Several years ago, (long before I was 'enlightened') I was struggling up a mountain side in Wales laden with a pack full of everything I 'might' need for an overnight stop, when I met an older guy, lying in a Bivvybag on a gentle slope, leaning against a large stone supping on a brew. 'You okay?' I asked concerned that he was injured in some way. 'Oh fine, couldn't be better, just waiting for the sun to go down and to count the stars'.

It looked like it would be a very cool night with a good breeze, but he continued to tell me that he was warm inside his bag and he often came and Bivvied down at busy beauty spots, long after the crowds had gone home, to experience the solitude and simple pleasures of such vantage points.

As I walked away from this very happy and obviously comfortable guy, I began to add up what was in my sack and mentally 'take out and weigh' everything I hadn't, or wasn't, going to use on that 2 day trip. After that meeting I read The Book of the Bivvy by Ronald Turnbull and my life changed forever!

His rule is you should spend one night indoors for every night you spend in a bivvybag, as there are times when the breathability isn't quite what it could be, and you are left with a 'damp' experience. However I've now done several week long trips with a tarp and a bivvybag and each time I smile at the memory of the moment when I realised that carrying less is so much more fun.

It's more flexible and provides greater views' than the inside of a tent which, when you stare up at the nylon mesh, could be pitched anywhere. Try it! Ronald is quite correct, it puts the fun and injects the youth back into your life, and you get to count the stars. Honest!!