Bivouac Equipment - Lightweight Gear for your Outdoor Adventures

Get equipped to sleep in nature

Hiking and bushcraft often take place over several days. You therefore need to have the necessary camping equipment to spend good nights without getting cold. Sleep is essential for proper recovery after a day of intense effort during which you'll have tackled a lot of elevation gain.

For this, you need at least a sleeping bag. Its purpose is to trap body heat and prevent it from escaping. Whether down or synthetic, they protect you from the cool air. Take advantage of the best brands on Freezedriedandco.com: Therm-a-Rest or Nemo. To add a bit of warmth, a sleeping bag liner is a good complement.

Next, the sleeping bag can be paired with various accessories to improve your comfort. If you sleep on the ground, you'll need a mat. There are three types: foam mats, inflatable mats and self-inflating mats. To know the differences between each, don't hesitate to consult our buying guide on hiking mats. The mat's purpose is to insulate you from the ground (from which the cold rises) and provide comfort by avoiding lying on hard ground.

Those who love sleeping under the stars will stop there. But for the vast majority, owning a tent is essential. We've written a buying guide to help you choose the tent that matches your needs. It protects against rain, wind and insects. The most common are 2-person tents but they also exist for 1, 3 and 4 people. At Freezedried & Co, we select lightweight, quality tents. Our models are durable and will accompany you on your adventures for many years. If you appreciate comfort, dome tents are popular for the large interior space they offer.

If you sleep off the ground, a mat and tent aren't necessary. But you'll need a hammock. Contrary to popular belief, hammocks aren't only useful for naps. They also work very well for a full night's sleep. You won't have any back pain and the swaying it produces will allow you to enter deep sleep more quickly.

To protect yourself from wind and rain, a tarp is a good solution. It attaches above your hammock and is completely waterproof. Water will flow around your hammock and you'll stay dry.

Discover everything you need for cooking

In addition to sleep, nutrition while hiking is paramount. Indeed, it's a very energy-intensive activity. You must constantly regain your strength, and for that you mustn't miss any meals. It's best to eat high-calorie, nutrient-rich meals such as freeze dried food. To this end, it's important to have the minimum and appropriate equipment to prepare your food.

Let's also note that we understand the importance of keeping your pack as light as possible for outdoor activities. That's why we offer lightweight and easy-to-transport stoves. They're also compact and high-performing. We have:

• gas stoves,
• wood stoves,
• alcohol stoves,
• multi-fuel stoves,
• solar cookers, etc.

These stoves are easy to use and designed with a safety system to prevent any fire. There's also self-heating equipment that requires neither fire nor gas. They're more secure, as you'll just need a little water to pour on the heaters to trigger the system. This is highly recommended as it will further lighten your travel bag. Indeed, if you opt for self-heating equipment, you'll no longer need a stove or gas.

You can choose between zip bags and flameless heaters. With this equipment, you can easily heat your meals and drinks.

To complete the equipment, we offer you cooksets that sit stably on all types of stoves. Our titanium cooksets are among the bestsellers because they're robust and ultralight. You'll use them to prepare your dishes or heat water or even to cook your freeze dried food. You'll also find cutlery for serving and eating.

All these accessories are practical for your outings. They're lightweight, durable and compact. They're perfect for preparing good meals while spending quality time with friends.

For those who like comfort, Freezedried & Co also offers a wide range of pots and pans allowing you to cook with refinement. Finally, if you don't like cooking, you'll appreciate our insulated food containers. These keep your meals hot or cold for several hours.

Everything you need for hydration

The third important aspect in hiking or bushcraft is hydration. It's even more important than food. Through walking or running, we lose litres of water essential to our survival. It's important to replace them immediately to avoid severe dehydration. The best recommended drink for this is water.

Hydration is certainly essential, but should you drink just any water? The answer is undoubtedly: no! You can carry water with you, but it quickly becomes heavy to carry. You'll therefore need to resupply from nature. However, the water found there isn't always safe to drink, even if it looks clear. It can be contaminated by protozoa, bacteria and even viruses. That's why it's important to carry equipment to purify this water.

