SOL Emergency Bivvy

[IRONFISH45]

I have several of these. The Mountain Shop sells some that are 3 X 5 to 8 X 10. I get several hours of warmth from them. I place one on my stomach, not my gut but my stomach, warms the whole body.

Exothermic Crystallization Reusable Hand Warmers

The magic of these hand warmers is in the metal disc you see inside it. All you do is click the disc back and forth a few times and you'll see the clearish gel inside become opaque. As the opaqueness spreads, so does the heat! It's a crazy chemical reaction which we like to call AWESOME! Seriously, the gel is a supersaturated solution. Bending the disc starts an exothermic crystallization of the gel (i.e. it goes opaque and gets hot). And when it loses its warmth, all you have to do is wrap it in a towel and place it into boiling water for about 5 minutes and it resets itself (the crystals completely liquefy). Once it cools off from its boiling bath, it is ready to be used again. A great, fun way to keep your fingers warm this winter. They work great in pockets but just don't sit on them.

[IRONFISH45]

Ideally, I would just buy "more insulation" if I could. I am considering some less expensive alternatives.

Buy a Black Rock down hat! A good hat keeps in a lot of warmth.

[MadUncleAndy]

So...Say I get one of these escape bivys, should i use it as a bivvy on the outside of my sleeping bag, or as a liner?

I've got one which I carry in my day pack in case a day hike goes pear shaped and becomes an impromptu overnight. It is pretty tight...I seriously doubt it would fit on the outside.

For what it is, it's awesome, and compared to other emergency bivvies, it is more breathable...but that is compared to emergency bivvies.

A cheaper, and certainly easier in a hammock, alternative may be one of the JRB fleece quilt liners. Just got mine yesterday, and while I haven't actually slept in it yet, I tried it on and it feels as warm as I remember the emergency bivvy to have been, ... and is infinitely more breathable.

[BananaHammock]

I will try it tonight on a very wet ground and see what it is like. The problem is the 74 degree temp outside ><

[BananaHammock]

So...the temp dropped to low 60's which I think helped me from sweating as much. My footbox did accumulate slight condensation but it was not a big problem. I slept in a t-shirt and boxers and it was fine. Since I slept directly on the ground, which was soaking wet, convection was at work and I don't think I would use this system at temperatures any lower than 60 without a hammock or pad. I loved the length of this thing! At 5'11.5, I was able to get my whole body into the bivvy which would serve me well in an emergency where it was raining and that was my only form shelter. Overall, the product performs well for what it cost and I would definitely use it in car, for dayhikes (emergency use), as a backup, or an UL 3-season sleep system. I would not have tested it if I had not bumped into this thread so thanks for that as well! Good luck out there

[Girotogo]

A hammock sock will give you at least another 10-15 degrees.

[sliver]

Ozark Trail 0.44lb/32F Down Mummy Sleeping Bag, $80 from WM - probably your cheapest, warmest solution. Compacts down to about the size of a small cantaloupe. You can use it in combination with your existing bag if it's large enough to not compact the down.

I only use the SOL bivy for my daypack in summer conditions where I am mostly using it to stay dry.

I hike/camp in similar conditions in the Colorado mountains. I used a 20* 3/4 length UQ with the aforementioned Ozark Trail bag and a 6ft piece of Reflectix (24" wide) underneath. That has taken me down to wet and freezing (just freezing, not below 30*) wearing shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in. I sleep warm, though. YMMV

Now I have a 20* TQ that I take if it's going to be below 40*.

Before you count on that bivy, you may want to test it in your backyard overnight where you can bail out if it doesn't work as advertised.

[Gadgetgeek]

I have both of the AMK bivies, the regular mylar one, and the "fabric" one. I keep them as backups, and have had to use them. Sometimes its enough to just use it over or under as a wind shield. Honestly both times I've used them, its because the other insulation was either compromised or far from adequate. they did the job, but I was pretty soaked.

Personally, I think that either the bivy or the heatsheet is a very good bit of backup kit that everyone should carry, but they are not comfortable at all. I would look into other liners that breath, even something like a thin fleece or silk. Or adapting other tools, a UQP can really help if all you are fighting is just that little early morning wind.

[jesskai]

any one ever try using the escape bivy to build a ul top quilt? i am looking for cheaper options for a summer hike not looking to see temps under 10c/50f i don't like bags as i am a big guy and like to move as well as i sleep really warm so i like to be able to ditch some insulation if i have to

[Kriswithak]

In the colder seasons I use it to increase the warmer rating of my TQ, in the summer I sometimes use it as my cover. I carry a SOL Escape Bivy (the breathable fabric one) with me on every trip. Even if I don't use it, at 8 oz it's not a huge weight penalty and makes a good pillow. But on the nights I do need it, wow! What a difference it makes! It cocoons you like a sleeping bag so no heat escapes. I find that it works better if I use the TQ inside the bivy (using it inside the TQ didn't work as well). I toss my day clothes in the the bag with me so they add some insulation and are warm when I need them.
The only downside is getting in and out of the bivy; PITA! I wish it came with a full length zipper. The easiest way is to step into everything, pull it all up around you and then lay down. You'll be good to go till you get that nature call!