Blizzard bag plus synthetic quilt inside?

Hi,

I slept in a Blizzard bag once with a synthetic jacket and it got a bit damp in it but I was plenty warm.
Its not something I would like to repeat again if possibel.

If you do decide to go down this route you will need very good ear plugs.

Cheers,

Having never seen one in person I searched for it on YouTube and saw a pretty good demonstration of it. Man is it NOISY! ear plugs are and would be a must and not just for me but for anyone that comes with me. I do love the fact that I wouldn't need a separate bivy to protect me when I use a small tarp though. I guess I need to weigh out the pro's and con's a little more.

I wonder if using a small synthetic blanket with a AMK emergency bivy would be quieter? I don't think it'd be nearly as warm though.

I would just borrow a light bag if you are out for just one night.

The bag i have now is the REI subkilo 20 which is a few years old. It comes in the 1lb 9oz range. It isn't too bad but I was hoping for something well under a pound. I'd love to borrow a bag but I'm the only one of my friends who is UL let alone even contemplating SUL.

One thing to be aware of with a combination lie this is that for the reflective properties of the Blizzard bag to work best, you don'tr want too much between the heat sorce(you) and the reflective surface. So adding insulation between you and the bag will at some point be counter-productive. Better to add insulation outside of the Blizzard – but then it's outside your weather protection so another problem arises.

the blizzard is equivalent to a 40F en rated bag .. i think youll be fine

Why? Blizzard bag is 13 ounces, a 2.5 XP quilt is about 12 ounces. Together they would weigh the same as your REI bag and be far less comfy.

because the blizzard is a waterprrof bivy

find me another system that gives a 40F en-male comfort rating, is water and wind proof, weights 13 oz and costs ~$30

the british forces use em for winter survival … i believe that some UK SAR groups have stopped carrying sleeping bags and blankets and started carrying blizzard bag/blankets on helis … for substantial weight savings

whether its comfortable in the long run is a different question … but at least one person has used it in a cross UK outdoor run for weeks outside at a time

I was looking for something compact, light and cheap for warm summer use and found the Therm-a-Rest Tech Blanket for $34 at SunnySports.com. It stows in its own pocket and weighs 20oz and can be used flat or like a quilt with the footbox feature. There's no way I could do 35F with it unless I was wearing a lot of clothes— okay for outright survival at that temp, but I was thinking of something like 50F.

My though was to have compact survival-level insulation and use it with an AMK HeatSheet bivy or just a flat HeatSheet in lieu of a more usual bivy, if more protection is needed. I have a small ProLite pad so the bag, pad and HeatSheet make for a package that is about the size of three Nalgenes and about two pounds. I would add a poncho tarp or Gatewood Cape with a polycro ground sheet and some Ti stakes to round out the package, for under three pounds and four liters. The blanket is wearable and can sub for puffy insulation in camp (again for warm summer trips).

I have a synthetic bag that is 32oz and rated 32F that is my normal summer bag. Throw out the cost factor and a good quality quilt is the answer for warmth/weight, but I don't want to drop $200+ for a 3-4 week season where I might take 1 or 2 overnight trips.

How about a myog quilt with a 2.5-3 ounce insultsion like climashield apex or primaloft sport. Use the 8d fabric from Tigoat's site your at about 9 ounces for the quilt. Then a myog tyvec/sil bivy would weigh in at about 6 ounces so 15 ounces for the setup which will take you to the same temps as the blizard and be more comfy. Just a suggestion

I carried an unused Blizzard Bag for years, on winter day hikes as safety gear. I never had to use it. Although it can be re-used, you will never get it back to its initial low volume size, if you open the vacuum pack. I think there is a way of shrinking it using a vacuum cleaner though.
It now sits in the bottom of my daughters pack, as she is at university, and goes on hikes with stoopid students. :)

"Although it can be re-used, you will never get it back to its initial low volume size, if you open the vacuum pack."

You just need a seal-a-meal. One of those vacuum meal savers should work very well.