JRC Cocoon 2G Shelter

In a market that can sometimes look a bit like an aerospace arms race, it’s good to know that companies like JRC have got your back, if you don’t have top-dollar to spend. Their 2G Shelter is the perfect example of this. It does almost everything you need a bivvy to do… almost. Now, you get a hell of a lot of versatility for just £129.99, but what you don’t get, is a front, or a groundsheet. So, if you want to turn your lightweight, functional 2G Shelter into something you can do the week in France under (a bit more comfort needed, right?), then you’re going to want to consider the Cocoon 2G Shelter Session Kit…

The Big Questions

Session Kit? Is that a bivvy or what?
No, almost, but not quite. It’s a pack containing a full-on overwrap and lightweight groundsheet that will transform your Cocoon 2G into a limpet-like fortress that’s able to withstand the worst weather that we get in the UK. Simply erect your Cocoon, sling the overwrap over the top, peg it down and you’ve got a front and extra footprint inside too to store the bits and pieces that a few extra days on the bank dictates that you need. You can get hold of the bivvy and Session Kit for a combined £249.98, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than some all-season shelters we can think of.

Any extra features?
Yep. Of course, you’ve got the standard zippable door system, pegging points and elasticated peg loops to get that catalogue-taut look, but you’ve also got handy rod-retaining straps too, so the old sticks won’t get blown over when you’re re-baiting in the middle of a mid-winter hoolie. The kit comes supplied with its own pegs, so you don’t have to scratch around for those bent ones in a bucket in the shed…

Is it going to add loads of extra weight?
So you’ve got a light bivvy; the 2G weighs in at just 6kg, which means that you’re used to the weight-saving. Well, don’t worry, the Session Kit doesn’t add too much considering there’s a lot of quality waterproof fabric involved. It tips the scales at just 2.5kg, so think about it as taking a few more boilies for the session… oh, hang on, you’re probably doing that too… well anyway, it doesn’t weigh very much and you certainly won’t notice it when the whole lot is on the barrow.

Tech spec?
Okay, so there’s not too much to mention here, but suffice to say, the overwrap is made from the same 10,000mm hydrostatic head material as the 2G Shelter itself. It’s a coated nylon material, which means that it’s bloody tough (nylon is the workhorse bivvy material – you’ll do well to put a hole in it), and unfailingly waterproof. The groundsheet is lightweight, which we’d rather have in this case; it saves you having to wrestle a half-tonne heavy-duty sheet back into the bag and JRC understands that you’re a light shelter devotee already.

So if I don’t want to use it all the time…
Right, well we guess you might just want it for longer sessions, or torrid winter storms, so just whip it all off and stow it. To that end, JRC supply the whole lot with carry bags that make perfect storage bags when you tuck the Session Kit away in the shed.
“GIMME”: JRC Cocoon 2G Shelter, £129.99; Session Kit, £119.99; jrc-fishing.co.uk