Hooch vs. Bivy

[portcullisguy]

I prefer the hooch if it will be an extended stay.

I keep 6x black bungee cords, and 6x aluminum tent pegs, and set up is quite fast, as is the take down.

I no longer mess around with para cord and all that ****. If I can‘t bungee it up, I won‘t bother.

Properly set up, a hooch keeps the water off you, and your vital kit. The rest stays outside.

If I had a bivvy bag, I would consider using one, but they are only issued on a TI basis at my unit.

On SQ, we had a very silly "surprise" attack one morning in our platoon hide, and of course, with painstaking predictability, the orders-shouters (NCOs) wanted us to take down our hooches as part of the bug out drill. I honestly can‘t see detaching rifles in the middle of receiving a hasty attack to goand tear down a hooch in real life. In fact, even stopping for rucks is a bit of a stretch. You should have the minimum to survive and fight on your webbing, which should be with you always, along with your rifle, and if you gotta run with it, then so be it. If it were up to me, at least the hooch and sleeping bag, and possibly the ruck, would‘ve been left behind. Otherwise, our entire platoon would‘ve been destroyed, had it been a real attack.

That said, bivvy bags make sense when you‘re not staying in one place very long, like a weekend ex.

I don‘t much like tents, either the mods or the 5-man, except when it too cold for sleeping under the stars. It‘s a pain to move or get anything done properly inside a 5-man, and the mods just suck to set up and take down, and in those situations, a hooch will do just as well.

 

[Phillman]

Crew tents are the way to go. Fast to set up. Fit 3 or 4 people, and it keeps you dry and out of the wind. Well, keeps alot of the wind out.

 

[patt]

hehe my father buit me a hooch and all i can say is that that thing could be used in the winter and youd be still too hot cuz it traps the Body heat very well! Gotta love Mat Techs!

 

[portcullisguy]

Patty, that‘s fine if you can bring dad out on an ex to build another one for you. Failing that, I hope he showed you HOW to build one, not just set one up FOR you.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

portcullisguy,

His dad‘s a Mat Tech. I think he means his dad built (sewed) him one literally. I don‘t think he went in the woods and built it for him.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

recceguy I read it how you did as well.

 

[Jarnhamar]

With a hoochie you can make a makeshift stretcher and also use it to make a map model

 

[Cooper]

hooches are terrible, I was just on an ex where I decided not to use my bivvy bag, and let my hooch do the work of keeping the slush, mud, rain, snow and sleet off of me (yes all these weather phenomenea occurred in the span of a night). I woke up at zero dark thirty shivvering with my legs and arms half numb ontop of a frozen muddy water pool that had collected around me overnight.

 

[Doug VT]

The only action my ground sheet had seen is morning inspection. Heck, it still looks brand new! I‘ve used the same Bivi bag since 93‘ It‘s never leaked and I‘ve never had a problem with it. I carry a poncho in my ruck (it‘s lighter but does the same job) to cover my gear at night and maybe to prop up over my head. The last time I actually used a "hooch" was probably in Gage town when I was in Army cadets...

 

[meni0n]

So you got nothing covering your head except the bivy? Doesn‘t it get a little wet at times?

 

[MJP]

No he sleeps in his bivy bag and has his poncho over his head. I agree with Doug, I hate carrying around a heavier groundsheet when a light poncho does the trick.