Long Term Review - Sonik AxS Bivvy
Two years down the line and Joe Wooltorton still love his AXS...
Brolly, bivvy or branches, we all have a preference for what we like to sleep under when on the bank. Each have their own merits, whether it’s a speedy set-up, internal space/headroom or being lightweight. For myself, it needs to do all three well and the Sonik AXS Camo is what I have settled on.
I predominantly use it in its most stripped back state: no groundsheet, no infill panel and only occasionally with the poles in place for peak support. This keeps it lovely and light but also super quick to put up with as little as four pegs holding it in place. The flat back allows me to push my bedchair tight to the rear. That, coupled with the large peak gives me plenty of protection from wind and rain even without a front. Headroom is spot on too—no curved, crippled back.
As conditions worsen, the infill panel will be dug out of the shed and zipped into place along with the heavy-duty groundsheet for boggy banks.
The rear has two large mozzy vents for welcome air flow in the summer and if you were to have the infill panel in place on sunny sessions then mozzy panels can be revealed on both sides and the door. On the inside of all these mozzy panels are handy pockets, which are perfect for keys, phone, receiver, etc.
If more space is needed, the wrap gives enough space to squeeze two bedchairs in with enough leg room to remove your shoes in the doorway. A couple camping trips with my wife has proven it is possible but best with just one bedchair on longer sessions. Long story short, we do now have the AXS 2 Man for our camping.
My only gripe, and it is a petty one, is that the tension straps for the peak often twist when slack in its packed down state and it’s a little fiddly to untwist them by the time you’ve realised, usually at the very end.
The only other bivvy that has turned my head as it does all of the above is the Nash Titan Hide XL, but at around £150+ more than the AXS though, is it worth it?
