Sleeping systems - bags, pads, matts, liners

I had an OR Helium and wouldn't recommend. I used it to go across Australia. Mostly I didn't use the hoop setup but the time I did, I woke up with my heart racing and headache, feeling like I was suffocating. Had to keep the zip open after than to get enough air, which defeated the point.
I sold it on eBay after that.

Yeah I'm kind of going off the idea of a bivvy in favour of a tarp tent.

Smart.

I went for the big agnes rapide sl... think it'll serve my purposes of leisurely comfy bike touring in fair weather.

Plays nicely with a thermarest sheet and blanket, under 2kg all it. Bonus for being able to roll entire sleep system up in one go rather than numerous bags. Hoping it'll fit in an alpkit airlok drybag to stick on top of rear rack.

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I also hate my OR Helium bivy but I also use it all the time. Clamminess of it is terrible, but it works for a niche where I'm touring mainly on roads, and usually stop not far from it, unplannedly, when I'm too tired, or for shorter naps. I can't pitch anything on a gravely bit next to the road or in a bus shelter.

So it's actually great when there's some minimal overhead cover like a bus shelter, but works ok-ish in rain without extra cover.

In clear weather, I keep it open, and if there's enough rain to wake me up during the night, either zip up or cover my head with the flap. If it's raining when I go to bed, it sucks, but works, at least in the summer. I always leave a face-sized gap in the zip open and put my face near the opening.

Also great for overnighters where I'm not worrying about too much aboutkeeping stuff dry.

I looked into the fabrics a year or so ago, which is a big concern due to breathability constraints. EVent seemed to have a reputation of being actually kind of breathable (more or less everything else is not), likely because it doesn't just pass vapour, but also air. Con is that eVent seems not to be very durable. You might find some old Rab bivies with that fabric. However, those models switched to pertex something, which is also what OR helium uses, and people review them as being ok wrt breathability.

Breathability is a weird buzzword and I wouldn't trust it too much. My OR Helium gets very muggy, but as does everything else including my half-mesh bivy. I live in Scotland and don't bother much with site selection, tho. I chose the OR helium because of the kinda breathable reputation, the hoop, and the mesh. The use case for these things IMO is to mostly use them open, and close down only when necessary. On first glance, it's not the lightest option, but my relatively minimal flat tarp + mesh bivy setups tend to be a few hundred grams heavier due to poles, stakes, groundsheet, etc. I'm not concerned with weight here tho, but utility - a bivy is easy to pack and setup in a crap campsite. I also like feeling abit more open vs. closed down in a tent. Ideally I'd cowboy camp most of the time, but that's a non-starter in Scotland.

I don't like Alpkit's elan thing, last time I checked it seemed heavy, contrived, and I expect, not very breathable.

Here's what I mean by the use case of a bivy. I went and did the NC500 with a 3ish day goal, and I brought a flat tarp, a pole, and non-wp bivy with a groundsheet. Bad move, here's why.

First night I stopped at a bus shelter because it started raining. I layed my stuff on a groundsheet and wrapped everything in the tarp. Not ideal because I was likely damaging the tarp, it was flapping a lot, and I was never sure if it was covering me fully.

Second night, I just stopped by the side of the road when I got tired. Pitch was kinda successful, but was a faff. There was just enough space for it, no more. Bad sleep, too much wind for an exposed flat tarp.

Third night, I planned to ride through, but was pretty tired and kept looking out for a shelter to nap for a few hours. I couldn't just lay my quilt in the open because it was just about drizzling, but not quite raining. I was too stubborn to stop ahead of a storm and when it hit me I had to scramble to pitch a sorry excuse of a shelter. Somehow it held, barely, and I had just about enough space to sit or lay in a fetal position. I was totally soaked, but just about avoided hypothermia as it was only a few hours before sunrise.

If I had a waterproof bivy, all three nights would have been fine, even relatively pleasant. I had to stop 100km before Inverness tho because I was so tired I couldn't keep my head up mid day.

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I have a RAB Alpine with eVent and it gets clammy so I typically run it with the zip open somewhat, but I still prefer it to anything that needs to be pitched unless I'm actually doing proper tent camping with a proper tent. I've no interest in tarps.

So, I wanna get a groundsheet for my big tent. I mentioned Tyvek on IG but someone suggested Polycryo

Looks like you can get it, but only from the US (Duck window glazing) or China

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002GKC2GW/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polycryo-Ground-Sheet-300mmx1000mm-Thickness/dp/B08XNSJMLF/

Anyone seen cheap polycryo sheets elsewhere or have experience with it?

Tyvek will do just find

I know, but this stuff is lighter and I want to try it out.

Though this person settled on Tyvek.. and since it's for the big tent where weight isn't a concern...
https://www.garagegrowngear.com/blogs/trail-talk/tyvek-vs-polycro-which-ultralight-tent-footprint-is-best-for-you

Did Brexit mean Tyvek disappeared from the UK or something?

Polycro is only if you hate yourself and love your weighing scales

I've found someone in the UK selling Tyvek Reflex

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284676588547

It's different to the white stuff I've used for the other tent. Anyone know if it's suitable for groundsheet use?

EDIT: Same person sells the normal stuff too. Why so hard to find, ebay?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283866816990

if you hate yourself

Ahh, maybe we have met.

Platypus approved specs are:

Tyvek
Soft Texture Lite
2.7m wide
63g/sq.m

Anything around that gsm should be fine.

The only one I can find is this stuff. The seller I bought from previously has gone.
Where do you get yours from?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283866816990

It's only 1.4m wide though and I need 1.5 for my Xenon. The Relfex stuff is 1.5m wide.

Where do you get yours from?

ebay three years ago

Yeah, same. I didn't look into the future far enough.

https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/3236/what-kind-of-tyvek-is-suitable-for-footprint-material

Think I had some that came with my Tarptent, extremely thin and see-through if it's the same stuff.

Yeah, it's used to faux "double-glaze" windows. I messaged Tyvek guy on ebay but he didn't answer my actual questions.

Missus has got a new bag (aka not stealing mine) and we're looking for a liner for it.

I've only ever used my 20 year old Aussie silk one. I know of Thermolite liners. What liner would you use and why? Will pay more for lighter, smaller options but not crazy money.

Lifeventure Silk Mummy Liner 108g
Sea To Summit Thermolite Reactor Compact Plus 263g
Sea To Summit Reactor Thermalite Liner 238g
Sea To Summit Long Sheet Silk 145g
etc

Why use a liner?

Just sleep in merino long sleeve and shorts.

Mostly to keep the bag clean.

Refer to second sentence.
My bags never get dirty. Just air them out when you're home and all good. They need washing now and again anyway to prolong down.

Do you not ever get into bags with legs covered in grime? I do. So I use a liner.