Alpkit
Alpkit Elan hooped bivvy bag
- Weight: 4/10 How much it adds to your pack.
- Rain protection: 7/10 How well the fabric keeps out heavy, long rain.
- Packed size: 7/10 How much room it takes in your rucksack.
Solo multi-day walking and bikepacking trips where a tent is too much but a plain bivvy bag is too exposed
- Style
- Hooped
- Weight
- 900 g
- Fabric
- 10,000 mm
- Floor
- 5,000 mm
- Inner length
- 225 cm
Packed size 3.7 L, 39 cm long and 11 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
A bit longer than a 2-litre bottle and about as wide as one. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpkit £109.99 In stock. Free delivery. Free UK delivery over £60.
View at shop: AlpkitPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 4/10How much it adds to your pack. 4: A bit below average.
Maker's weight is 900 g without the 6 pegs (ADVNTR weighed the full kit at 945 g), in the 900–1,099 g band.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 7/10How well the fabric keeps out heavy, long rain. 7: Better than most.
Maker gives 10,000 mm for the 70D nylon outer, in the 10,000–14,999 mm band. The 70D groundsheet is 5,000 mm, over the 2,000 mm floor line, so nothing is taken off.
Packed size
From maker's figures 7/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 7: Better than most.
Maker gives 39 x 11 cm (length x diameter): 3.1416 x 5.5 x 5.5 x 39 = 3,706 cm³, about 3.7 L, in the 2.5–3.9 L band.
In short
Good for
- Solo multi-day walking and bikepacking trips where a tent is too much but a plain bivvy bag is too exposed
- Wild camps where a low, dark shelter draws less attention than a tent
Strengths
- Hooped design gives headroom and a mesh window and door, and the 2 crossed poles stand it up without pegs
- Under 1 kg including poles, and the short poles (about 23 cm) pack into a rucksack or frame bag
- 70D ripstop nylon top and floor, 10,000 mm outer and 5,000 mm floor
- Two-way main zip, mesh zip, storm flap and two internal pockets
Weaknesses
- 900 g is far heavier than a plain bivvy bag, and about as heavy as some one-person tents
- Low canopy: a thick mat takes headroom, and it can feel closed in when fully zipped
- Water can get in if the mesh door is open in rain, so reviewers carry a tarp
- One main entrance only, and it is awkward to lie on your front and look out
- Highly reflective webbing loops may not suit stealth camping
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (5)
- Alpkit: Elan hooped bivvy bag (specifications)
- ADVNTR: Alpkit Elan hooped bivvy review (Chris Hunter, a year of use)
- Hardy Tempest (YouTube): Alpkit Elan one year appraisal, is a hooped bivvy right for you
- EscapeOutdoors (YouTube): The Alpkit Elan hooped bivvy bag (a year of use)
- Sort Of Interesting (YouTube): Alpkit Elan bivvy review, first pitch and close look