Emergency/bivy kit

[Brian T]

I saw some activity specific posts on building some kind of emergency bivy kits from 12 years ago, but I am curious to hear the experience of others.

For context I basically never go on a trail without some key items in the event I might be stuck outside for a night even when that possibility seems remote. For context I was once stuck outside for a night with almost nothing (I thought we would be done very quickly).

So my questions are as follows:

1. do you carry stuff incase something happens?
2. What do you carry?
3. have you used it much?
4. have you changed what you bring?

[Jerry Adams]

I carry a space blanket but I’ve never used it.  I’ve opened it up a little a few times to make sure it’s still intact and hasn’t turned into strips.

[Bob Shuff]

I always carry extra clothes, a space blanket and a way to make fire, as well as the other 10 essentials. For day hiking I’ve never carried a shelter, but I’m only so far from the trailhead.  If it’s cold I have warmer spare clothes. I also have a Garmin Mini if worst comes to worse.

If I was winter mountaineering I might consider a bivy just in case, but not just a typical day hike .

 

When backpacking, I have a shelter of some kind – usually not a bivy, but something just as good or better for the terrain I’ll be in.

[Bill Budney]

I love these lists. Yes, I always carry emergency gear, I have never needed it (other than to give to someone else less prepared), and I constantly change the list.

A space blanket, two emergency ponchos, some dyneema cord, a blade, and a min-Bic lighter are common items. Optionally styrofoam balls for making tie-outs (tip from Jerry) and duct tape for reinforcements. It’s a few ounces and a small packet that could be made into a Mors Kochansky Super Shelter in case of injury or other need to spend the night.

I have a bothy, but a small tarp doesn’t weigh much more and is more versatile. The bothy is quick to deploy though.

But, really, just a large poncho covers a lot of bases. It can be used like a one-man bothy when sitting or kneeling, plus the usual tarp-stuff. Or even a burrito-roll shelter.

For more serious situations, the Uber Bivy (made by another mountain rescue volunteer) looks like a more practical size than most waterproof bivies. At 26 oz, though, some tents compete.

Wearable quilts are a multi-function insulation piece, such as: AegisMax Wind Hard Tiny Pro, Thermarest Honcho Poncho, JacksRBetter, and MLD. The AegisMax is a real 30F/0C quilt that can be worn as a poncho and is warmer than most jackets (800g/2 lbs).

[Jerry Adams]

“Optionally styrofoam balls for making tie-outs (tip from Jerry) ”

That was a long time ago, you have a good memory : )  I thought an article about making shelters from 2 mil plastic wouldn’t be taken seriously, but actually, there was a fair amount of interest in that.  I have slept many nights successfully in such a shelter.

Yeah, I take the 10 essentials too.

If I’m backpacking I’ll have a lot of shelter and insulated clothing and food.

I don’t worry about water treatment.  Like that article that said getting sick from drinking water was rare, although I think less rare than being eaten by a shark : )  In a survival situation, and you don’t have treatment available, don’t worry about it, just drink whatever water you can find.

If on every trip you go you drink untreated water, it’s likely you’ll eventually get sick.  Best to just treat the water because treatment is easy and doesn’t weigh much.

[jscott]

“I have a bothy, but a small tarp doesn’t weigh much more and is more versatile. The bothy is quick to deploy though.”

When I used to go out for day skis on snow covered trails around Tahoe I took some emergency stuff, including a sleeping bag..and a bothy. I found it to be incredibly warm, fast. Also it blocks wind very well. I decided that if I broke a leg, etc, I would rather spend the night in a bothy than under a tarp. this never happened, so who knows? I figured that if I was incapacitated in some way, digging a snow shelter would be out of the question. if I could do that, I’d be able to ski out.

Except for white out conditions…which I paid strict attention to before heading out.

[Mark Verber]

urban or backwoods I always wear / in my pocket: sun protective clothing, clothing is appropriately insulating / protective for the expected conditions allowing me to pause and be lightly active, phone (which has maps / compass / light on it), watch (which has maps / compass on it), pocket knife

My EDC carry items urban or back country in whatever bag is with me has a water bottle, small first aid kit (think .3 kit + super glue, water purifier tablets for drinking or irrigation), NU20 headlamp, repair kits (which includes a lighter,  matches) whistle, chap stick, a small fork/spoon

For done in a day hikes on trails with a lot of people I add my normal lunch/snack and will always have rain protection (shakedry shell or poncho) even if weather forecast no rain.   I have repeatedly experience rain on days where the forecast was 0-10% chance of rain.

