The Best Part of any Sleep System

[@GruntProof]

Is a bivy water proof? What about a 13 year old one? And here's a special trick or you guys that you probably never knew about!

[@DarkMetaOFFICIAL]

ultra hack: be indoors 😂

[@visible2anyoneonyoutube]

So what happens when you have to use it? Now your stuff is all wet or your freezing cold at night. I call this a fail.

[@mj6463]

@@DarkMetaOFFICIAL the air force figured this out a long time ago 😂

[@btown508]

My stuff never got wet in the hotel.

[@IAMGWH1]

​@@visible2anyoneonyoutube Everything goes inside with you plus bring a poncho!

[@tehunter6569]

23 years, Infantry, ranger, Alaska, Carson, Bragg, 4 Iraq tours. Thats a great way to use the bivy but if all you have is the waterproof bag, the proper way to use it is turn it rubber side out so your clothing and gear are only touching the nylon coating. No stink and it still works.

[@OldNavajoTricks]

My thought as well, and talc it well, soak up the smell a bit before use.

[@darthsarcastus1064]

So, as someone who has packed their ruck the same way from 1995 to present I'd like to share my experience. My spare combat clothes (1x MTP combat trousers, 1x MTP field shirt, 1x MTP UBACs shirt) goes in a large dry bag (civi purchase) along with my socks, underwear, t shirts and any other small clothing items I want to keep dry. These last items are waterproofed together in bags. My sleeping system is in the Bivi bag inside another dry bag on top of my previously mentioned clothes in the center part of my ruck. My self inflating sleep mat is in a side pouch with my tarp shelter, bungees, pegs and para cord. The other side pouch has "ready to hand" wet kit, warm kit (Gore Tex & Snugpak sleeka jacket etc) in a waterproof dry bag and my Jet Boil + gas. Other pockets on my ruck carried wash kit, foot powder, 3 days food and command kit (all waterproofed). I could literally drop my 120 pound (when you add comms kit, NVGs, night sight, binos and spare ammo) ruck in a lake and it would float, just! Seal the whole lot in the bivi bag and it floated fine. My dry bag for the sleeping system I would turn inside out when I needed to sleep in my boots and slide my booted feet into my sleeping system thus keeping the crap off my boots out of my sleeping bag and confined to the dry bag.

[@GruntProof]

Awesome

[@jastrapper190]

I did the same in Iraq in combat. I always just used a trash bag. 55 gallon drum liner or just a cheap bin liner. Just step your disgusting muddy wet boots in that (one big one or two small bags work) and them worm your way into the bivy. Certain times you could rest but it would have been suicidal/unwise to not be able to jump up if needed, roll/grab the sleep system up, bear hug it and jump into the vehicle and secure the hatch and be ready to fight and as soon as the driver has done similar you’re hauling ass (maybe mortar rounds started landing on you or the Indians attack in a human wave).

[@ricksilver7398]

I take it you turned it inside out during your testing. I just purchased one from online, and I hope it's an original military issue and not some Chinese knock-off. I bought it for 65 bucks but haven't had a chance to test it yet. Love the testing videos, pointers, and experience with the items for confirmation to awesome products that can stand up to the elements. Keep up the good work, Randall, watching all the time. Old golden Rakkasan from the later 70s

[@karlmadsen3179]

I love the MSS with the bivy. I'm 6 feet 1 inch and I don't have the tall version. My feet feel a bit jammed at times, but it's the best gear I've ever used. I tend to use the heavy duty 55gal contractor bags inside my ruck, but I'll use the bivy in a pinch. The rest of the MSS gets compressed like a black hole in space for carrying.

