may already own a bedchair, and these can be quite large! As I mentioned, consider the luggage size of any tackle bags you have to make sure you’ve got plenty of room to store them.
Hydrostatic Head Rating
Next we are going to move onto what ‘Hydrostatic Head Rating’ means. You’ll often find bivvies state this feature.
In a nutshell, this means how waterproof the fabric of the shelter is, which is typically measured in millimetres.
For example, a bivvy with a Hydrostatic Head rating of 10,000mm dictates that it would take more than a 10 m column of water on top of the fabric before penetration.
There is actually a machine that exerts this pressure onto a range of fabrics – I don’t fancy that as a day job!
To put this in perspective, a light rain shower could yield around 1,000mm, whereas heavy persistent rainfall might exert around 5,000mm plus.
Did you know that a fabric can be claimed as ‘waterproof’ if the HH rating is at least 1,500mm?
Bivvy Fabrics
As you can imagine, bivvy manufacturers use a range of fabrics, and this can usually indicate the price point.
Polyester and some sort of coated nylon are popular choices, because these are less expensive than materials such as Aquatexx (Aqua/Trakker) and VenTec (a ripstop fabric) used by some brands.
In fact, polyester doesn’t change shape when wet and performs well in most weather conditions. This is often coated to improve the waterproof rating and is more durable than nylon. It can also pack down reasonably well – a key selling point for bivvies that are often transported long distances!
Weight
Let’s discuss weight – an important factor as you may be carrying it to lale regularly! I’ve actually put together a comprehensive guide that classifies the weight for the most popular bivvies.
The lighter it is – the easier it is to carry. Worth considering as some can weigh up to 20kg!
Another point to mention is packdown size, and some shelters can packdown really small due to the construction and material used.
Think about whether you are going to use a barrow for transportation – or are simply going to carry your bivvy to and from the lake.
Setup
Packdown
Add-ons
Brands