For done in day back country that will be off trail were I don’t expect to see people I add: a electrolyte mix, small rope, enough clothing that will keep me  safe (not comfortable) while doing isometrics (e.g. lightly active) over night. Won’t be able to sleep, but won’t freeze. If going solo on a route that I believe medium to high risk I bring a Garmin Mini.

When backpacking don’t bring a separate 10-14 essentials…. shelter, warmth, fire, navigation, etc is in my core gear.

What have I used: pretty much everything except the Garmin Mini. I think 80% of the first aid kit supplies have been used on other people and the extra clothing has been used by others maybe 50% of the time.

I only spent one night out when it was suppose to be done in a day.  Difficult / semi dangerous trail which took a lot longer to traverse and then the night came. I had forgotten my light. Haven’t make that mistake since :).  Unsafe to continue. Put on all my extra clothing, gather soft material to insulate / sit on, and used poncho for weather protection. There are several times when a strained ankle or navigation error had me coming out much later than planned, but back before mid-night.

Change: Most recent addition was the electrolyte mix.  Two years ago had my first experience of virtually every muscle locking up. Was expecting 70F but it was 95F.  Drank enough, but sweated out too many electrolytes.  I had stopped carrying salt tablets 35 years ago, but a friend had gifted me some Nuun hydration tablets which I thankfully forgot to take out of my bag.  What I relief!  Most recent drop: compass and paper map.

I used to have a dedicated essentials bag which I dropped into a daypack / fannypack.  Had an emergency blanket, a candle, small fishing kit, a fixed blade knife, way more first aid items including an epipen and glucose, a mini flare gun, and an assortment of other stuff which I don’t remember.  Ultimately dropped most of these things as unnecessary because they wear not used in 20+ years and/or I know how to improve equivalents.

Oh, hard core winter / snow trips day trip off trail.  Haven’t done one in 10 years, but when I did these I brought my typical winter backpacking gear… with food for a day.  Never got stuck overnight, but felt risk was sufficiently high that it was worth playing it safe.

[Dustin V]

+1 Poncho

If I know I’ll be leaving the poncho shelter in a base camp and going on an extended or high altitude day-hike, I sometimes bring an Exped bothy,  which can be used as wind shelter, raingear, micro tent, bivy…

[Zero Flight]

For snow or very high wind/rain trips I’ve found a decent sized bothy to be really handy with a small group since it can be used for a temporary shelter.  We used one in Iceland when we decided to stop for lunch during a sleet storm on the side of a mountain with no cover.  That thing was pretty toasty with 6 of us in there.  Sets up quick but isn’t the lightest thing in the world.

For solo or just very cold & not carrying the bothy, I have a SOL sleeping bag style bivvy that I modified to have a zipper and so I can open it up & use as a tarp or blanket, or zip it into a sealed bag.

If not carrying one of the above, it’s a plain ol’ emergency blanket.

For general items though, I usually keep:

• a small baggie of dry soup mix or a solid protein bar, depending on weather
• a small bottle of clean water that’s only for emergency – the small folding ones that come with a Sawyer filter are great
• a little ZipFizz  powder (caffeine, B vitamins, & electrolytes)
• a fire plug or two
• a small bit of bank line (lightweight, tarred, nylon twine)
• a couple of heavy duty pain pills

[Brian T]

I’m loving this thread, interesting ideas and experiences from everyone. Thanks everyone, keep the thoughts coming.

[Brad W]

I carry 4oz SOL bivy on all hikes. Have almost had to use it while caught in a Sierra cold storm a few years ago. Went from 50’s to 16F, howling wind and snow. My REI Magma quilt was no match for those temps. Just about to crawl into it when the sun started coming up. Glad to have it.

[Haakon R]

Like generals and wars, my emergency prep is largely based on previous failures I don’t want to repeat, but odds are the next emergency will be different, and as such my prep will likely always be less than ideal.

 

It’s an interesting topic that I’ve realised will never quite be settled science for me as my own physiology/capacity, activities and responsibilities changes with the seasons of life. Young, stupid and fit = not much thought went in to this at all. The big change came with the responsibility of kids, both keeping them safe in the backcountry when their with me, and also making it back home to them when I’m out there on my own.

