Any time I've seen a real test of these emergency bags/blankets they've failed when used as a sleeping bag. Condensation and heat loss over hours of use can create a life threatening situation. Using them as temporary protection against wind or precipitation could be useful but don't expect to use them to save you overnight. There are a lot of people hiking around thinking that little space blanket will save them in an emergency. Good luck with that.
I think you’ll find that in a real emergency situation they make a significant difference. They are not designed for comfort or as a sleeping bag cover. They are designed to get you out of the elements and give you a fighting chance to recover, stay alive till rescued or gather your wits. Without them hypothermia sets in rapidly and accelerates your potential demise. I’ve been in that situation and can assure you I would rather have any assistance in my pack than none at all.
@@TheOutdoorsStation The point I was trying to make is that a lot of people would be inclined to have unreasonable expectations for these emergency bag/blankets. I certainly would wrap one of these things around me to keep rain and wind off of me while getting myself out of a dicey situation but I'm not going to expect that the "emergency bivvy" is going to be some kind of magical 0 degree sleeping bag or quilt that 's going to make everything alright. That's all I'm saying.
The survival bags are handy as flotation devices (if in good condition) and can be used as comfortable browse beds if you fill them with leaves or grass. The plastic bin liners are usually too thin/small for these purposes.
Not sure if you guys have looked at this but the sol escape bivy is a good upgrade on the basis sol bivy. It's breathable and just a bit more comfortable. Really compact. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is.
Learned about bothy bags here in the USA a few seasons ago from a commenter on a blog site. Just like you, always carry on my day outings, mainly on solo backcountry skiing, but hikes as well. Once in the bothy, I can remove ski helmet, hats and gloves while remaining toasty warm and have lunch out of the wind, rain, snow. If it is snowing hard, and begins to cover your bothy, you can scare the s%%t out of people coming up on you, when you greet them. 😎 I just ordered a 6’ x 8’ Tyvek sheet on ebay to make a bivy sack. The bivy will allow me to use it as ground tarp or bivy, along w a approx. 2’ square ensolite pad. I did not think to use the bothy as you illustrated in the vid, as a backstop to wind w/o having to get under it. 👊🏻
For many, a well-designed poncho might be a better option. In can provide much the same protection halted as these bags but has the added advantage that you can keep moving either to find better shelter or simply keep warm by staying active.
Great video 20yrs emergency shelter experience in a few mins. I also carried one of those big orange flat-pack items for years but never used it as never had an emergency, then moved to Bothy which does emergency and simply lunch stops which then does get used. I've also got to campsite when its bad weather and sat against a tree having a snooze waiting for weather to improve before pitching tent. I'd not like to spend a night in one but I'm sure I'd do a lot better with one than without.
I just found your channel. I teach emergency survival & preparedness here in the States. I belong to the American Red Cross, Adventist Disaster response and am also a CERT-Community Emergency Response Team-volunteer. I'm familiar with all of the items you showed here and own a few SOL products myself. You are knowledgeable, professional, and to the point. I'll be watching all of your videos in the next several days-you have definitely earned my respect!
Very useful and factual video with good mountain sense. I reviewed a 2-man bothy bag the other day. I carry the small space blanket and from what you've said it is clearly a short term(almost urban) emergency item. Like you I have stopped taking the big fertiliser bag :-) never having had to use it for real fortunately, but it was good for lunch picnics! The Bothy2 that I reviewed in real stormy Scottish conditions the other day (please take a look) was from Sports Direct/'Karrimor' is similar to yours but with 2 windows and a roof tube to push a hiking pole into to raise head height: I tried that option only in the living room but it seems good. I got the last one in the shop for less than a tenner I think but I don't see any more appearing. It's my favourite option now and at only 12 ounces takes up negligible space. I am going to experiment with adding some paracord and perhaps 3 light tent pegs along with the hiking pole. I have an idea maybe the fabric could be clipped back (to the cord outside?) to give more space.
I reviewed a Karrimor Bothy Bag2 the other day to see how it performed in storm situation up a Scottish hill. I was reasonably happy with it but I think maybe I got the last one in existence! Any recommendations?
I've given up on all the above and gone over to 2Go Systems gear - they've got a bivvy that I use all the time - I camp out all the time. It can be used as a tarp, blanket or bivvy. I just love it. The guy that owns the company really thinks things through - like 2 zippers on the bivvy - I like getting in it with a breather hole on the side. Super breathable. I wanted camping gear, not just survival gear. Spent about 10 minutes in a non-breathable bag and was all done. Course they're bigger and heavier, but they won't let you down in a real emergency either. Worth checking out. I live in Vermont by the way, and use all his gear. Would like to try a bothy bag sometime though!
