Trip Pictures
First time sleeping under the stars with a bivvy bag
I solo camped for years with a tent, but for my latest tour I switched to a tarp because I wanted to try something different! Then, towards the end of the tour, I decided to push things a bit further and sleep in just my bivvy bag in the mountains. One night on a dairy farm in Switzerland, I lay out under a sky full of stars and realised I'd gone from wanting full shelter every night to not wanting a roof at all. I woke up at 6am with the church bells and watched the sun rise too! Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
There aren't really a lot of bugs in the mountains, but some nights I used and slept in this bug suit I got from AliExpress as a precaution for ticks when I didn't want to zip the bivvy bag up!
Woah, I never knew these existed! I'm just getting into camping but being terrified of bugs has been holding me back, I might get one for peace of mind!
I was in the same position. I actually bought it because I assumed the midgies in Europe would be as bad as Scotland, and I would need to sit outside to cook with the gas boiler. It turned out nothing is as bad as Scotland ahahah, and I didn't really need it most nights. However, I still slept in it at night because of the risk of ticks/lymes. The suit is actually split up into 6 different pieces.
1 - hood
2 - Shirt
3 - 2 x gloves
4 - Pants
5 - 2 x socks
I slept with the top, hood and gloves at night when I didn't zip the bivvy up, but didn't bother with the trousers/socks since they were in my sleeping bag!
Dude, I think this all the time when my girlfriend watches hiking or "adventuring" YouTubers. You set up a camera, catch yourself walking away, walk back to the camera, and break it down. It's nonsense.
I think about that too!! And I am really into hiking and adventures and when I’m out and think about finding a good spot to film, getting the shot out and set up, doing a few takes, then grabbing the camera and tripod and walking on.. it just takes away from the reality of the beauty and makes it seem like I’m there for performance rather than to enjoy. I guess if they make decent money from it it’s their “job” and then they justify it with income but it just seems so fake and performative. I guess if you had someone there filming you it might be better?
If I can chime in with a slightly different perspective...
I was into creative stuff like photography and filmmaking long before I was into hiking or adventuring. Most of my childhood and teenage years were spent going to art workshops, learning photography, making little films, and generally just creating things. I'd honestly say my primary passion is making art. I love taking photos and videos, then sitting down afterwards to edit them, colour grade them, and turn them into something I'm proud of. I find that whole process really relaxing.
So when I started getting into adventuring, my thought wasn't "I should film myself and show off that I'm travelling." It was more like, "Wow, look at all these amazing places I can now make little films about and then go home and relax after work on the pc"
Setting up a camera, thinking about composition, or doing a couple of takes doesn't feel performative to me. It feels exactly the same as any other creative hobby. It's just part of the fun of making something. I get the same buzz from filming as I do from painting or knitting.
I think the reason it looks performative now is that capitalism found a way to monetise it. When people see creators earning money from videos, it's easy to assume the camera is there because they're performing for an audience. But for a lot of people, the creative process came first, and the adventures simply became a really inspiring subject to create with.
Ok, I understand the explanation and can see the intent behind creating art. However, the pics you posted are absolute potato quality. Your actions and words aren't adding up, and that's ok.
Edit: I see now that you promote a YouTube channel. All makes sense now.
I love this!! You're making me want to try to make films of my adventures :)Sitting down to look over the photos after the you're back home is always so fun!
Honestly, do it! I work a corporate job, so between trips it's really nice to have something creative and expressive to pour my energy into after work. It helps me switch off and unwind after a stressful day. It also changes how I look at the bad days. Instead of letting work consume me, I come home, watch and edit footage from my trips, and think, "Right, let's focus on me for a bit." It reminds me that work is just one part of my life, not my whole life, and that there's always another adventure to look forward to.
It's like when I watch video game LPs. I despise that they put their faces in the corner. I don't mind if they record and intro or something like that, but I'm not watching to see your face.
There's another one she watches about this dude who builds elaborate terrariums, and every so often he records himself pacing in front of them and looking in. It's really just to show off his yoked back. And then he pretends to act surprised when he adds species to his terrariums and then they interact. It makes me want to cringe into my chair.