[@jeffrichards5106]

Hey Randall, thanks! what a great tip, I have the MSS bivy, didn't know they were that waterproof. I'll have to use that for my ALICE liner. Thank you sir!👍

[@GruntProof]

thanks dude! I never had issues doing it, but I never decided to try it until now

[@Fluxxcapacitor52]

Great trick brother. I always appreciate the little gems you throw our way. I'll be utilizing this method from here on out on my bivy hunts.. Thank you

[@jastrapper190]

Excellent video. Subscribing. If you have a bag with a rolled up USGI bivy sack… as I did before watching this video… along with with additional items that could be affected by water like socks and a poncho liner… and they aren’t INSIDE of the bivy… you’re wrong. Trash bags are another option for waterproofing. As good as the gortex seams and material are the zipper isn’t waterproof. I have lived out of a bivy next to a Light Armored Vehicle as an infantryman for almost years (22 months of combat time according to my DD-214). Everyone had an assigned tire or position. Driver was tire number 1 on the non muffler side, gunner #2, VC #3, scout team leader tire #4, saw gunner to his right, etc. we didn’t use tents for the most part just a bivy on an isomat in the dirt and mud. I’ve woken up to feeling like I was on a waterbed because of sleeping in a puddle that formed around me. The bivy is great gear. Even in hot environments at night it is cool and it’s nice to have a “bug free zone” or “dust free zone” combined with a headnet and Boonie hat and you’re all set. Drum liners are relatively cheap (~1-2.00$ for a heavy mil 55 gallon drum liner), reusable for multiple days or even weeks depending on use, can be cut to form an emergency raincoat, waterproofs gear, 55 gallon water storage device if you dig a 55 gallon drum shaped hole with no sharp edges, rain collector, form a dog bowl or water storage hole in the ground, improvised tobbagan material to sit on and slide down snowy mountains or hills, improvised shelter sheet if cut open , stuffed with debris or cardboard or whatever to form an insulating mattress, etc. basically unlimited uses.

[@av-il6bf]

Acknowledging the age of this video up front...BUT...you actually tenderly Tea Bagged the Bivy towards the end (6:11) ...Priceless!!...Rucking Awesome!

[@harvestblades]

I highly recommend keeping a gore-tex repair kit or at the least some quality tape to repair the bicycle when you eventually get a hole or tear in it. That MSS is a great value IMO!

[@ColemanOutdoors]

Thanks for keeping it entertaining and informative at the same time!

[@GruntProof]

Thanks for the support! 🤘🏻

[@StabbinJoeScarborough]

The Army issued me this complete system and never asked for it back , great piece of kit , ive had it everywhere I went , today retired , I still have it in my closet

[@GruntProof]

That's awesome

[@Jason-iz6ob]

This is an unfair test. But we’re gonna do it anyway. Yep, sounds like the Army I remember.

[@GruntProof]

Why is it unfair?

[@OldNavajoTricks]

Almost finished making a pack rain cover that covers a few functions, bivvy is one but packliner wasn't, no point in a raincover I have to unpack all my bergen out of if I need it for rain lol. Another use and one shared by your Horror sack is you can use them like a drybag but fill with air before sealing, drybag/floatation aid for crossing bodies of water 👍

[@natashaball316]

Awesome video! My MMSS Bivvy is my favorite shelter item for my GHB BOB and car camping gear.

[@FFdo.]

awesome test I was expecting v2 of the dry bags but this came out, thanks for the tip, never crossed my mind, I have the same but in ACU so far it has worked well.

[@GruntProof]

Thanks! If my old and beat up bivy survives, the newer ones should be perfect

[@torsten4757]

Hi Randall, danke für´s zeigen! Tolle Videoserie, bin schon gespannt was du uns noch alles zeigst. Mein LIKE hast du :) Ciao Torsten

[@ke6ziu]

The MSS is a good system, but it's a one size fits all... my old Intermediate cold weather bag from the Marine Corps, was probably the best sleeping bag I've ever had! Those bags, we called them Willie Pete bags....

[@MickeyD2012]

+1 for the UT music. Nice.

