for winter emergency shelter: bivy or bothy bag?

For me its a Blizzard bag and 2 person bothy.

I don’t know if it’s better, but I just added a small boothy bag to my hiking pack. I hope like heck I never have to use it, but I think it would be very warm, with good protection from wind and rain.

Boothy

It was really cheap (PU coated polyester version, not the pricy silnylon version), packs small, can be supported with one or two hiking poles, has a clear window, and a “vent” that doubles as a self contained stuff sack. I think it’s a pretty good upgrade from the silver mylar “emergency” blanket I had been carrying.

For the weight and protection, I don't think the bothy can be beat as an emergency shelter, plus it can be used for lunch or rest or breaks or just to regroup. I don't know what spending the night would be like, but I find the warmth inside, even when extremely cold outside, to be remarkable, at least 20+ degrees from the outside temp and it will feel much, much warmer than that usually.

Stephen M wrote:

"For me its a Blizzard bag and 2 person bothy."

+1

Hope never to have to use them,never in an emergency.

i have hung-out in a bothy for lunch and other stops and they certainly do rock. you throw the thing up and bam, you are out of the elements. the down-side is if the conditions truly suck, but you need to make some more miles you need a lot of will-power not to linger. also, i'd do just about anything to avoid a forced bivy, which might include staying on the move when i shouldn't, where as mentioned above, stopping and using a bothy is almost fun. there may be some upside to the insulation in the blizzard bag, but my vote goes to sharing heat with whomever i'm out and about with. i try periodically to buy bothy off of ebay, but always get out bid.

"(I know that this leaves my legs unprotected. Haven't solved that yet.)" your legs go in your top-loading pack with extension collar. everything else in your pack you are either wearing, sitting on or it's in the detachable lid.

I'd think a bivy would be about the only way to go if overnight was possible.

A modern bothy is designed for taking breaks, or at least the ones I've seen and not designed to sleep in.

Of course, I don't see why a bothy can't be designed that works for both.

A traditional bothy is designed for breaks and overnight.

Thanks for the replies.

Yep, a bothy isn't designed for overnight use. Still, in an emergency, it seems that it would remain warmer than a bivy, and still provide protection from wind and snow. That's why I'm leaning towards taking the bothy. But I may be missing something. I don't really know the limits of a bothy bag. So Steven , you may be right. I need more convincing though.

Of course, I never want to test the whole concept in a real life situation!

and if your emergency extends through the night you'll be happy to have it. climbing into and closing up a bivy is a pretty isolating feeling especially if things are going sideways. sure, maybe you get to lay down in the bivy, but mentally and physically you’re cut off from whomever you’re with. think of a bothy as an escape pod/life raft. i'd rather deal with the tight squeeze of the bothy to be with someone, share food, water and body heat than the perceived comfort of a bivy. also, the bothy's a lot more versatile than the bivy when it comes to things like lunch breaks and other short stops. as with most things discussed here there are multiple thoughts, feelings and right answers. the hard part is picking what's right for you.

If there is more than one of you, then a bothy is definitely best. You will share heat and companionship. In an emergency situation you are unlikely to be comfortable enough to sleep anyhow.

It is not so decisive if you are solo. Personally I take a blizzard bivi-bag. It's vacuum packed so it doesn't take much space and I know I will only break the seal in a genuine emergency. On the other hand, a bothy does cover your head.

I'm usually going solo on these winter day trips. Another factor.

Another option for covering your legs is to use a pack liner, like a trash compactor bag. Assuming that you would be wearing everything you had in the liner bag in such a situation, it would be free to use for a "half bivy", ground cloth, or water and wind proofing a makeshift brush shelter.

Before getting an AMK space blanket style bivy, I carried a 45 gallon low density polyethylene trash can liner, aka a clear garbage bag. It is large enough to reach my armpits or make a full ground sheet if split open. It too can be use for improvising shelters or a solar still in warm weather.

A bothy sounds good for groups, but run a scenario for being separated. If I was doing a lot of winter backcountry travel, those vacuum packed thermal bivies sound like a deal.

If you have a conventional bivy and a light summer bag, they would make a better combo than any emergency style product, albeit heavier and bulkier. The survival stuff is designed to be compact, light and inexpensive, but spending a cold night in one is no trip to Maui. You would be a lot happier in a summer bag and a breathable bivy, the point being, if you own one, take it along.

Having a pad to sit or lie on goes with any of the above. In a perfect survival scenario, you can use evergreen boughs too.

That brings to mind another light snow camping survival tool: a folding saw. The current Gerber sliding style saw is about 4oz and $12. It is perfect for cutting shelter poles and firewood and far faster than short handled hatchets.