We provide you with water filters of all types. They're effective at eliminating all pathogens present in water. On our site, you'll find numerous water filters:

• pump water filter: it's perfect for filtering turbid water. If you only have muddy water available, you can drink it without any risk. Some models are effective against viruses;
• gravity water filter: this filter is ideal for drinking safe water, regardless of your position on the globe. It's even easier to use than pump filters. You can filter your water effortlessly. For example, you'll find the LifeStraw Mission gravity filter which effectively filters viruses;
• filter straws: for individual use, you can opt for filter straws. Their main advantage is that they're lightweight. However, it's not possible to filter turbid water with them, at the risk of clogging them. This remains the most common accessory in hiking;
• filter bottles: very effective, they're also suitable for any type of outdoor activity. You just have to fill the bottle reservoir and drink. While drinking, the water is instantly filtered;
• water purifier: unlike a water filter, a water purifier is necessarily effective against viruses. A good way to avoid catching a disease when you're in a remote area.

All these accessories are lightweight and easy to carry. They also pack away easily and don't clutter you up. You'll also find chemical filtration systems on our site. Behind this potentially intimidating name, nothing complicated. They're simply tablets to put in your water to make it drinkable. Micropur tablets are very well known in the outdoor world. Thanks to these filters, you won't have to carry heavy water reserves. You thus make an enormous saving in weight and space.

In addition to these filters, Freezedried & Co offers a wide range of bottles & reservoirs. You'll find in particular: soft flasks, insulated bottles, jerrycans, recycled plastic bottles, hydration bladders...

Our survival accessories for optimal safety

We can never be too careful, especially in nature. An accident can happen quickly and turn into a tragedy. When an emergency situation presents itself, you must have high-quality emergency equipment with you. This will allow you either to send signals to call for help or to shelter safely. It will also enable you to treat yourself in case of illness or injury. You'll thus find first aid kits, survival accessories (survival blanket, whistles...) and other essential equipment during your outdoor activities.

Our range also includes evacuation bags, developed in collaboration with Secouristes Sans Frontières. These bags are complete survival kits that can help over a 3-day period. They contain all the essential modules in case of emergency such as first aid kits, water, food, lamps, communication equipment, GPS and much more. To optimise your own comfort with these bags, you can store personal belongings in them. The bag is large enough and contains plenty of space for this.

You'll also find survival shelters to protect yourself in case of rain or wind. These shelters are set up in a single gesture, which responds well to emergency situations. Body warmers and hand warmers are also available.

Wide choice of camping equipment

Our catalogue contains many other useful items for hiking and bushcraft. Among them, you'll find trekking poles, tools (knives, shovels, axes) or even lighting equipment (headlamps, lanterns...).

Furthermore, the "Energy" category lists power banks (also called external batteries) and solar panels. You'll have everything you need for a completely autonomous trek.

Of course, we haven't forgotten backpacks. On this note, discover our guide to choosing the hiking backpack that suits you.

Finally, we also have care and hygiene equipment. Umbrellas, foot cream, microfibre towels, concentrated shampoo or even portable showers. You're sure to find what you're looking for.

This equipment is perfect for summer camps as well as winter bivouacs.

Discover our stock of books and maps

For your entertainment, we've made books available to you. These will help you learn more about hiking and other activities to do in nature. They teach you life-saving techniques in detail. You'll get more explanation about the usefulness and operation of survival equipment.

The book "Dare to Be Autonomous" by Jean-Louis Étienne teaches you to manage on your own. It gives you all the necessary basics to take care of yourself in nature. As a result, you won't panic when you find yourself in tricky situations. With the book "Extreme Runner" by Vincent Hulin, you'll learn a great deal about all his adventures. This will inspire you for your own. Similarly, in the book "The White Continent", Mattieu Tordeur tells you about his incredible adventures in Antarctica.

You'll also find topographic maps to guide you on your journey. These maps are cleverly laminated so they can be used even in heavy rain. They're also durable and won't get damaged. They clearly trace the various paths within sites and provide you with the necessary information about them.

You can read these books before your adventure in nature (which is highly recommended). However, you can also take them with you on your journey, to escape in a certain way into exciting worlds.

A team ready to listen

If you have a technical question about one of our products, contact us. Our experts will provide answers to your questions. We'll give you valuable advice to help you have a better experience.