[@casper3130]

I've been using my usmc improved bivy in my ruck sack to keep my sleeping bag and additional warm clothing dry for years. On my bivy I have to zip the screen window shut then I push all the air out of the bivy, roll the top down like you do a compression sack, tuck it tight into the bag against itself. My ruck sack is usually packed tight like this and nothing has ever got wet in my pack even in down pours.

[@allanrevoyarknet]

Nice can always use it for water if in a bind. I have this system. I use the black bag & Colman liner, just as top covers I been sleeping in -25. When ot gets to -30 to -40 just throw the bivy with patrol bag, & another black winter bag on top of me, super hot. This is my mobile camps system. If I was Rucking/hiking back woods just the MSS. Thanks for the video.

[@GruntProof]

Cool thanks!

[@turtlewolfpack6061]

Even the newer ACU bivy should pass this test although it is a slightly lighter bag than the woodland and packs up much smaller. I own both and like them both. I also use the Canadian Army sack bivy and the Belgian Army hooped bivy (made by Carinthia and same as the Dutch except the camo pattern).

[@KirkHermary]

Damn that bivy is already looking like a pass. Grunt Proof Labs has some awesome tests going on. I like that you're simulating real world conditions in each test video. I hit a temporary dead end at Canada Post today. Nanny state + weapon = confusion. Basically they wanted to make sure the knife won't get held up at customs on either side of the border. Once I get back to the post office outlet I'll be good to send it. Sorry about these delays. I've never shipped out of country before so it's a learning curve for me as well. Anyhow enough of my chin wagging. Kick ass video man. I'm looking forward to seeing how these bits of gear turn out.

[@GruntProof]

Thanks man! No worries on the knife. Better that it doesn't get lost

[@PapajosTraders]

Just picked one up for my winter camps, good vid.

[@operationseekingtruth]

So this gives you another way transport water also. Great video.

[@markottinger]

Great idea to save weight! Thanks

[@rodgerwittmann]

I LOVE your channel... But tell me what I am missing, because it looks to me like you are only testing the waterproofness of the bottom 6 or 8 inches of the bivy... I have learned a lot, and agree with a lot of your philosophy regarding "super lightweight" gear and regarding rucking and lifting!!! Thanks a lot‼

[@petesheppard1709]

WOW! And yet, the fabric allows water vapor to escape. Gore-Tex has always had a great reputation, but this is AMAZING!!

[@Jason-iz6ob]

Eh, theoretically it does....

[@petesheppard1709]

@@Jason-iz6ob Well, Gore-Tex is at its best with low-moderate activity in relatively light rain.Yeah, heavy sweaty activity overloads the pores as well as water sheeted on the outside, as in a heavy downpour.

[@danielkutcher5704]

It's WAY more waterproof than breathable. Gets pretty damp inside when sleeping in a bivy. Body gives off moisture, breath gives off moisture. Ventilation is imperative to keep it to manageable levels, but you will still be damp in the morning. Best to use wool or synthetic insulation inside a bivy. Down will suck the moisture up and hold it. If it doesn't dry outside during the day, down will slowly lose loft and the ability to keep you warm. For long term use, a tarp, tent, or hammock are much better.

[@andrewpeterson7569]

Keep your GorTex clean.

[@CRDODGE47]

What year if you know where these introduced to the military I got out in 83 and I don't recall those in use. The cold weather gear was issued to the hole 1/75 battalion for a month. It went so so

[@GruntProof]

That's a good question. I think some time in the late 90s

[@CRDODGE47]

@@GruntProof well I knew the Rangers didn't have them when I did my 3 years and they used to test about all new gear coming out . Remember when we tested the new at the time cold weather gear in Wisconsin with 3 feet of snow.

[@xthinker88]

They were only just beginning to come out with gore-Tex jackets in 89 or 90. And they weren’t issue items. Never saw the bivvy.

[@UnrulyVet]

I'm planning on getting a lot more outdoor time this year, especially now that I have a USGS Veterans park pass. If I find a civilian bivy that works anywhere near that well I will be sure to share it.

