SOL Escape Bivvy Blanket

2024-03-10T05:34:33

Excellent for it's intended use. Spent several unexpected nights on the ground. Not exactly cozy, but it kept me warm and dry.

Doug S.

Originally posted at

2016-01-10T19:00:01

An excellent emergency bivy. Also makes an excellent ultralight sleeping bag in moderate temperatures when used with Care wearing your daytime clothes. I personally have used this with a medium jacket down to 35° on a three day ultralight trip in the Sierras. An improvement over the earlier version. This one is moderately breathable while still maintaining excellent water resistance.

Silver F.

Originally posted at

2012-12-13T19:00:00

I have not had much time to use this product, but I can give first impressions and a few comparisons between this product and SOL's Thermal Bivvy, a cheaper alternative to this item. I originally bought the "Thermal" bivvy at an outdoor store but decided to buy the "Escape" because it seemed more insulating and durable. I intended to use it as a standalone for sleeping in milder weather and possibly as a supplement to a sleeping bag in colder weather. I chose the Escape bivvy with durability in mind. My partner decided to keep the other bivvy so we could test them both out on a recent backpacking trip in Florida. We slept in a tent with a rainfly most nights in weather around 55 degrees, but there was one night where we slept with the rainfly off in the high 40s. That night we were both pushing it! First impressions and general construction: bivvy seems pretty resilient. The olefin material is similar to tyvek. The stuff sack is also made of this material and seems to be pretty durable. This bivvy is constructed like a mummy bag and does not have a vent in the bottom. It has a simple thin drawstring to pull the top of the bag closed like a mummy bag. Design Differences in the Thermal and Escape Bivvy: The "Thermal" bivvy is rectangular and made of a cheaper material. Rather than zipping, it closes with velcro and has a mesh vent on the bottom. The Thermal is also slightly heavier than the Escape, but only by a few ounces. Overall performance: I slept very comfortably in this bivvy on the 50-55 degree nights when we had a rainfly, but it really required alot of optimization of other factors on the colder night. I had to wear socks and a base layer and keep the drawstring pulled tight. I needed to get up in the middle of the night to pee because the difference in the bladder was the tipping point between comfortable and too cold in the bag. Despite one cold night, by the end of the trip in mid-high 50s with rainfly on and another person in the tent, I was getting too warm with a base layer on. I unzipped the bag and slept pretty comfortably. Throughout the entire trip, I was extremely impressed with the breathability of this bag because I noticed NO moisture on the inside. The drawstring was fairly simple to use but was confusing in the dark because it can be pulled out to a pretty long length. It is also fairly thin..seemingly unimportant but pretty fiddly in the dark. I considered these limitations small because I thought the other aspects of the bag..the sheer ingenuity of the design was so intriguing. Overall, I was extremely happy that I had chosen to get this bivvy over the other one for three main reasons: the zipper, the mummy design, and the material. The olefin material of this bag proved to be stretch resistant while the material for the Thermal bivvy was not. Also, the mummy design of this bag made a HUGE difference in its ability to insulate and retain heat compared to the other bivvy. Bottom line: I think for the price and type, this bag is pretty durable. I think it will suffice for warmer nights, but it might be best to not chance it on 40-50 degree nights. Above 50 with a base layer, and I was extremely happy! I think it might work extremely well as a supplement to another sleeping bag. I definitely love it and I am happy I bought it. I think it's an excellent design idea. I would NOT recommend the "Thermal" bivvy because of it's poor ability to insulate unless you're looking for a simple lightweight option on pretty warm nights. The velcro of that bag was pretty annoying and made my partner feel like she was going to rip the bag open at any given time.

flournnoi

2012-11-05T19:00:00

I bought this to use on warm weather kayaking trips. I'll have to wait 'till spring before I can give it a good test. It would also make a good item to have in your vehicle through the winter.

Jackbiner