I have slept in the SOL bivy within my sleeping bag....temps. were 5 to -20 ° F , quite warm for 4 days , minor condensation , I always carry one.......
Sounds like a good idea too! If it's really bad we don't even sit down for lunch. Coffee lasts a long tome when rain is dripping into your cup though1 :-)
Agree, poncho actualy pretty cozy when you sit & duck down into it. Good individual shelter. Take care not to puncture it on rocks however. On this point : the silnylon bothy back is much lighter & more compact, but the heavier pu coated one will be half the price so less precious , tougher & easy to repair. Silnylon can't be taped in the field, you have to repair it with silicon glue & a silnylon patch. Depends what your doing, who youre going with, as this excellent video says.
Well if you are not IN the reflective bivvy bag, and just using it for a ground cover - you probably wouldn't receive any benefit from the heat reflecting qualities of the fabric? Wouldn't it just be a thinnish ground cover with the material encased?
Those big orange heavy duty plastic bags a bit of a paracord and maybe an odd walking pole of stick is sufficient for an emergency shelter and some form of seat pad , the honest answer is in truth a true survival situation nature already provides all anybody requires is basic knowledge not overpriced items that are merely a gimmick .
Ounces? Who on earth uses ounces. Oh yes, the yanks, who as usual are way behind the rest of the world when it comes to measuring, which is why the Hubble telescope had to be mended. Just joking!! :)
The space blankets are grossly over rated. All they can do regarding insulation, is to reflect radiant heat. Since the body gives off heat mostly by conduction and convection and very little via radiant heat this renders the space blanket useless. Some years ago the RAF Mountain Rescue organisation tested them against a simple poly bag and found the latter to be much more effective. The only use I have found for a space blanket is under my tent groundsheet - to keep the mud off!
You just told us that your experience of trying to sleep in your 'survival'bag left you freezing cold and wet, but you said it's still a good thing to carry for an emergency! No it's not, it's rubbish. Lying on the ground in a thin waterproof bag is a very bad idea. Carry an insulated sleeping mat, a sleeping bag and a heat pad if you want to be warm and dry.
carl bernsen You misunderstand my comments. When the weather is harsh and you are possibly injured you need to get shelter from it in anyway possible. Hence these type of bags are a godsend. They trap heat and can get your body temperature back up very quickly. However if you think you can use one ‘instead’ of a sleeping bag you will find this works against you and the moisture trapped will be unpleasant. I’ve been on Skye a week ago in hellish weather and we used a bothy bag to rest from the storm, eat and check our location. So I speak from experience. The suggestion you make would be both impractical and unsafe in the same conditions. Once you’ve experienced conditions like that you’ll fully understand the need for such items and why simple fast deployment can save a life.
+TheOutdoorsStation With respect, I have no problem with using a bothy bag for temporary shelter in bad weather but that's very different from recommending a reflective 'survival' bag for treating a hypothermic casualty. They don't insulate effectively, which is why no rescue services use them unless combined with thick insulating blankets or sleeping bags. An emergency, especially one involving injury, is when you need equipment that really works. If you can't sleep warm in a space blanket bag when you're fit and healthy and generating plenty of heat, how do you think you'll warm up when you're seriously cold or hypothermic? I don't mind what equipment you personally use, but please be careful recommending it to others. If emergency gear doesn't work, it doesn't matter how light it is.
With respect, if and when you come across a casualty who is hypothermic for whatever reason, you have to use the equipment at hand as best you can. I agree the immediate solution to reduce the effects of hypothermia and prevent the situation from getting worse, is to remove the effect of the wind and rain from their body and to get them in a situation to retain as much latent heat as possible. This possibly includes insulation from the ground IF you have it, removal of wet clothing and gentle warming from another body IF practical. This equipment does some of this effectively. It may not be perfect or textbook however there is no such thing as an 'ideal situation' and in my experience it gives you valuable minutes in which to asses injury and make sensible decisions. As for rescue services, they can be more than 24 hours away and people have to take responsibility for their own actions. I feel you have taken my comments about 'sleeping in a plastic bag' when a youth far too literally. Naturally I was soaked from condensation etc. Of course as it is neither insulated or breathable, using a plastic bivy bag as a sleep system is unrealistic. However as a survival system to get out of the weather, reflect some heat and take stock, there is nothing simpler on the market. Not perfect as I say, but then circumstances never allow for perfection. My recent experience on Skye and walking across Scotland has reminded me once again, that accidents do happen and it took my friend 2 days to crawl out and get a signal and help. You seem to assume that someone will always be around to rush in to rescue you at a moments notice. I'm not sure where you wander, but suggesting that emergency services are nearby ready to help is not something I would want to encourage.
