Emergency Shelters


Posted BY Ian under camping-advice

If you don't plan on camping but can foresee the need for some sort of shelter if things go wrong (weather closes in, you get delayed), you will want to carry an emergency shelter of some sort. There is a school of thought that says that carrying emergency kit along only increases the chance that you will need it. Be wary of this adage until you have the experience to make a full judgment for yourself.

Depending upon the likelihood of needing that shelter, and the severity of conditions should one be needed, you can carry, in ascending order of value:
  • a space blanket is more a way of preserving heat, these very compact sheets of coated plastic are not much use except as a very temporary measure before getting to real shelter or assistance.
  • an survival bag is a large, strong and usually high-visibility orange bag, of a size to get right inside and away from wind and rain. They are not sophisticated and lack any seal to the open end but are still much better than nothing.
Either of the above can, and arguably should, be carried on every trip into the outdoors. The next two items are for more serious situations, ones where you do not intend to take a tent along.
  • The bothy bag takes its name from the network of simple shelters scattered throughout the highlands of Scotland (For more on these go to the site of the Mountain Bothy Association). The concept is a simple one: a large waterproof envelope is stuffed inside a small sack and carried as group equipment (sizes vary from 3-12 people) ready to be whipped out quickly as required. The fabric stops wind and rain from getting in, and also stops a certain amount of heat from getting out. I've been in a large shelter with lots of bodies and we soon produced enough heat to warm even the previously cold group members. There's no need to wait for an emergency either. These make for great shelters during a lunch stop on foul days.
  • The bivy bag (derived from the word bivouac) is a personal shelter that can be used as an alternative to a tent. Top of the range models use the best waterproof and breathable materials such as Goretex, meshing for ventilation without allowing bugs to get inside, and sometimes a hoop to provide some (very limited) headroom. Bivy bags are much lighter than even the lightest of tents but do not allow for much more than a sleeping space. They are not ideal for anything but short trips.
There's not much difference between the various models of space blankets and survival bags. They need no further mention. I will do a review of bothy bag and bivy bag models in later articles.