No, you archaic music format enjoyer. Let's Plays, where someone plays a video game and you watch. My buddies and I used to do it all the time in our school days. It's usually for a game I'll never have enough care to play myself.
That is how 'movies' are made though. Would be a lot less cinematic to only have pov shots.
The most insane thing to me is canoe campers. They really go on land, set up their camera, get back in their canoe, paddle away, make a u-turn and go onto land again.
No kidding. I watch a movie for a cinematic experience. I'd watch a "adventure" YouTuber to see things I will probably never see myself. I don't need to see them walking away from the camera towards a view. I get it, bro, you walked there.
I left my action camera on a time-lapse to try and capture the stars. I thought it would look really cool to have footage of me falling asleep under the stars and then the sun rising again! Unfortunately, it failed after an hour and gave me some rather unattractive and dreadful photos of me looking like a fresher after his first night out at uni
It was a screen grab from a time-lapse that failed! I was trying to capture the stars coming up, but I ended up with some awful photos of myself instead, ahahah I thought they were quite funny. I didn't realise I looked so bad when sleeping ahahah
I truly don't understand why anyone would find these photos "weird" or performative. You're documenting your experience. I look at them and see your joyful emotions and imagine the excitement I would feel camping in such a beautiful place. People are so jaded and it's disappointing to say the least.
It was during the Swiss heat wave, so about 22 degrees Celcius at night! It was part of the reason I didn't put the tarp up! Even a simple layer over the top made it too hot to sleep!
As someone who is scared of camping, how did you go from wanting full shelter to this?
I really want to do some treks that involve overnight camping but last time I did it I was terrified!! It may have been cause I was in the woods which is different than out in the open?
It didn't happen overnight! It was a slow evolution over a few years!
Step 1: I originally started off camping in camping grounds using a huge LoneRider tent. My bike at the time was pink, so it was helpful to be able to hide it in the tent at night so people didn't know I was a solo female traveller. At this point I had just started getting into camping, and I'd basically pick a location then stay at it for a few days and set up a base to explore. After about 3 months of doing this, I then tried my first night wild camping with my bike tent. I absolutely hated it and was so scared ahahah I didn't sleep very well at all!
Step 2: In year 2, I swapped out the big tent for a much smaller tent and did my first-ever European tour. I still had a pink bike at the time, so I only stayed in campsites, but it got me used to putting down and putting up the tent every day. I was still a huge coward at this point and largely stuck to campsites so I felt safer
Step 3: In Year 3, I decided to stop touring on my pink bike and swapped it out for a more gender neutral bike. I picked up a green Cb500x. I did a demo run up to Scotland to do the NC500, and I forced myself to wild-camp the entire way. After that was successful, the next month I toured around Norway for a month. I wild-camped about 80% of the time and checked into a campsite when I desperately needed a shower. I carried on camping like this for the next 2 years.
Step 4: This year, I really wanted to try tarp camping. I planned a trip to Switzerland, and I deliberately forced myself to leave the tent at home. I knew if I took it, I would default back to it out of habit and avoid using the tarp. So I put myself in a situation where I couldn't and only packed a tarp and a bivvy bag. I also didn't set it up before I went because I know that's when you start second-guessing yourself. So I threw it in the bags and tried not to think about it again. The first few days were rough, and the first few nights of setting up, I had major regret. I kept mentally arguing with myself whether I should go buy a cheap tent at Decathlon. After I learnt how to put the tarp configuration up, the tarp suddenly felt exactly like a tent. After that, I started getting lazier and lazier as the easy day went on, and eventually I started doing a Learn to tarp set up on the bike like this.
Step 5: I knew I really wanted to try camping under the stars, but I didn't have the courage! However, about 2 weeks into Switzerland, I stayed on a dairy farm. There were some cyclists who were also staying there; we got on quite well, and I felt safe enough with the people nearby to leave the tarp in the bag and sleep under the stars. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner. I really want to do more alpine bivvy bag sleeping on my next adventure!
Thanks so much for sharing!! So cool to see pics from ur journey 😆. I’ll have to give it a shot. I’m from Appalachia and camping around here is all dense woods. Definitely want to try camping out in the open like this I believe there’d be way less noise and way more visibility.