+TheOutdoorsStation Now I want to hear about that Scottish trip! That sounds much more interesting! Ok, I didn't say anything about being rescued, not sure where you got that. I've tested a nylon covered silver reflective bivvy bag outdoors overnight and I know they don't retain heat nearly well enough to keep warm in, even under good conditions, which is why I don't believe they should be carried for emergency use where someone's life may depend on keeping warm. People have been carrying space blankets and mylar bags in their packs for years without ever trying them out, just trusting the manufacturer's advertising blurb to be true. My point is that if people knew that these bivvy bags don't work the way they think they do, maybe they'd carry something better and be more able to help themselves or someone else in an emergency. It's like jeans, people used to wear them walking in the hills until they realised that wet jeans and a bit of wind caused lots of hypothermia cases. Then Mountain Rescue and DofE, etc put the word out that jeans were a really bad, even dangerous choice for hill walking and no one does it any more. Education. :-)
box for 2 people only for wind protection? The bottom is open and if it rains it is useless, why not a zipper or other locking system for rain? useless
I think you've missed the point of a Bothy Bag. I've been very grateful to have one with me when I needed to get out of a storm. I suggest you Google it and learn more.
Any time I've seen a real test of these emergency bags/blankets they've failed when used as a sleeping bag. Condensation and heat loss over hours of use can create a life threatening situation. Using them as temporary protection against wind or precipitation could be useful but don't expect to use them to save you overnight. There are a lot of people hiking around thinking that little space blanket will save them in an emergency. Good luck with that.
I think you’ll find that in a real emergency situation they make a significant difference. They are not designed for comfort or as a sleeping bag cover. They are designed to get you out of the elements and give you a fighting chance to recover, stay alive till rescued or gather your wits. Without them hypothermia sets in rapidly and accelerates your potential demise. I’ve been in that situation and can assure you I would rather have any assistance in my pack than none at all.
@@TheOutdoorsStation The point I was trying to make is that a lot of people would be inclined to have unreasonable expectations for these emergency bag/blankets. I certainly would wrap one of these things around me to keep rain and wind off of me while getting myself out of a dicey situation but I'm not going to expect that the "emergency bivvy" is going to be some kind of magical 0 degree sleeping bag or quilt that 's going to make everything alright. That's all I'm saying.
The survival bags are handy as flotation devices (if in good condition) and can be used as comfortable browse beds if you fill them with leaves or grass. The plastic bin liners are usually too thin/small for these purposes.
Great vid, I have a bothy bag in my car and work van, you see all these people sat on the hard shoulder in the wind and rain!! Not me! Atb Lee
Not sure if you guys have looked at this but the sol escape bivy is a good upgrade on the basis sol bivy. It's breathable and just a bit more comfortable. Really compact. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is.
Learned about bothy bags here in the USA a few seasons ago from a commenter on a blog site. Just like you, always carry on my day outings, mainly on solo backcountry skiing, but hikes as well. Once in the bothy, I can remove ski helmet, hats and gloves while remaining toasty warm and have lunch out of the wind, rain, snow. If it is snowing hard, and begins to cover your bothy, you can scare the s%%t out of people coming up on you, when you greet them. 😎 I just ordered a 6’ x 8’ Tyvek sheet on ebay to make a bivy sack. The bivy will allow me to use it as ground tarp or bivy, along w a approx. 2’ square ensolite pad. I did not think to use the bothy as you illustrated in the vid, as a backstop to wind w/o having to get under it. 👊🏻
For many, a well-designed poncho might be a better option. In can provide much the same protection halted as these bags but has the added advantage that you can keep moving either to find better shelter or simply keep warm by staying active.
Great video 20yrs emergency shelter experience in a few mins. I also carried one of those big orange flat-pack items for years but never used it as never had an emergency, then moved to Bothy which does emergency and simply lunch stops which then does get used. I've also got to campsite when its bad weather and sat against a tree having a snooze waiting for weather to improve before pitching tent. I'd not like to spend a night in one but I'm sure I'd do a lot better with one than without.
