I've tested this bivy in temps from the 40s down into the teens. Every time I ended up colder than when I didn't use it at all. Instead of reflecting heat back to me, the Escape Bivvy seemed to conduct heat away from my body like a heat sink.I contacted customer service and their idea was that the bivy was compressing the insulation in my mummy bag. That sounded like a good theory since it doesn't offer much room with a sleeping bag inside.So then you have to ask yourself.

Great for outdoor excursions such as skiing and hunting trips, the SOL Emergency Bivvy Bag is made from Heatsheets® material that reflects up to 90% of your body heat to help you stay warm in outdoor emergency situations. This bivvy features fully sealed seams that help prevent rain, wind and snow from getting in, keeping you dry and comfortable. Survive Outdoors Longer Thermal Bivvy: Stay warm: reflects 80% of radiated body heat. All-season durability: hard-wearing SOL thermal fabric resists punctures and tears through heavy use. Climate control is standard: adjustable side venting enables you to let air in to cut condensation or batten down the hatches in nasty weather.

What's the point if you can't use it as a bivy?? That makes it nothing more than a poor performing emergency blanket.I tried using it inside my bag to see if i could gain any of its reflective properties. Again I felt cold, so I removed the bivy and draped a cheap mylar blanket loosely over me. Within minutes I warmed enough to fall back to sleep.As a last ditch effort, I decided to see if I could use it as a warm weather bag.

I tried it out on my sofa one cool evening. Instead of feeling my body heat reflected back to me, like when wrapped up in a mylar blanket, I actually felt colder agian. I even tried turning the bag inside out to see if it would work better that way. Very disappointing.As far as I'm concerned this bivy has no reflective qualities whatsoever, and that's the only reason I even considered it. There are much better options out there that offer more protection and are much more durable.I cannot recommend this product to anyone. In fact, if it is acting as a conductor, it could possibly be considered dangerous.Source: received it as a personal gift.

This bivy packs very smal and is extremely lightweight, making it perfect for either a bug out bag, emergency bag in your vehicle, hiking, etc. It is durable. I have used it as part of my primary sleep system on multiple section hikes over the past few years and it has held up very well.The only con that I have, is that it can be kind of loud if you move around while sleeping.I use this in conjunction with a military poncho liner in my hammock and have stayed very warm down to around 45 degrees. The zipper on the side is only about 18' long. For a larger person this could make it harder to get in and out. However, I like the fact that the zipper doesn't go the entire length.

Shorter zipper means less room for the zipper to mess up, means a shorter area for air to get into the bag, etc.I purchased this new on Amazon a few years ago and the price has gone up since then. I am about 6' tall and have room to spare.Here is my video review of my entire sleep system.Source: bought it newPrice Paid: less than $50. SOL Escape BivvyThe escape bivvy, in my opinion, is a bivvy like no other.

It’s durable, warm, and comfortable. It does have its downsides though like the fact that you can’t move your arms very easily while inside, especially when using a sleeping bag inside of it.BreathabilityWhen I first bought it, I didn’t understand what breathability meant.

But I discovered its importance when I first used it. My friend and I went minimalist camping in the mountains, bringing only a tarp, our bivvy bags, and sleeping bags as shelter. The night went smoothly for me, but my friend woke up with pretty horrible surprise, his sleeping bag was completely wet from his sweat. It turns out that because his bivvy bag wasn’t breathable, his sweat built up and couldn’t escape like mine did. So started my day dry and rested while he was wet, cold and miserable.Reflective InteriorThe reflective interior helps decrease the amount of heat radiating from your body out to the atmosphere by reflecting the infra-red radiation you emit back at you.

This means that you keep yourself warmer for a lot longer. This has been vital in some of my recent mountain journeys where I didn’t sleep in a tent, but under a poncho, or a tarp.IssuesLike all products it has a few flaws.

The biggest one is the fact that it is hard to move while inside with a sleeping bag. One time I was sleeping under my poncho inside my bivvy and sleeping bags when an animal began gnawing at my food bag, by the time I could get my arms out to chase it away, it had grabbed a bar of chocolate and run. Another issue is that it takes a good five minutes to pack it completely back into the carrying case; I suggest that anyone who buys it should find another bag that is maybe a bit bigger to allow easy packing.All in AllAll in all I can say that the escape bivvy bag is probably one of the best, if not the best bivvy bag available even though it has a few little flaws.Source: bought it newPrice Paid: $49.95. On its own, no bag or blanket, just with a windbreak, this takes me down to 45°F.Excellent product.

