Emergency warm layer

down has most warmth for the weight.  Unless your emergency includes getting wet

aluminized mylar blanket might be a good choice.  I carry one but have never used it.  It doesn’t take much space.  It may even be more warmth per weight than down.

@Jerry, I do carry a space blanket but, I doubt bringing several more will provide additional warmth.
‘so, something else is needed.

I just found this thread:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/26248/page/2/#comments

and it answers the question. Vest for the win. I also did some math, and came to the same conclusion.

Add to that the fact that vests are cheaper, it makes it an easy choice.

your point about down and wet is a good one, and I have wondered about it before, specifically because (winter) Emergencys have a high chance of including (moisture).
Still, the huge gain high in warmth FP down gives you relative to the same packed size synthetic make it the choice here.

I do think I remember some  Blizzard bag in a vest shape maybe, will check that too.

any other minimalist down vests to compete with Timmermade?

edit: Blizzard makes 2 and 3 l jackets, and a 3l full length coat.

Alpha fleece hoodie.

I was looking at Outdoor Vitals Nova Pro. Water resistant down mixed with synthetic.

Use discount code “ACTQUICKLY” to bring it down to $189.

OutdoorVitals Nova Pro Discount page

Description

I would suggest looking at the Mountain Hardwear Airmesh crew (4.25oz in men’s XL and on sale now for $48 on the MH website) plus a very light wind shirt (Montbell Tachyon ~ 2oz).  IME the Airmesh is slightly less warm than 90g AD. It is often on sale for as little as $40.

I carry a synthetic vest – 3.5 oz/yd2 apex.  That provides some safety in case it gets wet.  If it’s cold, I also have a down vest.

Yeah, vests are good because its better to have more insulation around your torso.

Yeah, I don’t think a second aluminized mylar blanket would add that much warmth

I love my down vest. R.I.P. Luke. I wear it under a synthetic DAS Light Hoody. Both very warm and packable.

I once tried a Columbia “Omni Heat” reflective vest but but the omni heat lining lacks any breathability so it felt like a VBL vest.   I find the same with almost any puffy, a lot of the warmth comes from sealing in your juices, to me at least.  If moving, I much prefer some sort of fleece+wind shirt.   I carry an airmesh as an extra layer and it doubles down for sleeping

Sorry folks, I guess I wasn’t very clear. I am talking about something for an emergency, like  for an immobile patient or an unplanned long stop, overnight or during day time.
NOT for active use.

Expensive but the best warmth to weight ratio, much better than a vest. Has a 7D shell and 3 0z 900 fill down. https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=25146&p_id=2301351&gen_cd=1

A hood seems like a good idea for this application.

“A hood seems like a good idea for this application”

Yep, an absolute must.

In an emergency, I think I’d rather have a quilt. Or/and perhaps something like the SOL bivy. On a day hike, your pack is already pretty light. It’s hard to cover with a jacket and it can’t be shared. If the conditions warrant it, you all should have adequate warm clothing anyway. In winter conditions, even on a day hike.  prepare for overnight. Food , water, everything.

@monte, why do you think the Montbell is better than the Timmermade options?

I am leaning towards the Blizzard jackets at the moment. They claim 1.5 as warm as down. No documentation, so we will assume that’s compared to lowing fill power and heavier fabric. So, let’s say it’s the same as down.

Still, even if it’s only about as warm as down for the weight, it comes vacuum sealed for small pack size,  and is completely waterproof.
And, not unimportantly for something that hopefully never gets used, it’s cheap.
I just can’t seem to find the short jackets for sale.

@Terran, in winter packs space and weight are often at a premium.
One the one hand there are the short outings around town, where you really don’t plan on bringing much. So having something tiny for an emergency means you will actually take it, say in the frame bag of my fatbike.

The other one is ski touring in more complex terrain, and if it’s a hut overnight trip, that adds some snacks, a sleepingbag liner, and 1 pair clean socks and underpants. I count that s a “day trip” pack, because you are not carrying a stove, shelter, pad and sleeping bag.