[@jenniferbauman4802]

Good video. Water should drip threw the bivy if it wasn't in side out. So that's good to know. And I guess you could use it to filter your water. I don't know if it will purifie it. But hell I think that's asking a little to much for good old bivy . God bless. From Glenn CATT in Massachusetts.

[@smesaric]

Hi, this is some great info! One thing I was wondering though, is when you are using the bivy as a waterproof bag inside your ruck, how would you use it for sleeping during the night while it is raining? Or would you just keep in in the ruck and only use your poncho and ECWCS gear to sleep in the field while raining? Thanks!

[@GruntProof]

It depends. I usually carried wet weather gear too. I could sleep in one and cover my ruck with the other

[@casper3130]

The only thing I keep in my bivy inside my ruck is my 3 season bag, a beanie, some gloves, booties and insulated top and bottoms all at which I may use in the night if not I just sleep on. When I pull my bivy out it gets thrown out unzipped then the 3 season bag gets pulled up inside and unzipped, I usually sleep in what I'm wearing but my insulates are usually laid flat in the bag with my beanie, gloves and booties. I sit in it take my boots off put them in a plastic bag tie the top put them in my ruck sack situate myself in my bivy put my Ruck bag in the bivy for a sit up rest or pillow to keep it out of the weather shut my bivy up and go to sleep. If it's raining hard I'll wait it out under my poncho or if it's a light rain I may string up my poncho to set up under it depending on how tired I am at the time. Just set the poncho up stringing out some para cord tie off the corners pull the bivy out and throw it out unrolling the top under your poncho and set yourself up.

[@dooner4752]

Need to get a few of those. It's like french 🍟, can't have just one.

[@flyprincess69]

I used this bivy in a heavy rainstorm in New Zealand in 2019. After about 5 hrs, it began to leak. I wasn’t soaked in the morning, just wet. I scotch gaurd it now before trips, but haven’t encountered rain like that since.

[@GruntProof]

You can also wash and throw it in the dryer. It reactivates the DWR

[@richardcanfield2741]

Yo Ran, I totally would’ve lost that bet. Thought it was gonna leak. Really surprised! Thanx 👍

[@gjnezat]

The bluebird bus never showed up at the range. Showed up the following day

[@diegoornelas5132]

I thought this man said and I quote “we don’t have as nice living conditions as the grunts”

[@jimhunt8062]

I learned something new Thanks good idea

[@jovenalasis4468]

I bought just the bivy around three years ago, thinking that the bivy is the most important part of the MMSS. Your video validated that suspicion. I have a question: How do you clean that? Can you throw it in a washing machine, or is this best washed by hand? Please keep testing gear and making videos.

[@GruntProof]

I've thrown mine in a washer and dryer for over 15 years. Low heat, no issues

[@drive-byguitarlessons1858]

Dude. I still have my sleep system. Use my bivy frequently

[@GruntProof]

Most definitely 👍🏻😎

[@kirkblackson]

Ok but… how do you keep the stuff you aren’t wearing dry while sleeping in it?

[@hangtough503]

killer tips. gracias brother 🤙

[@IronskullGM]

I remember waking up in a ranger grave at Ft. Drum frozen to the ground in this Sleep system. We dug in at an LPOP with a light rain and dropping temps, I woke up in the morning to all my Joes around me laughing because I was frozen to the ground and the zippers were frozen.. Remember to put a poncho over yourself... LMFAO

[@LostCityExpeditions]

Is the bivy mostly designed/used for when you’re not in a tent or other shelter?

[@markall8641]

Bad ass test. To bad the bevy market went to shit and it’s $80 bucks used now

[@GruntProof]

That's not a bad deal for what you get. All the over-marketed and junk civilian ones would be at least double that. I've had the same one since 2003 and it has been extremely abused.

