Product Review - Rab Alpine Bivvy Bag
RAB
Alpine Bivi
Product Review
As you know we document our adventures through our social media accounts and YouTube channel. Following every bivvy adventure the most popular questions we get are, what bivvy would you recommend, what are your thoughts on using a bivvy bag etc. etc..? At last, the penny has finally dropped! Why hadn’t we done a review of our bivvy bags!! Well here it is, okay perhaps its not a full review, however it will tell you all about our experience and thoughts on bivvy adventures. In this review we’ll look at the Rab Alpine Bivi, one of two that we use. Once again, we only review products that we genuinely feel are going to be beneficial to the OTATScotland community. We aren’t going to delve deep into technical detail, all that matters at the end of the day is, does it do the job! The Rab Alpine bivi is without doubt one of those products.
Okay, before we go any further! Is it bivvy or is it bivi, or is it bivy, answers on a postcard please! We’ll go with bivvy so as to be consistent with our other blogs.
What’s Rab’s Alpine Bivvy All About
Rab’s description of the Alpine bivvy is, “a minimalist, single-person waterproof bivi, designed for use on lightweight alpine expeditions and summit attempts. Made using a durable and breathable eVent® DVStorm 3L fabric, the Alpine Bivi will appeal to those who are looking for maximum performance and a slightly larger capacity balanced with a smaller pack size.” There you have it, it is at the top end of Rab’s bivvy bag range which therefore makes it little on the pricey side. That said, its performance appears to be where the price point pays off.
Mrs O with a cheeking morning snap!
The Rab Alpine is a simple design, this actually works perfectly for us, less moving parts, less opportunity for something to go wrong! There’s a two-way zip which means there’s ample opportunity to leave a section open to allow a little more air circulation and freedom. Now, lets be honest, some people do feel that bivvy bags are a little claustrophobic and aren’t very comfortable with the thought of being fully zipped up in a body bag! In reality, you aren’t going to use a bivvy bag in weather that requires you to fully zip up, not intentionally anyway! Most importantly, the Alpines zip design comfortably allows you to take part in some late-night debate about the days adventure with your adventure buddy and for some star gazing and quiet reflection when you’ve bored your buddy to sleep!
Durability is the obvious trade off with all lightweight kit, not just for a bivvy bag! We tend to try and ensure that the ground where we lay our bivvy is as friendly to our kit as possible. There are times when you have no choice but to bivvy on rocks and slightly uneven surfaces. This was the case during our last bivvy on Ben Nevis. Despite rolling around in the night there were no obvious nicks, tears or scratching on the durable underside of the Alpine bivvy bag. To help durability the ground side base is toughened with waterproof 70 denier nylon. Durability is definitely a downside of many ultralight products, so far so good with the Rab Alpine bivvy though!
CONDENTATION: The single most frequent question we get is about the dreaded, condensation! To be honest, having used several bivvy bags over the years, you will always get a degree of condensation. There are many reasons for this which range from weather, to your own personal administration. To minimise bivvy condensation Rab use an eVent membrane which allows water vapour to escape, while still being waterproof. We have to say that the Rab Alpine has been very good and any condensation we’ve experienced is extremely minimal or because we’ve perhaps left something damp inside the bag. More often than not, a little airing of your sleeping bag while you make breakfast does the trick, so long as its not raining of course! So, on the condensation issue, we’re a firm 9/10 on the Alpines treatment of condensation!
Specifications
eVent® Waterproof Technology, DVStorm fabric (3L)
1 person
Mummy shaped to fit technical sleeping bags
End zip entrance with protective external storm flap
70d coated nylon bathtub floor
Packed size 30cm x 12cm (12 x 5 inch)
470g / 16.5oz
So What’s The Cost
As we write this the Rab Alpine currently retails at £250.00. We do think its going to empty your piggy bank and your secret stash, (don’t tell the other half about that stash!). That said, we also think that one of the key parts of getting the most from your adventure is ensuring that you get the best sleep possible. The Rab Alpine hasn’t let us down so far, and its been used on many adventures as you’ll have seen from our films. To be perfectly honest, it was tough handing over that amount of money for the Rab Alpine, BUT all things considered we’re happy and its been a great investment.