Spot on! My tent evolution is about the same as yours. We are lucky we haven't had to use the orange bag for anything other than picnics! :-)
I just found your channel. I teach emergency survival & preparedness here in the States. I belong to the American Red Cross, Adventist Disaster response and am also a CERT-Community Emergency Response Team-volunteer. I'm familiar with all of the items you showed here and own a few SOL products myself. You are knowledgeable, professional, and to the point. I'll be watching all of your videos in the next several days-you have definitely earned my respect!
Thanks for the info
Great - really informative and well produced!
Very useful and factual video with good mountain sense. I reviewed a 2-man bothy bag the other day. I carry the small space blanket and from what you've said it is clearly a short term(almost urban) emergency item. Like you I have stopped taking the big fertiliser bag :-) never having had to use it for real fortunately, but it was good for lunch picnics! The Bothy2 that I reviewed in real stormy Scottish conditions the other day (please take a look) was from Sports Direct/'Karrimor' is similar to yours but with 2 windows and a roof tube to push a hiking pole into to raise head height: I tried that option only in the living room but it seems good. I got the last one in the shop for less than a tenner I think but I don't see any more appearing. It's my favourite option now and at only 12 ounces takes up negligible space. I am going to experiment with adding some paracord and perhaps 3 light tent pegs along with the hiking pole. I have an idea maybe the fabric could be clipped back (to the cord outside?) to give more space.
Another great video Bob! Can't wait to see the new SOL Escape Bivvy. A breathable bivvy bag sounds excellent.
Very useful overview thanks Bob.
Yes it looks interesting. We are still waiting for an arrival date in the UK.
I reviewed a Karrimor Bothy Bag2 the other day to see how it performed in storm situation up a Scottish hill. I was reasonably happy with it but I think maybe I got the last one in existence! Any recommendations?
I've given up on all the above and gone over to 2Go Systems gear - they've got a bivvy that I use all the time - I camp out all the time. It can be used as a tarp, blanket or bivvy. I just love it. The guy that owns the company really thinks things through - like 2 zippers on the bivvy - I like getting in it with a breather hole on the side. Super breathable. I wanted camping gear, not just survival gear. Spent about 10 minutes in a non-breathable bag and was all done. Course they're bigger and heavier, but they won't let you down in a real emergency either. Worth checking out. I live in Vermont by the way, and use all his gear. Would like to try a bothy bag sometime though!
I have slept in the SOL bivy within my sleeping bag....temps. were 5 to -20 ° F , quite warm for 4 days , minor condensation , I always carry one.......
I like to use my rain poncho to hide from the elements and sit down and rest for a bit instead of a bothy.
Sounds like a good idea too! If it's really bad we don't even sit down for lunch. Coffee lasts a long tome when rain is dripping into your cup though1 :-)
Agree, poncho actualy pretty cozy when you sit & duck down into it. Good individual shelter. Take care not to puncture it on rocks however. On this point : the silnylon bothy back is much lighter & more compact, but the heavier pu coated one will be half the price so less precious , tougher & easy to repair. Silnylon can't be taped in the field, you have to repair it with silicon glue & a silnylon patch. Depends what your doing, who youre going with, as this excellent video says.
That sounds like a nice unit to have when camping or for use in an emergency situation and would keep you warmer.
thanks much for the great information !!
Thanks, great video.
Great video.Thanks a lot !!!!!!
No problem. Thanks
Well if you are not IN the reflective bivvy bag, and just using it for a ground cover - you probably wouldn't receive any benefit from the heat reflecting qualities of the fabric? Wouldn't it just be a thinnish ground cover with the material encased?
Those big orange heavy duty plastic bags a bit of a paracord and maybe an odd walking pole of stick is sufficient for an emergency shelter and some form of seat pad , the honest answer is in truth a true survival situation nature already provides all anybody requires is basic knowledge not overpriced items that are merely a gimmick .
Why don't you also show the way to use the other items but just the Bothy Bag?
We're watching you in the states-any chance when you provide weights you could also give these in ounces?
Ounces? Who on earth uses ounces. Oh yes, the yanks, who as usual are way behind the rest of the world when it comes to measuring, which is why the Hubble telescope had to be mended. Just joking!! :)
The space blankets are grossly over rated. All they can do regarding insulation, is to reflect radiant heat. Since the body gives off heat mostly by conduction and convection and very little via radiant heat this renders the space blanket useless. Some years ago the RAF Mountain Rescue organisation tested them against a simple poly bag and found the latter to be much more effective. The only use I have found for a space blanket is under my tent groundsheet - to keep the mud off!
