Bothy bag plans

"Also, I have heavy clear vinyl fabric that could work for a window, but there must be lighter transparent materials…any ideas?"

You could probably make the entire thing out of cuben fiber. Depending on the weight, it varies between partially transparent and opaque.

–B.G.–

I have been carrying a two person bothy bag the last two winters on day hikes/XC skis/snow shoe walks. It is my light weight emergency "tent". I've also considered using it for lunch breaks during very cold and windy conditions. The only time it was deployed was for a simple test when two of us tried it very briefly for kicks and grins. That is my very wordy way of saying I have essentially no experience with it; it is accumulating lots of mileage, though!

I would feel a little guilty about totally deconstructing it for you but I will give you some hints about the design.

There are no handles, drawcords, tie-outs on the bothy proper; the stuff sack does have a cord and cord lock. Your posteriors sitting on the fabric seats serve as the anchors.

Mine has a built-in stuff sack with mosquito netting or no-seeum on the bottom. After some thought I can see that having the tube-shaped sack with no-seeum on the end is probably a good design feature in that as it sags it would keep out rain and snow and still provide some breathability. A simple patch of no see-um on the main wall would not be very weather proof (Duh!). Call this wart #1.

There is another wart (#2) pocket at the apex that admits two hiking or ski pole handles. I doubt the poles add much structure but they might prevent the sagging material from annoyingly obscuring your partner's face.

To be clear, the warts are just open-ended (on one end) stuff sacks sewed to the main shell.

If I were designing one I would start with these two pieces of information:

1) The length of your poles at an angle will help determine the height of your bothy.

2) Start your design at the bottom and fit the other panels to the bottom dimensions. The bottom of mine is, when stretched taut, a rectangle measuring about 18 X 60 inches. The rectangular opening is covered on both ends by a "seat" measuring about 9 X 18 inches; i.e., the bottom opening is reduced to about 18 X 42 inches.

My feeble thoughts only. I would like to hear other peoples' bothy experiences. Good luck with your project!

I mentioned to my wife about making a bothy bag and she immediately reeled off a number of situations were she was freezing her buns off during e.g. a lunch break, so she is definitely in favor of this project!

I had forgotten, but there were a number of times while x-c skiing where it was cold and windy and we had to cut a lunch break short. Also one time we hiked up Cadillac Mtn in Acadia NP in the rain and wind…we were able to warm up a little in the gift shop but couldn't stay there too long; we ate lunch in the trees below the summit, but it was a bit uncomfortable, and comfort is a major concern at our age! ;-)

I'll probably make a 2+ person bag to start, then when I've got the design down I'll make a 4+ person bag.

I also plan to bring it kayaking…eating lunch in the rain and wind can be unpleasant.

I wonder if a bothy bag can be used while you're still sitting in a kayak…

I have used various bothy bags. Manufacturers designs vary.

The simplest design I have used (which is effective and light) is a basic floorless cuboid , with a drawstring around the open edge. Sides are sized to allow sitting on. The vents are thus: 2 of the the short 'upright' edges (diagonally opposite each other) have c15" opening instead of closed seams at the top corners, and are sealed with velcro (I'm guessing that the designers decided then that one or other of these vents/windows can be closed if necessary) . The newer bags by this company now have clear windows, but originally they didn't.

Personally I see no need for clear windows. Just adds a little extra weight and the material is stiff for packing.

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