You may take a bivvi bag with you when you go walking already, just in case (well done, better safe than sorry!)… You may have crawled inside when the clouds down and you’re starting to chill… but have you considered just taking that extra bit of thought, kit and planning to use your bivvi bag in anger?

Here’s a practical guide to sleeping out in your bivvi bag for the first time, to steer you away from the pitfalls and towards a comfortable and safe night in the hills.

Nothing quite compares to reaching that summit or topping that ridge to find the world laid out beneath you in the ultimate wrap around widescreen stretching to a 360 horizon. Nothing but sky above you and only rooted to the earth by your feet.

Stretch out your arms, breath in the best lungful you’ll ever know, close your eyes and feel the fatigue of the climb slide from your body.

But….everything has to end sometime, can’t stay forever, eat your lunch, wind chill is picking up, better get moving, another quick photo, last look round, check the map and start to head down, greeting fellow dayglo walkers making their personal pilgrimages. Soon it’s all but forgotten as you focus on getting down safely, already planning your next trip, step by step back to reality.

But… hold on a minute, you’ve done the tough bit, you’re up high, wouldn’t it be great if you could just stride off across that ridge or head out towards that distant peak and sit and watch the sun slide below a deserted horizon. Oh, and what if you could fall asleep watching shooting stars streaking across the blackest sky you’ll ever know, the moon floating in a glassy tarn. Then, what about being woken by the first of the morning sun on your face with a precious few hours ahead of you walking on high in perfect silence, totally alone, before the hordes from the valley’s b&bs disgorge into the hills.

Sound attractive? Then welcome to the world of bivvi bagging.

Yes I know, sleeping in a bag! In the open! Not even a tent? But think less Andy McNab and more free spirit. Sleep where you want when you want and find the spiritual open space we all crave when the hills are alive with, well, just you. Before 9 and after 5 you’re pretty much alone…bliss!

For the cost of a couple of nights accommodation you can buy all you need to keep you warm comfortable and safe in the worst weather and terrain this country will throw at you. You can pay hundreds of pounds for that kit on the high street but my advice is to reap the benefit of the research and development paid for by us taxpayers for the afore mentioned Mr McNab to keep us safe at night and head to your local army surplus or click onto ebay for the same kit and I reckon you’re good to go with little more than £100 heading south.

You will need a rucksack, ask for a “bergen” and you’ll see the eyes of the ex-forces guy behind the counter moisten as the jargon reminds him of that cosy 40 mile stroll across Norway with his mates on exercise twenty five years ago. As with all this kit it may have someone else’s name written on it in marker pen but hey, for £25-£30 don’t quibble.

Sleeping bag, now here comes a decision. Do you buy a 2 or 3 season bag that will squash down to nothing and will weigh less for you to hump around all day? Or do you opt for a special forces, 5 season, arctic sleeping bag with hood and a handy mesh pocket for your torch and damp socks that will keep you toasty in any weather you can imagine? Well, having spent a few cold and sleepless nights out in the open I’ll always opt for the slightly heavier and slightly bulkier bag, especially when you remember that the temperature drops 1°c for every 100m you ascend. The cost of your wrap around, hilltop duvet? Expect to pay £30.

A bivvi bag, it’s just like a tent but without poles and with a drawstring at the top no, really, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, there is nothing quite like being snuggled down in your sleeping bag and bivvi bag on what was a bitterly cold and hostile hilltop, listening to the wind and rain whip over the sheltered dip you’ve found to spend a few hours rest or to spend the night. Most are made from breathable goretex and should cost around £30.

Well that’s the basics, whilst you’re browsing consider a foam sleeping mat, head torch and meths stove but remember, you will be carrying everything with you so be selective on any luxuries.

One note of caution, you will have noted two things about your recent purchases. Firstly they are very good quality at a reasonable cost and secondly, at the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, they are in muted colours if not outright camouflaged (abbreviate this to “camo” and the shopkeeper will almost weep with nostalgia).

Obviously the “camo” is designed to keep the wearer/carrier lost within the landscape; great for war zones, pretty good in the wilds of this country when you’ll be amazed at how much more wildlife you see before it sees you but an absolute nightmare when you’ve set up camp in the fading light then sauntered off in t-shirt and duds to fill up your water bottle only to realise on the way back just why the “camo” design gets it’s name.

I learned to leave a brightly coloured carrier bag tied to my rucksack after spending 45 cold and scary minutes on the Isle of Mull in February at night, similarly attired, looking for my camp after realising the only visible thing I had in my kit was the water bottle I was holding in my hand.

On a serious note, if disaster happens and you are immobilised on a mountain then blending into your surroundings isn’t the best you can hope for.

A bivvi bag and sleeping bag will look after your most basic need, shelter, but you’d better consider the next big need, food and water. Don’t skimp on your water intake, hydration is extremely important, don’t wait to get thirsty before you drink. Take regular breathers to take in the view, that’s what you’re here for, and take a few gulps. If you find yourself feeling low, tired, irritable or irrational then you could be dehydrated. Stop for a drink and something to eat. If that doesn’t help then consider your choice of walking companion because this should be an enjoyable experience.

It’s just not practical to carry all the water that you’ll need for your trip. A litre of water weighs a kilogramme and you’ll easily consume 4 litres in a days walking, you can easily double that and more on a warm or windy day.

The answer is to use what is around you. There will be water readily available to you but be careful where you take it from and check your map so you know where your next top will come from. Thirst is our most powerful desire and if you don’t plan carefully you will be tempted to drink unsafe water.