[@got2kittys]

Mine gets damp. I consider it "Not laying in a puddle-flood proof"

[@PrepperTankar]

The only downside to military gear is that its heavy but thats it. They are bombproof and will last a long time but thats because of the heavy bombproof material.

[@kennethrosbury2819]

Great job love the video thank you for sharing keep up the good work bye-bye bye-bye bye-bye

[@tobystreks5187]

I used my waterproof bag for the first time last weekend and it smelled AWFUL when I got home…. at least now I now that’s normal….

[@GruntProof]

Yea they stink, but they work

[@garrett3055]

I've found that the American bivy is $10 cheaper than the Canadian one,. Do what you want with that info lol

[@brandonglosson1628]

How big of a deal is not having a bugnet on the bivy? Do you do anything to manage that?

[@GruntProof]

It's not really. That would just be something else to destroy

[@Cyberowaty]

Hey Randall, how do I check what year my bivvy is? Greetings from Poland

[@GruntProof]

The NSN

[@Cyberowaty]

@@GruntProof I have first line: CONTRACT # SP0100-98-D-5042 second line: 8465-01-445-6274 third line: TENNIER INDUSTRIES, INC. that's all i have

[@Cyberowaty]

​@@GruntProof I found one, seller say it's brand new gore seam seal 98 year. It's good deal? :)

[@GruntProof]

If it's actually new

[@Cyberowaty]

@@GruntProof 26 years, its just not used, maybe i find some better

[@ricksilver7398]

Nice to know it's capable of using it as a floatation device if needed providing it doesn't have no large holes or a broken zipper 😂

[@RAYANDERS-w4t]

THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@HannibalsSurplusReviews]

hey bro awesome video!!!

[@GruntProof]

Thanks!

[@redred333]

if you use your bivy as a waterproof bag, what do you do if you need to sleep in rain? won't that mean you either have to sleep wet or let your stuff soak in the rain?

[@GruntProof]

Great question. I'd either sleep in wet weather gear or put the jacket over my ruck. The Bivy is just the replacement for the nasty WW bag.

[@danielkutcher5704]

I imagine that you might need to carry a contractor trash bag to keep your gear dry outside of the bivy at night. Most guys I know that use bivys also use a poncho to have a "roof" to transition out of and into wet clothing, and they store their sleeping bag in their bivy and stuff both together into their pack. Bivys are damp by nature. You don't want to bring unnecessary moisture into them. Imo, they work for emergencies, but aren't suitable for long stretches of wet weather.

[@casinodelonge]

Classic infantry advice, find someone who does stuff the right way and copy them. As the RSM would say "any fool can be uncomfortable".

[@RedWhineman]

Thank you for posting this vid. Since the head-end of the bivy doesn't seal in any way, what is your preferred method for bug/rodent/snake proofing that area? Thanks again!

[@wolffo999]

I have the bivy - very high quality

[@morocomole4567]

Glad I got mine on the cheap before people knew about these lol

[@josephjohnson6849]

I just used a couple of big trash bags

[@enlightenedpreparingep4006]

Willie Peter bag

[@rodneyvallette938]

I am sold Where can I get one of those bivie's ? Great video.

[@GruntProof]

eBay would be your best bet. Thanks!

[@skeet330]

Any hack to keep the covering off my face

[@GruntProof]

I'd always use a stick. But you could make a toggle with a rock and cordage and tie it to a tree

[@caucasoid5645]

So where do you put all of your kit that was staying dry in the bivy while you are sleeping in the bivy?

[@GruntProof]

Under your shelter or rain jacket

[@chocolatedumdum2]

Oh what the heck, my surplus bivy doesn’t have a zipper!

[@chocolatedumdum2]

Just an update. My bivy is legit with an NSN for the modular sleep system. However it is a bivy that is a predecessor to the current bivy in use with the MSS. I guess I have a rare piece of kit then. Picked up one with a zipper though!