Adventures With Your Bivvy Bag
There’s something special about being able to sleep directly under the stars, or cloud depending on what the Scottish weather gods have decided to go with. Yes, there’s a certain amount of planning you must do when deciding to bivvy out, weather and its timings, wind, location etc. What the Rab Alpine does though, is it allows you to pack it along with a tent. It’s super light-weight and packs small enough that you really won’t notice it. This then gives you the option to bivvy when the weather gods are being kind, even if you had planned to camp.
General Handy Tips For Bivvy Adventures
Flexibility is the key to having a good bivvy experience. The first thing to remember is that a bivvy bag is not a tent. It’s better than a tent lol !! Here’s one or two tips that we think will help you get the most from your bivvy adventure. Whether it be a bikepacking, hiking, packrafting trip or just a day out in the hills, some of the below will hopefully contribute to your enjoyment of using a bivvy bag.
OTATScotland Tip 1 - Packing
When you pack your kit, set up your sleeping bag inside you bivvy bag then stuff it into your rucksack. Leave the top of each bag at the top of the pile. When you are ready to deploy your sleeping chariot, grab the top of both bags and whip it out! DONE! No hassle!
Waking up to a cloud inversion from your bivvy, priceless!
OTATScotland Tip 2 - Flexibility and freedom
The good thing about the size and weight of the Rab Alpine is that you can afford to pack both a tent and your bivvy, especially on multi day adventures. This allows you the opportunity to bivvy when the weather desides to grant you freedom. You also have the security of an additional shelter/tent if the good old, unpredictable Scottish weather catches you out. Just something to consider.
OTATScotland Tip 3 - Safety
Okay whilst a foil blanket or a big orange plastic bag has its uses and are both arguably cheaper. Having a bivvy bag to pack as an emergancy item is far more workable than the alternatives. Again, its size and weight allow you to pack it and forget about it, until you need it!
OTATScotland Tip 4 - Sleeping
It’s all about quality sleep, comfort and organisation! Try putting your sleeping mat inside the bivvy bag, doing this stops you from slipping off your mat. Where possible, which is normally not a problem, sleep with some ventilation, we love sleeping with our head outside the bag to get the full experience. You’ll soon know if it starts raining! Get organised for your sleep and for your morning moment, or that inevitable, middle of the night PEE, its going to happen! Have your boots in the hood area of the bag, stove and brew kit accessible, nothing better than waking up, sparking the stove and having coffee in bed with a view of the world below.
OTATScotland Tip 5 - Buying your bag
If your chosen bivvy bag comes in several sizes we’d recommend that you buy a larger size. This will then give you lots of space to allow your down sleeping bag to loft, if you’re using a down filled sleeping bag. We can even get our rucksacks in the bag if required. I’m 5’7 (i’sh) and the Rab Alpine leaves me with plenty space left over, even if i’m storing gear in it. Get the best bivvy bag your budget will stretch to, you wont regret it, PROMISE!
OTATScotland Tip 6 - Protection from the “M” word
Have a good midge net so that you can, if you’ve got your planning wrong, get your head outside of the bivvy bag on bad midge evenings.
Final Thoughts
An excellent light-weight bivvy bag, the Rab Alpine Bivvy is at the pricier end of the bivvy bag range but we think its worth every penny for it’s ability to protect you from the Scottish weather. The eVent fabric has performed well up to now, with very little, if any condensation on any of our adventures to date. The wide opening allows plenty of space to get in and out without having to wrestle with the two bags. Being able to use it on multiple adventures hiking, packrafting, bikepacking and as a safety item for those day trips into the hills are all made possible by its perfect packability and weight. We are still waiting to be let down by the Rab Alpine bivvy over two years after buying it!
We hope this review has been helpful to you and wish you Safe Adventures in Scotland and elsewhere!
To find out more about Rab UK products check out the website here: https://rab.equipment/uk/
You can watch our Ben Nevis bivvy adventure below.
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