Product Description

Just where are the half a million bivvybags sold in Britain over recent years? Probably waiting for Ronald Turnbull to show the nervous virgin users the way forward. Ronald's informed, humorous, instructive, wry look at the world of the bivouac is certainly the first, and perhaps the last, word on this unexplored territory. The book is half-and-half mix of how to do it and why to do it (or how not to do it and why not to do it). Accounts of bivvybag nights and expeditions, both nice and nasty, alternate with practical chapters about the technicalities of the breathable membrane, how little kit you really can get away with and the secrets of lightweight long distance. The book closes with a selection of bivvybag expeditions to initiate the unwary into the secrets.The new edition includes updated information on manufacturers and suppliers, along with some new colour photos to inspire the reader to find a remote hill top, roll out their bag and watch the sunset. One grateful reader writes "Thank you for writing the book of the bivvy. I bivvied out near Capel Curig, alone in my ex-British army bivvy bag...even though it was August Bank holiday I saw no-one between 6pm Friday and 10.3 0am on Saturday, and had no trouble finding accommodation. I hope to do this often - my only regret is not trying it sooner."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39101 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Review
Winner: Outdoor Writer's Guild Awards for Excellence: Best Outdoor Book 2001Quirky. Entertaining. Funny. Heart warming. Very well researched and stunningly presented. (OWG Award judges)Thank you for writing The Book of the Bivvy. I bivvied out on Friday night near Capel Curig, alone in an ex-British Army bivvy bag bought for GBP12 from an army surplus store. Even though it was August Bank Holiday I saw no-one between 6pm Friday and 10:30am on Saturday and had no trouble finding accommodation. I hope to do this often - my only regret is not trying it sooner (Anthony Walmsley, via email)This book by a very well respected outdoors' author, is both a joy and an inspiration, sure to make you want to take off and seek out the wild places, ten-less at that! At least those of us who enjoy camping outwith just a bivvy bag have found a guide to the hobby that we can recommend to beginners.Ronald Turnbull's book is a gallimaufry of good things; full of sound advice, such as choosing a bivvy bag - from basic polybag to state-of-the-art expensive shelter, what to do if it rains, long-distance bivvying, all related in a humorous and informative style - making this an ideal bedside book even if you just read it in the comfort of your home...Ten out of ten, Mr Turnbull, but please come and bivvy on Dartmoor...Rating *****(John Bainbridge, Dartmoor News Sept/Oct 2002)'Turnbull is ultimately worth reading, not just because of the clever quirkiness of his thoughts and phrases but because his night yomps and his high bivvies and his off-beat, off-beaten-track jaunts show that he retains that most basic of outdoor-writer essentials: a simple love of being out there, somewhere, on the surface of the planet.(The Angry Corrie, 1999)'

About the Author
Ronald Turnbull was one of the first people to walk the Southern Upland Way. He is a runner as well as a walker, and in 1986 was awarded the Long Distance Trophy of the Fell Running Association for a non-stop journey over the 148 hills of Southern Scotland. Outside the Southern Uplands he walks, climbs and runs in the Highlands and sometimes in England.

Customer Reviews

A very down-to-earth take on the place of the bivvy
Great little book - interesting chapters and a lovely, tongue-in-cheek style that is very refreshing. I enjoyed it a lot - to the extent that I went out and bought my very own bag. Having said that, although I'd camped out over the years, one go in a 'bag' convinced me that I was not a 'bagger' and I was lucky in that I was able to return it to the shop in a good enough state. Back to (heavier) tents for me. The point is though, this book is very descriptive without being boring. Clearly, the author has lived and breathed the hills and knows his stuff. Not cheap, but worth it I found and very informative.

Very Good Advice Amongst the Waffle
It's not often that I buy a book that disappoints me, and I am not really sure if this book has disappointed me totally, but the cover does little to describe what's in the book. Yes there are bits about bivvy bags and how to use them and the valuable secrets. There are also really interesting bits about diet, what to eat and not to eat, how to dress and what to carry and not carry. There are also plenty of amusing anecdotes, but sadly there is too much waffle about walking up x and looking across to y before planning the trip to z and having a barmeal in w. If you recognise the names of these places in Wales, Scotland or "Lakeland" then it might be interesting, but the book could represent better value if it was much thinner and stuck more to The Bivvy and less to the self-puffery.

I like the way you work it. yo diggety. BAG IT UP!!
I took his advice got my bivvy bag out and put it in my pack with very little else. I walked 100 miles in two and a half days.

The book is great because of the content and superb because of the style. I laughed out loud frequently. I will need to read it again to absorb the information I want from it. Moon cycles, repair tips, how the bag works, what not to take, haggis recipes. I will also have to recreate the trips he describes, but in my own style.

If you go walking then don't take this book for bedtime reading. Because, as Ron says, walking keeps you warm so just walk further.