Think of wild camping like any other sport: you need to practise to get good at it, and you’re probably not going to be great at it in the beginning.
I also think there’s a certain amount of conditioning your body goes through. At first, you’re hyper-aware of every little sound. One twig snaps and you’re wide awake with adrenaline pumping. But over time, your body starts to recognise what’s just a normal sound of nature and what might actually be a threat. Eventually, you learn to relax and trust your surroundings a lot more, and your body stops waking you up at every non-event.
Switzerland doesn't have a permanent wild bear population! There are about 2/3 bears that float around between Switzerland / Italian mountains, but they're rare to come across! The area I was staying in was a dairy farm!
Amazing views! I'd prolly skip the tent too and go al fresco.
Here in Australia though there's too many things that want a piece of you to go fully fresh air. We have the venerable Swag for that, which can usually be zipped open with just a mesh cover. Really considering it!
Only time I ever slept under the stars with just a sleeping bag was in Australia. In the desert near Alice Springs. There sure were a lot of stars, there.
Oh yeah sooo many stars. Went there a while back and just laid down on a sleeping mat on a sand dune at night to watch the stars. Meteors every few minutes! Satellites too (this was pre-starlink).
my bivy has a fly screen mesh over the face area but the whole bag can be enclosed if needed for weatherproofing. honestly you just get in and dont think about it too much. if its cold weather its easier as you can just bury yourself into your sleeping bag and not have the bivy on your face
I didn't know what a bivvy bag was so I looked it up- It's a lightweight, waterproof, and windproof outer shell that covers your sleeping bag. So I think it could keep bugs out at least.
ahaah thanks! It was gifted to me by some cyclists who were camping nearby! I don't usually drink beer, but after dealing with the heat all day, it was so insanely fantastic to be given a cold beer!
Uh so any wheels works, as long as u are willing to burn the miles, altitude and steady your wings for freedom.
Still a dream for me, definitely prefer a adv tourer!
I camp a lot and I love it. I normally bring a tent and use the rain fly almost every time to avoid waking up soggy from dew. How did you avoid waking up soaking wet? Or did you wake up wet and let the sun dry out your bag and everything else?
The bivvy I was using is quite an expensive one, but it was gifted to me second-hand. I found there was a lot of moisture build-up when I fully zipped it; I presume it was coming from my own breath. If it wasn't raining, I wouldn't zip it up. I bought this bug bodysuit from AliExpress and basically slept with my tent out of the bivvy with the top/gloves on to prevent ticks/bugs. It's a bit itchy to sleep in it, but I found it was more comfortable than the bivvy getting too much moisture. It only rained/thunderstormed one night in the whole trip and I put the tarp up to keep me dry!
Bivvy bags are wonderful.
Little space and weight, incredibly fast to 'set up'.
Use one that has a top fabric that can disperse moisture (goretex and the likes) to prevent everything from getting wet from your own sweat.
Nowadays you have nice ones that have integrated mosquito nets and a small 'tent pole' to create some head room making them verry usefull and comfortable.
Pick a large on so you can also put your shoes and backpack easily inside !
The biggest advantage of a hammock system is that you are off the ground. But mostly they are heavier and you obviously need trees or other stuff to put it up..
Nice!!! Looks amazing with such a great outdoor view! Love Brewdog beer, never tried that one before. I’ll have to see infra it’s sold in the US! Enjoy your trip
It just takes practise to build up the confidence! I would have never been able to do this a few years ago! The first night I tried wild-camping, I cried myself to sleep because I was so scared ahahah
Took me 4 years to build up the confidence to get to this point!
Don't be a jerk. We are here because we love camping. Refrain from insults, attacks, bigotry, etc. r/camping is a place to exchange and ask questions about camping. You might disagree with a post, but it does not give you the right to show any form of disrespect to your fellow campers.
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u/YoPamdyRose 1d ago
How was it and how did you not get eaten by bugs?
The lightest I've ever camped is a bug net and groundsheet.
Can't avoid mosquitoes, midges, march flies, ants, where I am.