Seeking advice on emergency insulation for unplanned overnights

You could take an elephant foot sleeping bag.

This is a thin half-length sleeping bag, and it is intended to be used along with a normal down jacket or parka.

It is called an elephant foot because that is what it looks like.

–B.G.–

SOL Escape is supposed to be good down to 50 F. It can be compressed no problem.

Wear an insulated layer underneath and you should be comfortable down to 40 F or even 30 F. Synthetic doesn't like to be compressed so much, down more sensitive to getting wet. Choose what you need for expected conditions. Maybe don't compress it so much so you need a bit bigger pack.

Check out the Blizzard Bag.

"Suggestions?"

No matter what you do about clothing/shelter, take around 2000 calories of food, with a decent amount of carbs in it, say 30-40%. It doesn't do any good to have insulation if you can't produce any heat to warm yourself inside it. Also, fire starting gear, matches/Bic/tinder/good knife.

…

HPG Mountain Serape- it's heavy (especially for this forum), but it's synthetic, and it's versatile. Check it out.

Here is a link to a cool video…

"The Sea to summit Spark SPL 45 is attractive, as is the Nuntak Arc AT/ elephant foot…"
the problem I see with the above is that if by any chance it happens to rain, none of those down bags will keep you warm or comfortable.
On the other hand the Blizzard Bag might just work in that situation.

Also do note the comment from Tom about food and yours about not eating all day and shivering in the SOL.

I would look into a blizzard bag as well. Perhaps if you want to have fool proof easy emergency shelter think about combining it with something like a Terra Nova Superlite Bothy. When your hands are too cold, wind blows too hard, your borderline hypothermic and hungry, a bothy might be helpful (alternative is to bring a tarp, lie under it when you can, or wrap yourself up when you can't).

Like above I would also take food as an essential emergency backup.

Reading what you have posted, you either were not given very good training or you did not retain any training. You should have utilized any features in your environment. Leaves, bark, logs etc. Keep hydrated. My take is you would have little extra clothing or proper gear. In SAR, you would have gear to get you by for any unplanned nights out, supplemented by natural things if needed. You say unplanned overnights, that could mean you may have some stuff with you or it may mean for some reason you were unable to get back home or to camp and have to survive a night out.
Duane

There have been many stories of guys with recent military training who got stuck out in the wilderness with injuries. They managed to stay alive by digging themselves into a "squirrel's nest" of leaves and debris. Plus, if you have any fabric to lay over the top as a shell, it is even better.

–B.G.–

+1 Ian – the Blizzard Bag is very warm for the weight. We opened one up at the recent SF Bay Area GGG and it was spacious, WARM and waterproof – ingenious design for mylar baffles when the bag is expanded. I did a lot of day-long winter snowshoeing / cross country skiing in very cold conditions in the NE and I would always take a lightweight emergency SOL sack with me – but now the Blizzard Bag would be my choice. In winter you might also consider a Bothy Bag, which is very nice for rest stops as well.

+1 Bob – you can improvise a lot of insulation and wind protection from what you have around you + what you have with you.

a 4 oz SOL heatsheets bivy in the summer or on rock climbs

a blizzard when it gets cold

as to trees/leaves/etc … you might get injured above the tree line and not be able to build one

something that you can simply crawl into is quite beneficial

;)

Rodger, during the class, I did just as you suggest — empty out my pack, climb into my bivvy, then stick my legs in the backpack. legs stayed warm, but torso was cold.

Tom – I typically carry about 3K in calories, and have multiple fire staring methods in my survival kit.

I used the class as an opportunity to see what it was like when everything when bad in a safe environment where if I got in too deep, fire/food/rescue was only a 100yds away.

Is a blizzard bag worth the weight in terms of warmth?

spark sp1 ~12oz
nuntak Arc AT 8oz
nuntak Arc edge 11oz

blizzard bag (3 layer) 13.5oz
lite blizzard(2 layer) 10oz

I like the fact that I can just leave it in the pack and it combines both waterproof (bivvy) and warmth (sleeping bag), but will it be warmer than equivalent weight of separate items?

Rab xenon is ~13oz, sol heatsheet bivvy is 2.4 oz, and Arc AT is 8 for a total of ~24oz.

Seems like a good idea!

My understanding of the tog to warmth rating conversion is that the Blizzard Bag is a "medium weight" bag so roughly 40-50*.

Like you mentioned, this is a stand alone system that's insulation, a waterproof bivy, and VBL.

Spark SP1 (light down sleeping bag) is EN rated to 46 F – 12 oz

The Blizzard is rated at 8 tog = 0.8 RSI. From the Mammut document http://www.mammut.ch/images/Mammut_Sleep_well_pt1_E.pdf 0.8 RSI would give you a EN lower comfort limit of about 3 C = 38 F at 13.5 oz

Extrapolating the SP1 – for 38 F you would need 14 ounces

So – Blizzard weighs about the same for the same warmth as a light down sleeping bag

Blizzard packs smaller and can be compressed for long period – makes a good survival item

Blizzard gives you more proetection from wind and rain

Blizzard is not breathable so you could get heavy condensation inside

One complaint often made is that the Blizzard Bag comes packed the the size of a VHS tape (which is good). Once opened, it's supposedly much bigger.

hard to repack into small size

so, it's best application is as a survival item that you carry with you but don't routinely use. If a survival situation happens, you use it, and then buy another one for future trips.

I have both a used and new Blizzard bag if you have any questions about them.

"I have both a used and new Blizzard bag if you have any questions about them."

How many times have you slept in it and what are your general impressions about its long term durability?

I slept in it once, I think its very durable.

It is very durable for one night.

It is much bulkier once opened so isnt that great as a cheap sul option. You can re vaccum seal it but make sure it is dry when you do other wise the mylar sticks and peels on the wet parts.

I already carry silkweight wool thermals (top & bottom) in my emergency kit, and typically carry something like a Rab Xenon (summer) or EMS Down Ascent jacket (winter).

In my experience keeping as much skin as possible insulated is the key to staying warm. Add a rain jacket, rain pants, and medium weight fleece (or down) pants and a hat you would probably be good down to 30. It would also protect you from unexpected rain/cold weather. The rain gear blocks the wind and traps heat that has worked its way through the jacket and pants. A lot of heat is lost through the head and feet so a insulated hat is a must.

If you are new to hiking and want to work your way up to overnight hikes then you might want to get a good light weight down summer sleeping bag and add a tarp. Yes you will need a larger back pack and add about 2 lbs of weight. For a long day hike I frequently carry at least quart (2 lbs) of water. For me a 5 lb of weight would not slow me down on a long day hike. Later add a cook kit food,flash light, and foam pad for an overnight hike.

Basically this is a weight volume verses warmth issue. If you want to keep weight to an absolute minimum then some of the emergency bivys people have mentioned would work but you sacrifice warmth in the process. However if accept a little more weight you are up to a warm shelter system that many light weight overnight hikers use.