 

One event that woke me up for real was when my twins were 8yo we were backpacking in the mountains and went on what was supposed to be a modest day hike from our tent site. Despite a good forecast the weather changed rapidly and we had a massive rainfall with very cold rain. With only a small supply of food and water, no rain gear or dry backup clothes things got a bit uncomfortable. Not enough to be dangerous, luckily, but unpleasant enough that my boy got so cold he become really scared and a significant dent in my own pride as a father who want my kids to enjoy the backcountry.

Since that incident I’ve as a minimum carried a Lifesystems ultralight survival shelter/bothy (mountains mostly) or a Helsport ultralight tarp (woods mostly) when going into the backcountry with kids.
Beyond that it really depends a lot on where we’re going, what we’re doing and what season.

 

Living in a cold climate where conditions change very fast I’m always on the lookout for good dual use systems, i.e. shelters and gear that can both increase the level of comfort to extend range / time outside in harsh conditions as well as serving an emergency function if my luck runs out. The bothy bags are light, compact and easy to use, which is quite important for the comfort part as the low effort required to deploy and pack down means it will be used more often. I’ve carried more complex solutions in the past, and they often end up not being deployed.

Now I have bothy bags in several sizes so I can bring a size appropriate for the group, which also include the more Scandinavian style of bothy called wind sack. This is an inverted style of shelter where the shelter has a waterproof bottom and you enter from the top, and typically use it just for breaks with the head or upper body sticking out. The sides are often just a windbreaker material, so these will breathe better than the typical bothy, but fares less well in wet weather.

 

I will sometimes bring what’s called a “Fjellduk” (mountain blanket) in Norway. It’s a modular shelter system made from a laminate material with mylar bonded to a waterproof fabric, so it’s heavier but also feels warmer than the siliconised nylon found in most regular bothies. They come in several variations (some even with embedded or zip-in primaloft insulation), but common for all of them is a system of zips and grommet attachment points to make them modular, so this single item can be used as a bivvy, tarp, poncho etc. If I’m out on my own, or just me and the dog in the wintertime I will be dryer, more comfortable and retain much more heat in my fjellduk compared to my 2 person bothy. That’s sometimes worth the added weight. I also have a fjellduk with embedded primaloft fill, but IMO it’s too heavy and bulky to make sense for anything but motorised camping.

 

Even though I’m a proponent of simple, easy to use shelters, I’m still on the lookout for a lightweight easy to pitch 3(+) person tent, probably something like a 4 sided pyramid tent that can use a ski pole or trekking pole as center pole. No floor or inner tent, just a barrier from the elements. This will be a bit more cumbersome to pitch just to take a break, but ut will be infinitely better if we need to spend a night out. I’ve realised most UL options are quite expensive so I haven’t spent a lot of time researching this, but it’s certainly something I want to have figured out before I start taking my kids on harder and more exposed hikes – and we’re almost there.

 

Finding appropriate shelters that are both useful and light enough that they’re always in my pack when I need them is really key for cold weather comfort/survival IMO. I’m not as weight conscious for one day activities, but it still adds up so each item should still be as light as reasonably possible.

In addition to a shelter I always bring shell and insulating layers appropriate for the season (incl. sun protection if applicable), closed cell foam pad, head lamp, water, means to make a fire, very basic first aid, food (when I’m alone: dried meat, cured meat, hard boiled eggs, macadamia nuts and/or similar ready to eat foods that are high in fat and protein. With kids/family I usually bring ingredients to cook outside). I don’t yet own a PLB or satellite communication device, but we have a few on my workplace that I’ve borrowed for solo winter trips. Most one day activities take place within cell coverage, with the exception of hunting, where we often start our day from a cabin or camp site with poor or no coverage and it just get worse from there on. I rarely hunt alone though, and when hunting with others we use VHF radios to stay in touch.

 

While on the topic of hunting, since a little incident last fall I’ve added a Mora Companion spark to my hunting backpack. I’m one of those weirdos that have converted to use folding knives for hunting as I find it more practical, but after a situation where I had to cut down a tree with my folding knife I realized the added weight of small fixed blade is wort it. This knife specifically is quite light for its blade length, affordable and adds another means of making fire with no added bulk. It has proven to be a very useful piece of kit that regularly find its way into my backpacking backpack as well.

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