terra nova jupiter

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MT606

Nomad
Jan 17, 2013
432
11
North of the southern wall.
Has anyone else got one of these?
I've had one for 10yrs used it once in early spring or summer and all I remember is condensation on the inside......

It was packed away in a bergan n I've just moved house n found it again.....
 
Yep, I've got one of the older models in red (green fluffy finish to the goretex inside) and one of the newer models in green (white ripstop on the inside). It is a bit like wriggling through potholes to get in with the hoop in place but no different from a standard British army bag when removed.
As for the condensation I found the earlier model fine in the mountains and cold conditions but when doing overnighters with the canoe in the summer it could definitely get damp (not from body but if fully zipped up could end up with damp shoulders from my breath). If you have an early model apart from the greenish fluff goretex (same goretex as the double hooped Penrith survival and mountain range bags) the entrance zipped up around the top edge of the bag and the bug net was underneath the goretex top layer so when sleeping zipped in I'd end up damp from my breath, sleeping on my side or front, facing a partly open zip helped but the simplest cure was to sleep with face exposed and a beanie on to keep my head warm. As I generally had the canoe with me in the warmer months if it looked like it was going to rain I just propped the canoe on its side a bit and slept with my head under the upturned hull or used a small tarp over the head end. Doing this I never had a problem and still use it as a back up today when using a hammock or with friends as there's no need to cover my face due to the tarp.
If you have the newer version that zips across the shoulders or round the pole (when inserted) I found even on the muggiest of nights I only had to leave an unzipped hole towards the top of the hoop and no condensation as the gas flow goretex seemed more efficient (sometimes a small travel towel kept in the head end to wipe condensation helps when spending multiple days tucked in due to bad weather and having nowhere to air things out between nights.
I hope this helps with your problems, and stick with it. :D
 
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thanks for that little review marmite,
I've got the newer version, green outer, white inside with the bug net outside the head openeing.
Do you put anything in the 'footwell' of the bag to give yourself more space/comfort if in the tent but not in a sleeping bag?
 
I pretty much always use all of my bivi's with a thermarest or kit mat inside and this tends to stop the material wrapping around the legs. In the summer my standard set up is a "top bag" made by rab (basically a down bag with fill in the top and nothing underneath, just pertex) to save weight and bulk I often team it up with a 3/4 thermarest and when doing this put my overnighter pack down the bottom under my feet to prevent cold spots. In the winter I have chucked my boots in a plastic bag down in the bottom as on one trip where I'd left them out side they froze with the toes curled up and took an age to get comfy in the morning (I initially tried them wrapped and placed in the head end as a pillow - it's not as bad as it sounds but they can pick up some pretty earthy smells from the ground your walking on, it's not the smell of my feet, honest;)). If you try this then a plastic rubble sack is ideal, it prevents additional water dampening everything else, and are really useful to sit on in damp ground conditions (cost pence and weigh next to nothing as well).
I did do a small adaption to one of my bivi's that may work for you, but it needs something to drop a line over. Basically sew a small loop to a goretex repair patch (probably any repair type patch would do but I had a black round goretex one floating about anyway) and then stick it (self adhesive) over the seam at the top of your foot box (half patch on top of bivi, half on sole area), this placed the small loop at the top of my foot box and meant some 3-4mm Bungy cord could be thrown over a branch in woodland (other end weighted with a log/stick/stone allows some movement without stressing the join if you wriggle or you have to peg the bivi down), or you could thread through a walking pole loop before pegging to the ground on moorland. This works really well if your using the hoop and pegging the bivi down (bit like a two hoop bivi) but does add to the phaff factor and sometimes you either don't have walking poles/paddles/branches or just want to keep it simple:rolleyes:.
The Saturn model with the twin hoops has a mesh vent at the foot end to improve airflow so I'm afraid in the Jupiter on multi day trips turning everything inside out and airing over a line or the canoe every now and again is the only way to go.
I hope all my blathering has helped a bit rather than muddy the waters further, any other questions just ask:D
 

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