Sonik Opti-Cam 60″ Camo Oval Brolly

Brollies don’t get talked about as much as full bivvies these days, but for a huge number of anglers doing overnighters, short sessions, or just wanting cover for a day’s fishing, a good oval brolly like this Opti-Cam 60 does the job brilliantly without the faff or expense of a full shelter.

This is a traditional style 60 inch design, but Sonik have brought it up to date with a handful of sensible modern touches rather than leaving it as a relic.

The 8mm fibreglass frame is genuinely lightweight while still feeling rigid underfoot and overhead, and the low profile central boss is a smart design choice, giving you noticeably more usable internal space than older brolly designs where the boss ate into your headroom.

The quick set-up central pole is the real party piece here, letting you get the brolly up and pegged out in well under a minute, and once it’s erected you can unscrew and stow the central pole away until pack-down, which is a genuinely handy touch when you’re moving around getting your swim organised.

The enlarged side wings that wrap around towards the front are worth a special mention. They provide proper protection for you and your gear from driving rain and wind coming in at an angle, which is exactly where a traditional brolly design can fall short.

Combined with the storm wings and rain gutter, this does a solid job of keeping you dry in genuinely poor conditions, backed by two 26 inch quick connect storm poles and four storm pole adaptors for extra stability when it’s blowing hard.

Fabric wise, the 210D Opti-Cam camo material carries a 10,000mm hydrostatic head rating, which is a sensible, honest number for a brolly at this price point. It won’t match the eye watering ratings of flagship quick erect bivvies, but for typical UK weather and shorter sessions, it copes perfectly well.

The camo pattern itself is a genuine plus if you’re fishing pressured day ticket waters or just prefer not sticking out on the bank.

Three different height pegging points give you flexibility depending on wind conditions and how much headroom you want versus stability, and the Velcro rod retainers keep things tidy at the front.

The roll back open front option is a nice bit of flexibility too, letting you fish more open on calmer days while keeping the option of full cover on standby.

It comes complete with a Tuff-lite removable groundsheet, an oversized carry bag, and heavy-duty T-pegs, and a universal front panel is available separately if you want to close it off completely for colder sessions.

For the price, this is a genuinely well specified brolly. It won’t replace a full bivvy for serious multi day sessions, but for shorter trips, day fishing, or as a lightweight backup shelter, it punches well above its weight.