For example, with the airbag, ski crampons, boot crampons, ice axe, harness and gear, I end up around 25 lbs/ 12 kg with just 1.2l of water. And that’s eight he smallest and lightest opens for all of my gear.
On the one hand I need to keep the weight in check to be able to ski down safely, but the more absolute issue is that I run out of space in my pack. Airbag packs are less space efficient and not available in very large sizes. I have the Scott 40l, which should have about 38l of free space after you discount the airbag. This is one of the bigger ones on the market.

I already added an external bottle holder, additional waist belt pocket and an external pocket (~8l) on the top.

For most of the winter, I use a Goosefeet parka as my warm layer for camp, rest breaks, cold descents etc.
https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/89957/

Here is a pic of my ski pack in action:

The full-length Blizzard jacket looks like legitimate emergency gear — a wearable blanket with sleeves. It’s waterproof — like having a built-in bivy. Possibly a lot of protection in a small package. If you get one (and open it), I would love to hear what you think of it.

OTOH, at 500 grams, it approaches the weight of a down quilt. MLD and AegisMax have quilts with head holes to be worn like a poncho in roughly similar weight range. Timmermade could probably do it even better.

I’ve used a down vest for years as a backup layer — good warmth to weight, and the lack of sleeves make it tolerable for active use (AD is better when active, but down is more compact and warmer — tradeoffs). Goose Feat Gear has made custom vest+detachable sleeves, while Jacks-R-Better sell sleeves to pair with a vest if you are undecided about the sleeves.

Patagonia DAS light hoodie.

https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-das-light-belay-hoody/85300.html?dwvar_85300_color=OBPL

Bill Budney’s link to blizzardsurvival.com looks like it may be the ticket.  Amazing range of products.

Glad the link helped, but Tjaard said that he was leaning toward a Blizzard jacket. I was just agreeing (and offering another way to think about quilts).

Blizzards own website (@Bill Budney’s link) doesn’t ship to the US. Perhaps because they are owned by a US company?

I have been able to find the long jacket for sale, as well as the blankets. but, like Bill posted out, the long jacket is getting pretty heavy.

The short 3 l jacket, at 260g seems like a great emergency layer, small enough to always bring along. If you have someone who needs more warmth, put them in a bothy bag or build a hypo wrap around them, but either way, they need insulation inside those, and the short jacket would be a great way of providing that at minimal weight.

@terran, do you think a Das Light Hoody offers the most warmth : weight ratio?

I think it’s not bad, and has good functionality, so I bought one for my wife. But I had not considered it in the high warmth: weight ratio garments. Can you explain some more?

I see the appeal in terms of compactness and weight. When I look at the pictures, the short jackets look like a small poncho-style vest with plastic sleeves. You could make something like that out of a Blizzard blanket with some tape and scissors in a few minutes. Sleeves could be made from a compactor (or other plastic) bag. It might not be as neat and simple as a Blizzard jacket, but it is possible to do (and about the same weight) using the more-readily-available Blizzard blankets.

260 grams (9 oz) is similar to a Ghost Whisperer or Timmermade’s down vest/sweaters. It is hard to imagine a Blizzard jacket being warmer per weight than Timmermade, but a Blizzard blanket adds more coverage plus waterproofness, which could be better in a real emergency.

Another thought about down is that I hesitate to crush it to tiny size and then leave it like that in the pack, while a vacuum-packed Blizzard is designed to remain packed until you need it. And you already have a nice down jacket.

This is probably the lightest/smallest/cheapest way to go for ’emergency’ use:

XeroVest: Emergency Air-Insulated Vest (on Amazon)

…but I have no experience with it.  You could spend $20 and test it out (and report back  :o).

YMMV

XeroVest: Emergency Air-Insulated Vest (on Amazon)

$18

you inflate it and it has 50 pockets.  aluminized nylon

it says it’s 2.4 ounces but amazon weights are often incorrect.  10x7x0.5 inches.