Part of my kit ALWAYS. Even use it at home in cool weather, under blankets or blankets inside.No idea why others have reviewed this negatively. Maybe they are really big.? Not used to UL gear? I'm 5'6' and 160. This bivy is small.Over the last two years I have spent probably 300 nights in it. Did half a 2018 PCT in it, only adding my quilt for maybe two days a week.

I finally tore a fist-sized hole in it by snagging on a branch, though a cuben patch stopped the tearing. Still operational, but I bought the new version w/o the zipper, which I like even more.30°F down quilt inside and I was good in 20°F winter snows at Tahoe in a tent and in a hammock.I wash it monthly or whenever needed. It takes just a couple of rinses in a bucket with a tiny bit of Tide.

Hang dry for an hour, turn inside out, and wait another hour. Silvering is fine, doesn't seem to leech or degrade.Source: bought it newPrice Paid: $40. Went on a Junior Forest Wardens outing in a Wall Tent with temperatures at -15°C. As there was not enough room in the tent for everyone I took the opportunity to sleep outside in a down mummy bag and the Sol Escape bivy.By 3:30 in the morning the cold and dampness had prevented any sleep. The amount of condensation was such that the socking wet interior of the bivy was turning the bag into a damp and cold sleeping bag. I contemplated taking off the bivy and just using the bag, but it was already wet, so I went to my truck and got my 25 pound down rectangular sleeping bag.

This was only good for the lower half of my body as the top was still open to the cold air as it lacked a drawstring.Rather than get up again and go back to truck for another down mummy to put inside the 25 pounder, I put up with it for the rest of the night. In the morning I discovered the drawstring of the bivy had come out of the bivy and would require repair, though this was the first time I had opened the package.I only used it for a night, but in a multi-day survival situation the amount of condensation could be dangerous or even life threatening, if there was no way to get the sleeping bag and bivy dry every day. I only tested it in the -10 to -15 range, and it is possible with the right bag and outside temperature there would be less condensation, but as this is meant to be a survival bag, it should work in relatively mild winter conditions such as this.It is fortunate I got the chance to test the bivy before taking it out on an expedition.Source: bought it newPrice Paid: $39.

Quick Navigation.SOL Emergency Bivvy ReviewSOL from Adventure Medical Kits stands for “Survive Outdoors Longer” but if you are stuck in an emergency situation using one of these emergency bivvys it may as well stand for “Sh.t Out of Luck”. We did a quick review about a year ago of the Original Emergency Bivvy and the Emergency Bivvy II available from Adventure Medical Kits and now we decided to take a more in depth look at each product to see if it meets the standard of an emergency tool. This is a review of the. First ImpressionThe first thing I noticed about the was the size and weight of the complete package. It truly fits into the palm of your hand. At only 3.8oz it could fit in a glove box, everyday carry bag, a bike bag, backpack, under your car seat, etc.

Does this go in my bug out bag? With all of the other gear in my BOB, this would just be extra weight and I already have rain gear, a, and a real bivvy bag from Wiggy’s, throwing another bivvy in my BOB would be overkill in my mind. SurvivalCache Video Review. I have played around with a few times and they are painful. People no doubt buy these mylar emergency blankets and never take them out of the package until an emergency.

Only to find out that these emergency blankets are built for anything but an emergency. The ones that I have handled have been very hard to unfold and when you get them completely open, they are almost impossible to wrap up in. They are probably better used as an emergency signal device or a way to catch water. As an emergency blanket, well.I hope you wore warm clothes.The SOL Bivvy on the other hand, comes in a little nylon carrying case with a draw string. When I opened it up, I had no problems unrolling it and getting my body completely covered in a matter of a few seconds. If you had to sit or lay on the cold wet ground. This emergency bivvy would keep you completely dry and keep the wind off of you.

If you had to stay on the move during your emergency, you could cut a hole in the bottom of the bivvy and put your head through the hole and use the bivvy as a windbreaker/jacket until you reached safety (arm holes are optional). Off camera I will tell you that I did have problems getting the Bivvy back into the bag. So if you get one, I would not recommend doing a lot of practicing with this bag unless you have little hands that are very good at folding small squares. It comes out easy, goes back in hard.The material of the is and it seemed to work pretty well, much preferred over a Mylar space blanket.

