Bivvying in The Stans in Aug/Sept

[Teddy B]

Hi Everyone,

rather than camping with a tent I like to bivvy [sleeping bag inside a breathable/waterproof outer, with a tarp over the top], and so have several questions:

1. What temps can I expect at this time of the year at 3000m/4000m?...can imagine I would sleep much higher. I plan to use a synthetic 2 season bag [Comfort limit=+10C], a silk sleeping bag liner, and wear clothes/down jacket/thermals inside. I will also get some insulation from the bivvy bag and two Thermarest mats...what sort of temps do people thing I can go down to with this?....I want to travel as light/flexible as possible.

2. What is the terrain like?...i.e. at what level does the tree line finish and/or are there boulder fields where you can get out of the wind/something to tie-off/support the tarp from.

Thank you

[Teddy B]

Should have read "Cant' imagine I would sleep much higher i.e. it would be 3000m or below"...I also assume that lower down you may also get colder areas where the air sinks [Katabatic] during the night?..is this the case and at what altitude?

Thanks

[Christian77]

Snow at 3500 meters is possible in any month (even in the Fann Mountains). And I’ve been in below zero at 3000 in August (in Kyrgyzstan). Pamirs will be even rougher. This is not the land for being comfortable in an ultralight set up. Some areas can get some bad gusts, so not having a tent may be very rough in certain nights. If a northern front pushes south you will be in trouble.

Worst night of my life was at 2950 in Kyrgyzstan in a -1 Celsius bag. I had all my clothes plus rain gear on.

You will be cold, and dangerously so. Unless….you plan/time the passes and you are super fast. But this doesn’t help in the Pamirs as there are multiple full days above 4000.

[Teddy B]

Thanks for the feedback Christian, do you [or anyone else] know if there are camping outlets where I can get inexpensive but high quality down sleeping bags in any of The Stans cities i.e. I am thinking of companies/brands similar to the Polish one called Cumulus.

[Christian77]

Bishkek and Almaty are the places to do that sort of shopping. But most locals doing their shopping online.

As for quality, I can’t comment. And usually prices are actually above European/US prices for the same product.

[cat_hag]

I have a single-skin tent (a Tarptent Aeon) and was also wondering if it would be OK in Tajikistan so I asked a similar question a few weeks ago. Christian posted a really useful reply and I wanted to share it here in case you didn’t see that post: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12930.

FWIW, I also spoke to Jan Bakker, author of Trekking in Tajikistan, about tents for the Pamirs and the Fanns. He said a single-skin is fine for the Fanns but recommended a double-wall for the Pamirs because of the altitude and the high winds. As Christian said many of the camps in the Pamirs are over 4000m and in a 10-degree bag with a tarp I would think you are surely going to be miserable.

If in Almaty there are two shops with high-quality outdoor gear: Limpopo and Outdoor Centre. Limpopo has Mammut and Red Fox sleeping bags. It’s not cheap though. There’s also a giant Decathlon.

[Teddy B]

Thanks cat_hag, moved my thoughts over to your original question/page. Whilst we are talking about equipment, I will need to buy some cheap tent pegs as I am flying in with only hand luggage [tent pegs =forbidden], do you know where I can source these in Astana?

[cat_hag]

I think any of the Sportmasters in Astana should have cheap pegs. https://sportmaster.com/ru-kz

Or buy online from Decathlon Kaz and have them posted to your hotel.