Surviva Jak Heat Reflective Jacket
Right from the off I’ll say it: get one, they work.
The kayaking trip turned into a hike along a section of The Ridgeway. Not disappointed as I’ve always loved the chalk down landscape, we set off from Letcombe Regis.
I had an “Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole” sensation tramping up the tree-lined, muddy lane. When we got to the top and came out into the fields I’d been dropped into another world.
“There are big cats around here,” my friend commented as I pointed out a large circular paw print. No idea whether she was pulling my leg but later, up on the ridge and down in the punchbowl, it wasn’t hard to imagine a large feline predator crouching in the tussocky landscape.
A healthy, new hedge marks the field boundary, a tiny piece of patchwork in the blanket that covers this part of Southern Oxfordshire. We followed it before striking off to a line of trees near the top of the ridge, a great place to stop for a bite to eat. Heavy rainclouds plodded above the wide-open landscape below us.
We zipped up our waterproofs, hitched our packs and struck out from our cover to Segsbury Camp, an Iron Age hillfort that’s now dissected by a modern lane leading to The Ridgeway. In Celtic “sego-byrig” literally means “powerful fort” and you get a sense of that by the size of the ditch even today.
By this point I was starting to get a bit chilly. I had purposely not worn the usual three layers under my waterproof in the interests of research for you, dear reader. But I hadn’t banked on rain hitting this early into the day.
Stepping onto The Ridgeway for the first time I had to take a minute. We were on a long, straight section, the ancient road seeming to close in the distance. Saturated greying chalk clung to boot bottoms but thankfully they are totally waterproof. Pools and puddles became ankle deep in places.
We nipped off the road and walked a path through a line of trees, a welcome respite from the rain under the scant cover. We found plenty of Jelly Ear Fungus. Either I’ve got “my eye in” better this year or they are more abundant.
Tree cover disappeared after crossing Gramp’s Hill and rolling fields stretched away either side, the flinty soil criss-crossed by mini-mammal tunnels. A marked right-of-way through the fields leads to the Devil’s Punchbowl. The rain had eased but up on the ridge the stiff breeze was chilling.
Testing the Surviva Jak
Dropping down into the bowl we stopped to grab another bite. Sitting still only served to cool me down further. Time to test the Surviva Jak Heat Reflective Jacket. Vacuum packed and tiny, the thin foil jacket fitted easily, with plenty of room for my inadequate two-layers.
Does my bum look big in this?
The re-sealable fastenings were a bit fiddly to begin with and I imagine with colder fingers it could be more difficult. But they are re-sealable and they do have a strong enough hold when stuck down. But it’s the addition of the hood that makes this the ultimate hypothermia survival jacket.
I noticed the difference immediately. Hoods up on both Surviva Jak and my waterproof outer layer made it difficult to hear much with the crinkling but within a couple of minutes I was warm again. Even scrunching my gloveless fingers into the cuffs of the Surviva Jak warmed them up.
Tramping down the steep sides of the punchbowl we came across rabbit skulls, bones and a full skeleton. Not too far away, fox scat, grey with hair and all along the sides of the valley animal trails. The badger’s trails were more distinct and wider than the rabbit’s. Where one had snuck under the fence, a few hairs revealed it was definitely badger.
From the rim of the bowl the valley had looked almost desolate. That’s the way with nature, sometimes you’ve got to get in there and look a little closer. But when you do, a whole new world opens up.
After we’d swung down through the fields I took the Surviva Jak off. We were still about 3 miles from the car but I wanted to be sure it was the Surviva Jak and not the walk that had warmed me.
I was cold for the rest of the walk.
My advice: Get two Surviva Jak Heat Reflective Jackets, chuck one in the glove box and one in your pack. They work. And in a potential hypothermia situation it could be a life-saver.
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