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Sol Escape Bivvy

PostPosted: Sun 17 Feb, 2019 5:46 pm
by sailfish
https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/amk-so ... eeper/1228

Hi, I am considering trying this to extend an existing 3 season sleeping bag or possibly for UL summer use. I have used a Sol thermal 2 before but found condensation eventually interrupts sleep (not rested enough for next day). The Escape version is advertised to breathe and so eliminate this problem. However i just would like some independent verification on that before committing to it.

Ken

Re: Sol Escape Bivvy

PostPosted: Sun 17 Feb, 2019 6:23 pm
by Gadgetgeek
I spent a night in one. Not a comfy night. Not sure how those folks got the results they did. Granted, I have the older version, but I'm not convinced that the new one could be that much better. Its also very expensive for what amounts to alumized tyvec. Its not useless, mine is kept on hand as part of my shock management stuff, and as a last-ditch bag, as mine doesn't seem to have the durability that one would expect a multi-use item to have. I'm sure it would add to the thermal value of your kit, but in any kind of humidity it will still be getting wet inside.

For the same price (though not weight) a merino liner is probably going to be more durable, or a tyvec outer cover would do almost as much.

For what its worth, I'm skeptical of the radiated heat claims, and the moisture management. The AMK stuff seems to be heading to more and more marketing. But maybe I just had a bad experience with them, or maybe its just always too humid in SEQ for that sort of thing to work well.

Re: Sol Escape Bivvy

PostPosted: Sun 17 Feb, 2019 6:30 pm
by Tortoise
My one use of it was disappointing with the degree of dampness - more than usual on my sleeping bag on a cold night in the mountains in Tassie. I expect it reduces but doesn't eliminate the problem. I also suspect it's not that durable. Packing it in and out of the small bag may shorten the life of the Tyvek. I've gone through a few Tyvek groundsheets, and I'm a pretty particular in looking after it.

Re: Sol Escape Bivvy

PostPosted: Wed 20 Feb, 2019 5:35 pm
by cjhfield
I have used the escape pro version around my quilt on a couple of nights down close to freezing. I had it up to about my waist with the upper part unzipped. I did not get any condensation and it made a significant difference to warmth. It works well. The only problem is cost - about $180 after scouring the net for the best deal. I bought it for long Audax bike riding. For bushwalking some would choose a light bivvy bag accepting the higher weight and price.

Chris