Why I Pack My Fears

“Photos show bothy bags as cubes, but am I correct in thinking that they have no structure? Do you use skis or poles for support, or does it just drape around you, like a human-size stuff sack?”

yeah my bothy looks nothing at all like that windsack. It balloons up like a tent and is completely off my body. It’s basically a small tent.

Photos show bothy bags as cubes, but am I correct in thinking that they have no structure? Do you use skis or poles for support, or does it just drape around you, like a human-size stuff sack?

Some bothy bags have pockets that you can insert a trekking pole into to support it, but they’re mainly given structure by the people sitting in them. (See the description under “Our Verdict” here – ignore the errant apostrophe.)

Bill, Did you read the article at the link posted above about the AMC and AMK using these bags in the NE of the USA.? They are basically bags and you sit up or lie down inside them. They are temporary shelters to get out of the wind where there is no other shelter for 30 or 45 minutes during the day or emergency shelters to overnight in.  They are not designed for comfort.

Some of them have a grommet for a ski pole to hold the ceiling up a bit. The Hilleberg Windsack has some anchor points to hold it down with skis or ski poles so the wind does not blow the shelter away before you get in it.

start this at about 5 30 minutes. Other bothys have a means for using a hiking pole as a support.

Hi Bill – that film is of quite a big 4-person bothy, which is why it’s so flappy for single use. With a smaller one you simply drape it around you – it’s really not rocket science.

I carry a very thin closed cell mat to sit on, and if it’s windy I’ll tuck the edges of the bothy under the mat.

As others have said, it’s only meant for quick breaks or life-threatening emergencies – comfort is not the priority.

Having said that, I’m quite intrigued by JScott’s idea that a bothy-style shelter might be more comfortable than a traditional bivvy for overnighting. There’s plenty space to store your gear inside, to sit up and eat, to change clothes, to read maps etc. Then you simply tuck it around you to sleep. With a longer design and a couple of tunnel vents, condensation should be manageable for a night or two.

An idea I might play around with.

Does this help? In a 2p you can sit across from each other, or if alone, you place your backpack on the other end and push on it a bit with your legs. It will be off your face, though not off the top of your head/back. When I’ve tested one it gave a ton of warmth, for example to take a quick brake, or to sort yourself out. I’d say separation from your back and head would be warmer – but this is super quick. And that is where it can be so valuable. High wind/storm, exposed on a ridge, and you need to be sheltered for a bit for whatever reason.

I assume [the tubes] are ventilation and intended to keep rain out

That is my understanding, yes.

One of the tubes is the stuff sack for the bothy.

The Hilleberg and Fjallraven sacks have head holes so that you can optionally stick your face or head out of the bag (or just leave them open for ventilation). The Hilleberg can be pitched as a tarp or used as a bivvy (waterproof bottom; breathable top), as well. While not really a poncho, you could walk in it, like a walking burrito.

Hilleberg also has a Bivanorak that can be worn like a Mountain Poncho, or can be extended down to a drawstring footbox to convert it into a bivvy. It claims to be both PU-coated (3000 mm HH) and breathable. Somebody smarter than me will have to explain how that works. Still, at 19 oz, it’s a poncho-alternative.

To round out the list of multi-purpose emergency shelters, the USGI military poncho can be used as a ground cloth, pitched as a 5×7-foot tarp, or used as a makeshift bivvy. The matching poncho liner can be used as a puffy coat or as a warm-weather sleeping bag inside the poncho/bivvy. The poncho weighs 18 oz and the liner about 29 oz, for a total under 3 lbs (1.4 kg).

Several different approaches to multi-function shelters. Inexpensive bothies appear to be common in the UK (and rare in the US).

Nice. I see that the Exped Bivybag Duo UL weighs half as much as the Hilleberg Windsack at about the same price. Other differences: Exped has arms and can be worn like a poncho; Hilleberg has a breathable top/side. Tradeoffs.

I carry a bothy bag (“Lifesystem Ultralight Survival 2”) on all my hikes (even day hikes) because at 204 grams, it’s a great non-emergency place to get away from mosquitos, cold, wind, rain, sun, etc. and collect myself, check a map or phone, eat a snack, change my socks, etc. I don’t want to spend the time setting up a tarp shelter if I’m only planning on stopping for a few minutes. Deploying it takes about 3 seconds, so when the sky opens up you don’t have to fight with a WPB shell, tarp, or poncho.

In the winter, I add to this a WM HotSac VBL at 99 grams as an emergency overnight shelter, which I could also slip inside under the bothy bag, or wear it like a “snuggly”.

So for about 300 grams, you’re all set for a quick shelter or overnight in bad conditions. These take very little pack space. In fact, I often carry both in a 13L Mountainsmith Day lumbar pack and have plenty of room for anything I need on a long day hike or overnight.

If you do choose to buy a bothy and want to carry it in cold weather, I’d advise against getting one with one of those TPU windows. Sadly, most models seem to have them. I’ve heard that at low temperatures the windows freeze up and shatter. The shards could cut you or shred the bothy fabric. It’s not worth the extra weight of the TPU either. I mean, do you really want to see the hellscape you are in when things go pear-shaped?

If you want to see the bothy in action, I was just caught in a severe thunderstorm far from a trailhead just a few weeks ago. No audio, but the wind and lightning were the loudest I’d heard in years, and the rain was so bad I walked back in the evening in 4 inches of water over the trails, which were at that point small rivers:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cu-3d84tYo6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The bothy is great if you don’t mind sitting out bad weather, otherwise go for a poncho or umbrella (my personal choice for start/stop rainy summer days). Condensation is manageable, though your shirt will feel damp if you stay in there too long. You can lift the edges a bit to bring in some fresh air, and when you do that you’ll quickly appreciate the term “microclimate”. These things work!

One other tip…deploy them off trail a bit. Here in New England, no one uses them and if anyone sees a big orange bag near the trail, they’ll assume either it’s garbage and try to pick it up or that you are injured and need help.