Take water from the highest point available, ideally direct from a spring, second best take it from as high up a stream as you can reach to avoid the risk of contamination and never take water from a stagnant source.

Always check the area around your chosen water source, you really don’t want to find a dead sheep further upstream from where you’ve just enjoyed a drink, it really does ruin the experience. A subsequent case of the trots or worse won’t do anything to enhance the memory either.

(Health Warning: There are inherent risks in drinking water from even the most remote and seemingly clean source. For instance, sheep urine can carry liver flukes that can cause serious problems and those sheep will pee anywhere. Water purification tablets are available but my personal preference is to take meticulous care from where I take my top ups and accept the consequently reduced risk.)

On the food side of things there has been plenty of coverage recently about how you can find things to eat in the wild but whilst a handful of berries can be a wonderful treat you really can’t survive on this so don’t try. No really, Ray Mears didn’t get that size from wild food, believe me, and he’s an expert.

Your first decision is whether you are going to eat cold food only or are you going to carry fuel and a device to cook with. I’m usually fine to eat cold food for one night but for any longer than that I prefer to take a meths stove to have a hot meal, it takes the experience far beyond just surviving.

You will have to carry everything you eat and you will need far more calories than you would eat in a normal day at the office. You can afford to take all the high calorie foods you want, protein and carbohydrates are good with loads of chocolate which seems so well designed and packaged to carry plenty of calories in nice square blocks. Dehydrated food is obviously lighter so consider oats, noodles, rice and dried fruit. Keep packaging to a minimum to save weight and also remember that all your rubbish comes back with you.

I suggest taking double the amount of food you think you’ll need, eat all the things that you’re going to miss, like ice cream and yoghurt, on the way to your start point and pack the rest. Even the best prepared plans can turn to ashes so take emergency rations consisting of a couple of bars of chocolate and some nuts. Quite simply these rations could save your life by keeping you thinking straight in a difficult situation but only if they are kept for emergencies. Wrap them in that really sticky brown parcel tape that is so difficult to get through, that way it’s safe from the attack of the nibbles because you’ll only be bothered to pick through it when you really need to.

Now, to state the obvious, a large percentage of what you put into your body has to come out again. Your bodily functions will continue whatever so best prepare for it now. When you need a pee make sure you are away from the beaten track and away from any potential water source. Take the opportunity to look at the colour, if it’s any darker than straw colour you need to drink more water, don’t wait until you get thirsty.

Apologies again for stating the obvious but face facts and plan for it, if you are walking for more than a day or so “up high” you will need to poo in the wilds.

I acknowledge that for some of you this may be the single thing that puts you off bivvi bagging but the reality is not as bad as you might think and can be, quite literally, an “enlightening” experience. That said I have witnessed friends frantically eating boiled eggs or taking over the counter “medicines” to ward off the moment but it is a natural function and you really don’t need to be embarrassed. Take yourself off well away from the beaten track and, please, well away from the nearest water. Go far from anywhere that is likely to be used as a lunch stop or a sleeping area and somewhere you are unlikely to be interrupted. If you have a companion that you really trust to keep watch then take advantage of it and when you’ve finished it should be buried at least six inches below ground.

I suggest levering a rock out of the ground (surprisingly easy to do although you might have to try a couple before you find one that moves), do your business then gently replace the rock with emphasis on gently, you don’t want to get your own back!

The great attraction of bivvi bagging is to just follow your nose but start with a basic plan and replan when required. Check your map for your water top ups and where to spend the night. Give some thought to where you will find the best shelter and to what you want to see when you first open your eyes.

My favourite places are near tarns in the saddle of a couple of peaks but be warned that solitude is not always possible here as someone else may well have the same idea.Pay particular attention to where you pitch camp. Ideally you will be near a source of fresh water but somewhere dry is important so look for higher ground. Heather gives a soft dry bed and a patch of bracken on lower slopes will provide an oasis of calm in even the worst weather. Make sure your pitch is level, really level, and also look around to see where you will roll and slide to because it’s never quite as level as it looks. I’ve yet to wake up in the same place as I went to sleep, even on a flat pitch you tend to migrate so keep away from slopes.

Have a good feel around for rocks or stones before you get in your bag because once inside it can be challenging.

As with all excursions to the great outdoors safety should be your priority, at least be aware of the risks and have a plan. Here’s a list of some of the main things to consider but if you find any of these a startling revelation then you should probably consider a few shorter walks with a responsible adult before launching into a five day expedition through the remote Scottish Highlands…

Take OS maps for all the areas that you are likely to cover and don’t be tempted to walk off the end of your map, no good will come of it. Take a compass and know how to use it, listen to a weather forecast and act on what it tells you, leave a note in your car with details of your proposed route and when you intend to return, take appropriate clothing, take a torch, take a whistle, take a basic first aid kit, take a friend.

If the weather closes in or it gets dark and you think you are lost then stop, get in your bivvi bag and wait for things to improve. Take your mobile phone with you but only turn it on in an emergency. It is surprising where you can get a signal nowadays but sod’s law dictates that when things start going wrong they continue to go wrong, at least you can say you tried.

There will be some nights when you don’t make it to where you wanted, the rain and wind keep you awake all night and you’re busting for a pee from the moment you get into your sleeping bag but the first time it all comes together and you wake up on a sapphire blue morning with hours alone on the tops can’t be bought.

Just do it!