Emergency Bivy

Anybody ever spend an unexpected night out in the Whites (or ADK) in the winter? I've been trying to figure out the best winter emergency bivy situation. I can't imagine actually doing it; must be a shiverfest. But if anyone has any first hand experience with this I'd like to hear about it.

FYI, if you do a search on this site for "emergency bivy" you will find many threads regarding recommended supplies and a few experiences. This may give you a start.

mdavis said:

Anybody ever spend an unexpected night out in the Whites (or ADK) in the winter? I've been trying to figure out the best winter emergency bivy situation. I can't imagine actually doing it; must be a shiverfest. But if anyone has any first hand experience with this I'd like to hear about it.

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What constitutes an emergency?

I spent an unplanned cold night on Zealand ridge after the great ice storm of (umm 96?). Essentially, my progress was too slow to make it over the ridge.

But it didn't feel like an emergency. I had a bivy bag, a -20 bag, warm dry clothes, a cushion of food, plenty of fuel, etc...

I did learn that the foamy pads insulate much better than my new thermarest. And, I came closer to understanding why solo travel isn't a great idea during winter conditions.

The company I work for makes 2 emergency bivy shelters, pm me if you would like more info.

What Constitues an Emergency

An emergency for me would be having to spend a night out while day hiking for what ever reason without a sleeping bag or tent. So basically day hiking stuff.

Yea spending a night out in a -20 bag actually sounds kind of fun.

My options as far as I can tell are
1) AMS thermolite bivy which I already have
2) Bothy Bag which sounds interesting
3) Blizzard Sack which sounds interesting
4) BD Winter Bivy.

I would think having a shelter like the Bothy or Winter Bivy along with the Thermolite Bivy would be dooable for a night and still be lightweight for day hiking.

I would think there could be major issues if you did not have a winter sleeping bag to go inside the bivy - they will shield wind and precip, but I doubt they will add a ton of real warmth...just my two cents

I have an old North Face bivy bag, like this one or a VBL and a 3/4 length closed cell pad that I carry for emergencies. I figure I probably have enough clothing on and with me to not need additional insulation.

Chip said:

I have an old North Face bivy bag, like this one or a VBL and a 3/4 length closed cell pad that I carry for emergencies. I figure I probably have enough clothing on and with me to not need additional insulation.

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I guess I'd like to test that before I "had " to use it. I have a similar set up along with a space blanket bag but haven't tested it yet.

Test

Yea testing is probably a good idea. Its just that if you have a nice warm place its hard to make yourself go out into the cold and test your bivy gear. You know its not going to be fun.

mdavis said:

Yea testing is probably a good idea. Its just that if you have a nice warm place its hard to make yourself go out into the cold and test your bivy gear. You know its not going to be fun.

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That's why I haven't tested my set up yet but what I may do someday is start out with the survival set up in a lean-to with my sleeping bags near by to squirm into.

We also make a product called the '3/4' bag. It is, well, about 3/4 the length and weight of a regular sleeping bag, designed to be worn with a hooded parka and gloves etc, probably in a Bivy Bag or similar situation.

Lets all hope none of us never need to use any of this gear in an emergency situation, and it just stays stored in our packs.

My dad's motto was "It is better to have and not need, than to need and not have". Maybe that's why we could only ever manage car camping. You never know whan you may 'NEED' that entire set of cast iron cookware...

sapblatt said:

I would think there could be major issues if you did not have a winter sleeping bag to go inside the bivy - they will shield wind and precip, but I doubt they will add a ton of real warmth...just my two cents

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This is true!

I tried something like one of those "emergency" space blanket bivies when I had car troubles once in the winter. Temps in the 20s. I had warm clothes and a wool balaclava hat, but I was still cold sitting around. The bivy adds some warmth, but not a lot. Doing things like knee bends help to build heat for a while.

Did you have protection from the ground? Were you sitting on some ensolite foam or your pack? You have to insulate yourself from the cold, two bodies in the sheleter is warmer than one etc...

Our packs are frameless, and the padding for the back is removable and can be used as an emergency bedrest or a splint or whatever. But if say 3 people are staying in the shelter, you should have three packe to lay down as a base layer, as many clothes as comfortable for the injured party, and be out of the wind and rain until help arrives.

This is for an EMERGENCY, not for a night out in the wilderness for fun.

The Canadisn army and the guides in Chamonix depend on these, but hopefully never take them out of thie packs except for demonstrations.

Don't forget that the job of emergency bivy gear is to keep you alive, not necessarily comfortable. A space blanket/bivy sack will serve to keep the wind off you.

A note from the field:
When I was injured, I only had an 18 inch square sit pad. Fortunately, I was able to sit up on the pad to stay off the snow and lean back on my pack. The wind was light and my normal insulation, wind shell, and a down jacket were adequate to keep me warm enough until the evacuation team arrived. One could easily be injured in a way that required one to lie down--a full-length pad could be vital.

Doug

DougPaul said:

A note from the field:
When I was injured, I only had an 18 inch square sit pad. Fortunately, I was able to sit up on the pad to stay off the snow and lean back on my pack. The wind was light and my normal insulation, wind shell, and a down jacket were adequate to keep me warm enough until the evacuation team arrived. One could easily be injured in a way that required one to lie down--a full-length pad could be vital.

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I always figure too that in New England (below treeline), if I have to bivy it will most likely be because I am alone, injured, and can't walk. So whatever I carry must be easy enough to use that I can still make it function despite my being immobile and probably in pain.