I liked the fact that the SOL Bivvy was orange on one side and reflective on the other. On sunny days you could turn the bivvy inside out and use the reflective side to signal for help. The size is 36″ x 84″ and I can tell you that I am close to 6’0 tall and 195 lbs and I had no problems getting completely enclosed in this bivvy with all of my clothes on and my shoes.The marketing department at says it reflects 90% of your body heat. I am not sure how they are measuring that, maybe because your head sticks out of the bag and they are calling that the 10% of your body’s heat it is not reflecting.

Not really sure, however I will tell you that this is not a replacement for a real sleeping bag or a real bivvy. On the other hand, for $13.if it fits your budget, it makes a great addition to an emergency car kit, EDC Bag or even a diaper bag. I am not saying that you are going to be real comfortable with this bivvy but you will stay dry and that is half the battle of survival. Alternative:If you are looking for a quality alternative, then we highly recommend the. This product is a bit more expensive but it is made with quality material (Heatsheets) making it also stretchy and highly durable. You will retain heat with this Bivvy.

Google them Easy to find. If you had 2 SOL bags you could add insulation between the layers. Would add loft and conductive protection. Not exactly though The Blizzard Bag has elastic threads that form the bag like a mummy bag around you. Additionally they created cells that trap air called Reflexcells. Like space blanket bubble wrap layers kind of The little cells are not air tight. Still needs conductive insulation beneath it as your weight compresses the cells.

The Mylar is thicker than e-blankets too. Great review, looks like a solid product especially for the price which can't be beat for what the product is providing. Plus it was fun ( and reasuring) to see joel climb into one of these things.

I definitly second that the mylar blankets are a pain in the ass. Never had to use one in a real situation but unfolded it at home and was constantly tripping over it while I was trying to wrap it around my body, still it is worth while to have a few of these in your bag because they are cheap, small and can be used in a variety of ways( signaling, reflector inside a shelter, cooking,etc) that a bag couldn't be used.

I believe I will definitly be putting this on my list to obtain. The old Ranger Roll (a poncho and poncho liner) can be made substantially warmer by simply adding a space blanket. Used alone they suck but you can attach them to the inside of your tent, wrap one around yourself inside a sleeping bag, between you socks and boot, between glove and mitten, under a jacket hood over a ski cap, inside a snow cave.

It is a delicate, thin, radiant heat reflector. They reflect radiant heat but loose heat by conduction (contact with a cold surface).

To use it most effectively it needs to be combined with structural strength and conductive insulation such as a sheet, blanket, tarp, shirt, parka, pants, socks, hat, etc. In you car a couple of space blankets, a windshield accordion heat reflector, car mats and some duct tape could save your toes if you get stuck in a storm. 'Off camera I will tell you that I did have problems getting the Bivvy back into the bag. So if you get one, I would not recommend doing a lot of practicing with this bag unless you have little hands that are very good at folding small squares.

It comes out easy, goes back in hard.it's not designed to be folded back into the bag. Instead, stuff the bivvy into the sack just as you would a sleeping bag. That's why the stuff sack is extra long.

It won't be as neat and small as it is when brand new, but it all fits in the stuff sack without too much trouble. I have done this dozens of times with mine.

Like some opinions on this. I used my survival bivvy recently during a cold weather campout. I figured I was good to go, I had a mummy bag and a fleece liner to keep warm at night on top of sleeping in a tent. Temps got down to 1 degree and the wind was kicking up. I did have a tarp acting as a wind block so I figured no big deal, My bivvy is just in my bag as a back-up. Well on the first night, the zipper on my mummy bag broke. I was exhausted and just laid on my right side which pretty much closed the hole. Runes of magic forums.

The next night, I figure I'll pull out my bivvy and use it as an exterior cover around the mummy bag to keep the cold out. I went to sleep around 11:00 and was warm and cozy. Around 02:00 I woke to a wet feeling around my neck.

I did not understand at first where the water was coming from until I slipped my arm out of the mummy bag inside the bivvy. The exterior of my mummy bag was soaked. Condensation built up inside the bivvy and was now on top covering the exterior of the broken sleeping bag. I managed to pull off the bag, get a fire started and spent an hour drying the sleeping bag and fixing the zipper. Any ideas as to why so much condensation built up in the bag? Would I have been better off just using the bivvy without the extra layers inside a tent? I've had condensation build up and freeze in a tent before, but using this in a true survival situation, I wonder if I'd be better off going without the bivvy.