Rod Hutchinson Cabrio Compact Bivvy

It’s no secret that Rod Hutchinson was the one successful carp angler of his generation and his baits and tackle revolutionised the carp fishing industry in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His company, which used to sell tackle and baits around the globe – including Russia and South Africa – experienced a temporary setback when Rod retired to spend more time with his family. However, when production moved to Northern Italy in 2008, it began to firmly re-establish itself as one of the forward thinkers in tackle design. This Cabrio Compact Bivvy is one example of the new excellence in Rod Hutchinson’s name and it is the ideal choice for the modern carp angler.

The Rod Hutchinson Cabrio Compact Bivvy is manufactured with a waterproof and breathable material which boasts a hydrostatic head rating of 20,000mm. This means that it will keep you bone dry in even the biggest deluge of winter rain. Fully taped seams ensure that the weakest and most easily penetrable points on the bivvy are kept durable and resilient. The Cabrio Compact is fitted with a rain gutter, which channels rain away from the porch area and prevents water incursion through the open door should you have to rush out in the middle of a downpour to land a carp. What’s more, the storm peak on the bivvy helps to protect the door way and allows you to sit in the bivvy with the door open without worrying that you’re going to be welcoming in the rain. In fact, the entire front panel can be removed, transforming the bivvy into an open fronted summer shelter, and, because of the combination of the storm peak and rain gutter, you never need to worry about water making its way into the dry haven of the bivvy.

The door of the bivvy is attached via two-way ‘crash zips’. These are extremely heavy duty and easy to operate, ensuring that you never have to struggle to get out of the bivvy should you get an early hours wake-up call from your bite alarm. These zips also mean that you can open the bivvy in a letter box function, which is ideal for maintaining your visibility over your swim whilst remaining protected from the most brutal bankside conditions. You can also zip in the fully winterised PVC door panel, should you want a combination between extreme weather protection and visibility. Should the weather be more on the balmy side, however, the Rod Hutchinson Bivvy has a solution for that too. A fully zip-in mosquito panel ensures that you can enjoy maximum ventilation whilst still staying protected from nasty biting bugs. This is an especially useful feature for anglers who travel to continental Europe for their summer carp fishing, as temperatures are hotter and mosquitoes more prevalent. For summer angling in the UK, you can use the mosquito panels in the windows and doors of the bivvy. Rear ventilation panels further increase the air flow through the bivvy.

The Rod Hutchinson Cabrio Bivvy is fitted with a wide and heavy duty PVC skirt, which offers incredible protection against high winds. Reinforced webbing points with steel D-rings ensure that the bivvy will stay exactly where you peg it. The D rings on the front of the bivvy are also dual height, which allows you to more accurately and securely peg the bivvy on uneven ground. Another nice feature is the rod retaining straps, which are on the front and rear of the bivvy and provide somewhere for you to safely store your marker, spod, and spare carp rods when they are not in use.