Sol Escape Bivvy

A place to share systematic reviews of bushwalking equipment, services and idea.
Forum rules
Forum rules
This is a place to share fair and systematic reviews of gear. Share the good, bad and ugly as well as including how you tested it and reviewed the gear. This is not the place to carry on about a bit of gear that failed, sometimes good gear has a lemon - this is more about systematic reviews. Although this can be a way to help gear manufactures with feedback, this is not the place to hassle them or ask for money back.

Start each thread with
[tag]Brand, product, RRP in AUD. The tags have two parts the type of gear and type of testing/review. eg
[Sleeping bag | Unboxing] Kmart Summit Hooded $29
[Stove | Field test]Jetboil, flash $150

Suggested review types. Unboxing, field test, 1 year on, stress test, teardown.
If someone else has already reviewed the same product in a similar method then please use the initial thread to include your review. Please note if the gear was provide to you for free, loan, discount or if you paid full RRP.

Sol Escape Bivvy

Postby sailfish » Sun 17 Feb, 2019 5:46 pm

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
User avatar
sailfish
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 246
Joined: Sat 24 Jul, 2010 8:56 pm
Region: New South Wales
Gender: Male

Re: Sol Escape Bivvy

Postby Gadgetgeek » Sun 17 Feb, 2019 6:23 pm

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.
Gadgetgeek
Athrotaxis selaginoides
Athrotaxis selaginoides
 
Posts: 1214
Joined: Sun 23 Sep, 2012 4:10 pm
Region: Queensland
Gender: Male

Re: Sol Escape Bivvy

Postby Tortoise » Sun 17 Feb, 2019 6:30 pm

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.
User avatar
Tortoise
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 5136
Joined: Sat 28 Jan, 2012 9:31 pm
Location: NW Tasmania
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Female

Re: Sol Escape Bivvy

Postby cjhfield » Wed 20 Feb, 2019 5:35 pm

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
cjhfield
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 127
Joined: Wed 22 Jul, 2009 3:24 pm


Return to Gear Reviews

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests