Sonik Bank-Tek Bivvy Table

How well is it built?

The Bank-Tek is aluminium throughout, from the top to the legs, which is what you want in a table that lives in a damp bivvy for days at a time. Aluminium won't swell or warp like a cheap board top can, and a spilt brew or a wet bait tub should wipe off in seconds.

It's light enough to go on the barrow without a second thought, and the legs fold flat against the underside, so the table packs down to not much more than the thickness of its top.

Each leg has its own positive cam lock, which is a sturdy way to fix the height, and they should hold their setting well once they're clamped.

To be fair, it's a plain table, and the Trakker Deluxe Bivvy Table has a more involved moulded top with slots for a phone and rig tools. For a simple aluminium table at a budget price, though, the build is solid, and the 8.0 feels right.

Stability & Footing

So, will it sit level on a lumpy bivvy floor? The legs adjust from 22 to 33cm, and with a cam lock on each one you can take out a slope or a tussock under the groundsheet one corner at a time.

Once a leg is clamped, the table shouldn't slowly sink on one side when you lean a bag of bits against it.

The feet are non-slip rubber, which should grip a groundsheet or firm ground well, although they're small pads rather than the wide mud feet on the NGT Dynamic Bivvy Table. On very soft ground outside the bivvy, that's worth bearing in mind.

The height range is a useful one too. At the top of the range it sits up nearer bedchair height, and dropped right down it suits a low chair or the floor of a small shelter.

For me, that mix of cam locks, rubber feet and a sensible range is exactly what a bedside table needs, and the 8.5 is well earned.

Storage & Organisation

The 47 x 30cm top is a good size for a bedside table, as it's big enough for a head torch, a phone, an alarm receiver and a brew without taking over the floor of a one-man bivvy.

The raised edges run along the back and both ends, so a lead, a bait pot or your keys shouldn't slide off when you knock the table in the dark, while the open front lets you sweep things towards you.

What it doesn't have is any built-in organisation. There are no rig slots, tool holders or separate compartments, so small bits sit loose on one flat tray.

The Trakker Deluxe Bivvy Table has a deep recessed top with rig storage along both short sides, and the NGT Dynamic splits its surface into five sections, so both are tidier if you like everything in its place.

Packing away is simple, because it folds flat to store inside a folded chair or bed. Overall, I think 8.0 is fair for a roomy, well-edged top with no extras.

Is it good value for money?

Is it worth the money? I think so, easily. It costs a little more than the Avid Revolve Bivvy Table and a good deal less than the Trakker Deluxe Bivvy Table, and for that you get an all-aluminium table with cam-lock legs, rubber feet and a carry bag.

Next to the Avid Revolve, it has a slightly smaller top but stands taller at full stretch, which suits anyone who wants the table up near the bed. Next to the Trakker Carbon Effect Bivvy Table, it's a little longer and stands taller at full height for about the same money.

Overall, I'd recommend the Bank-Tek to any carp angler who wants a tidy, stable bedside table for keeping the essentials close at night without spending much. If you want rig storage and slots for your tools built into the top, the Trakker Deluxe is worth the extra.