Odonata Lover I've seen videos where people suggested using them to reflect the heat from a fire.
You just told us that your experience of trying to sleep in your 'survival'bag left you freezing cold and wet, but you said it's still a good thing to carry for an emergency! No it's not, it's rubbish. Lying on the ground in a thin waterproof bag is a very bad idea. Carry an insulated sleeping mat, a sleeping bag and a heat pad if you want to be warm and dry.
carl bernsen You misunderstand my comments. When the weather is harsh and you are possibly injured you need to get shelter from it in anyway possible. Hence these type of bags are a godsend. They trap heat and can get your body temperature back up very quickly. However if you think you can use one ‘instead’ of a sleeping bag you will find this works against you and the moisture trapped will be unpleasant. I’ve been on Skye a week ago in hellish weather and we used a bothy bag to rest from the storm, eat and check our location. So I speak from experience. The suggestion you make would be both impractical and unsafe in the same conditions. Once you’ve experienced conditions like that you’ll fully understand the need for such items and why simple fast deployment can save a life.
+TheOutdoorsStation
With respect, I have no problem with using a bothy bag for temporary shelter in bad weather but that's very different from recommending a reflective 'survival' bag for treating a hypothermic casualty. They don't insulate effectively, which is why no rescue services use them unless combined with thick insulating blankets or sleeping bags. An emergency, especially one involving injury, is when you need equipment that really works. If you can't sleep warm in a space blanket bag when you're fit and healthy and generating plenty of heat, how do you think you'll warm up when you're seriously cold or hypothermic?
I don't mind what equipment you personally use, but please be careful recommending it to others.
If emergency gear doesn't work, it doesn't matter how light it is.
With respect, if and when you come across a casualty who is hypothermic for whatever reason, you have to use the equipment at hand as best you can. I agree the immediate solution to reduce the effects of hypothermia and prevent the situation from getting worse, is to remove the effect of the wind and rain from their body and to get them in a situation to retain as much latent heat as possible. This possibly includes insulation from the ground IF you have it, removal of wet clothing and gentle warming from another body IF practical. This equipment does some of this effectively. It may not be perfect or textbook however there is no such thing as an 'ideal situation' and in my experience it gives you valuable minutes in which to asses injury and make sensible decisions. As for rescue services, they can be more than 24 hours away and people have to take responsibility for their own actions. I feel you have taken my comments about 'sleeping in a plastic bag' when a youth far too literally. Naturally I was soaked from condensation etc. Of course as it is neither insulated or breathable, using a plastic bivy bag as a sleep system is unrealistic. However as a survival system to get out of the weather, reflect some heat and take stock, there is nothing simpler on the market. Not perfect as I say, but then circumstances never allow for perfection. My recent experience on Skye and walking across Scotland has reminded me once again, that accidents do happen and it took my friend 2 days to crawl out and get a signal and help. You seem to assume that someone will always be around to rush in to rescue you at a moments notice. I'm not sure where you wander, but suggesting that emergency services are nearby ready to help is not something I would want to encourage.
+TheOutdoorsStation
Now I want to hear about that Scottish trip! That sounds much more interesting! Ok, I didn't say anything about being rescued, not sure where you got that. I've tested a nylon covered silver reflective bivvy bag outdoors overnight and I know they don't retain heat nearly well enough to keep warm in, even under good conditions, which is why I don't believe they should be carried for emergency use where someone's life may depend on keeping warm. People have been carrying space blankets and mylar bags in their packs for years without ever trying them out, just trusting the manufacturer's advertising blurb to be true. My point is that if people knew that these bivvy bags don't work the way they think they do, maybe they'd carry something better and be more able to help themselves or someone else in an emergency. It's like jeans, people used to wear them walking in the hills until they realised that wet jeans and a bit of wind caused lots of hypothermia cases. Then Mountain Rescue and DofE, etc put the word out that jeans were a really bad, even dangerous choice for hill walking and no one does it any more. Education. :-)
I thought you were going to actually use it and not just talk about it.
THIS HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE....???
box for 2 people only for wind protection? The bottom is open and if it rains it is useless, why not a zipper or other locking system for rain? useless
I think you've missed the point of a Bothy Bag. I've been very grateful to have one with me when I needed to get out of a storm. I suggest you Google it and learn more.