LifeSystems online shopping search

LifeSystems - BingNovice

Lifesystems Heatshield Thermal Bivi Bag review: built for survival rather than stealth

Lifesystems Heatshield Thermal Bivi Bag: first impressionsIntended as an emergency item rather than a regular bivy sack, the Lifesystems Heatshield Thermal Bivi Bag is nevertheless reusable, thanks to its thin-but-tough metallized plastic. Indeed, the storage sack it comes tightly folded and packed into, expands to take the bivy even when you can’t fold it away as small after use. 

Barely the size of a tangerine, it is the kind of emergency kit that, if kept in a daypack, might make an unexpected night out infinitely more comfortable – or even save a life. Its two primary features are the silver inner surface, which reflects heat back from the body, and a bright orange hi-viz exterior that can be used to attract attention (with or without someone in it). But for bushcrafters it can be…

Lifesystems Solo Peak Tent review: a 1kg ultralight shelter built for fastpacking and solo adventures

Lifesystems Solo Peak Tent deals The Solo Peak tent pitched in the wild (Image credit: Pat Kinsella)A company that specialises in producing gear for adventure travel and outdoor pursuits, British brand Lifesystems has been making good safety equipment, including bivvy bags and emergency shelters, for some time, but this is their first foray into the backpacking tent market, so I was very interested to see what they came up with.

My first impressions of the Solo Peak tents were positive: with one main pole and a mostly mesh inner, it’s light to carry and fits easily into a hiking backpack or even a larger running pack, and the design looked decent. The proof in the pudding, of course, would be how it performed once I had it pitched, out on the trail.