[@GruntProof]

Wow. Haven't heard of that! What is the NSN?

[@jshaw1503]

Any advice how to wash and dry these to reactive the dwr?

[@GruntProof]

The heat in the dryer does it

[@jshaw1503]

@@GruntProof thanks man

[@DesertPunks]

How does this bivy handle bugs? I've heard mixed things, some folks have tips for keeping them out, what say you?

[@GruntProof]

Well it's large enough for me (69") to roll it up at the top to be sealed off. The problem then is what the weather is like. If it's hot and humid, that is miserable.

[@ThatGuy-sc5rx]

I carry a half pound bug net and cover as well as tuck it under the bivy

[@johnsonoutdoors8117]

Where could I just get the bivy

[@GruntProof]

Ebay

[@txwarrior50]

To what temp are the bivy good down to? How cold before you need something more.

[@danielkutcher5704]

Bivys have no insulation. They only protect from moisture and wind. Without additional insulation, and your body being the only heat source, I would think that it wouldn't keep you comfortable while sleeping in temperatures below 70. You will need a sleep pad to keep your body from losing heat to the ground, too. In the summer, when humidity rises, bivys are hot inside when the temperatures approach 80, so, there is a narrow comfort range without using adjustable insulation.

[@GruntProof]

Thanks

[@DarkMetaOFFICIAL]

my bivvy bag smells like piss after i woke up from a night of drinking, and my pants were wet. i think it's defective

[@robertevans8126]

Shared

[@jetmemphis91]

Subscribed and loving the content! Dumb question though, what happens when you need to use your bivy when it’s holding everything in your ruck? Thanks, scouts out.

[@GruntProof]

Thanks. The idea is to replace the wet weather bag with the bivy for travel. Hopefully you're still carrying some short of shelter

[@starlight8298]

I guess it’s gortex . 👍

[@HannibalsSurplusReviews]

I like gear woodland camo M81 my favorite you know what I'm saying

[@WannaBeHillbilly]

A man of culture I see

[@HannibalsSurplusReviews]

@@WannaBeHillbilly GODS PLAID FACEBOOK GROUP

[@dominkwolf541]

Wait good a 💡! Got a Hammock , i got a Poncho-liner i need a "Bivi" for the Hammock and no more cold butt syntrom!😆 I aske Uncle Sam four Sur-Plus. "Tango Mike Over"

[@GruntProof]

I'm a hammocker as well. That's what under-blankets are for!

[@danielkutcher5704]

@@GruntProof Underquilts, in civilian jargon.👍

[@BushcraftRidge]

They do stink! LOL. Am I weird for loving that smell? Makes me nostalgic.

[@GruntProof]

I have plenty of those bags if you want one. They do have their purpose

[@BushcraftRidge]

@@GruntProof I have a couple and my wife hates them. She is constantly trying to throw them away.

[@danielkutcher5704]

Here's a link to the best use and limitations of, bivy sacks: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIfOga1qnNNjh7s

[@indepentinvestigator]

Dry bags never lose their nasty stench because of the cheapshit rubber coating that "they"use! Bivy covers rule.

[@multiactivejussivaarala]

Nobody talks about bivy for big men

[@GruntProof]

I've seen 6, 4 255 lb guys be fine in the MSS bivy

[@multiactivejussivaarala]

@@GruntProof i am ,194 cm. Link please

[@multiactivejussivaarala]

@@GruntProof i just bought that size, too small 220x90 cm. No space for airmatrass

[@multiactivejussivaarala]

My size around over shoulders 150 cm

[@atlantaswelder]

👏👏

[@벙커꺽지-m3b]

인크레더블

[@nc_mtbmedic1399]

Is this the tenner systems?

[@GruntProof]

Yes, Tennier

[@larryedwards9501]

I want that shirt

[@GruntProof]

Zero Foxtrot

[@larryedwards9501]

@@GruntProof thx man!