"Bivvy"..."bothy"...."vindsäck"... In my opinion the difference is mainly semantics.
In all cases we are talking about a simple, extremely lightweight, one layer, wind and rain proof shelter. They protect you from the wind, keep you dry, and somewhat hold in body heat. North Americans most often seem to call them "bivvys" while Brits usually use the term "bothy".
I would expect a properly equipped climber would have both a bivvy bag to sleep in, and bothy to provide larger shelter.
I have carried a bivvy bag routinely on climbs and other outings for years, but I have never bothered with a bothy.. Are they a fairly recent or have the Brits been shy about revealing them to their Yankee cousins? I have heard of them only recently....
Some folks supplement a bivvy with a tarp for shelter for cooking, etc, but in my experience that is just added weight.
Previous Topic
Index
