Emergency Bivy

During alpine attempts, I normally take a layered clothing system that allows me to adjust to the temperature and my physical exertion level. Last year I was ahead of schedule and decided to stop and catch an hour nap before I tackled a technical section of rock. Once I layered up and put on my clothes, I realized I was at greater risk from cold than darkness and had to keep moving on. Up to this point the only bivy I have ever carried was a cheap reflective blacket. What type of emergency bivy equipment are you carrying, if anything?

Nothing? (Crickets)

Not sure how your layering system relates to bivies. (bivys?). There was a saying to the effect of "If you bring bivy gear, you will be forced to use it," or something like that. Implying if you carry enough emergency crap with you, you'll move slower and use the bivy gear.

If I'm planning a day trip, but realize it could take a little longer if I deal with the unexpected, I'll bring a headlamp. That's about it.

There, that should help with the crickets!

If I see being benighted as a legitimate concern I'll bring along a superlite bothy from Terra Nova. I love mine for mountaineering or high alpine objectives where I know I might be pushing it.

terra-nova.co.uk/tarps-bivi…

IRCC Chouinard made the comment about bivy gear. I am trying to think of the last time I brought bivy gear just in case. Not sure I ever have. Not to say I have not brought bivy gear but in those cases I planned to bivy. I have gone light and slept cold - done that plenty of times in the Tetons and Rockies.

You mentioned bringing clothes and putting them all on and being cold. That says too me you did not bring the right clothing regardless. I almost always have an extra layer when climbing just in case conditions change.

One thing that I do not like about the vast majority of the packs made today - the back pad is not removable. Being able to use the pad for a planned bivy sucks. I have even removed the original and replaced it with a therm-a-rest for some climbs. In those cases I can use the pad, crawl into my pack, wear a puffy, and be comfortable.

As an emergency measure to carry on long routes, just in case, perhaps the best bang for your ounce is to carry a basic Bic lighter.

The simple answer is: just carry a headlamp. Keep going all night and you'll stay warm. Or do pushups if you can't proceed safely. Doing pushups and sit-ups all night is preferable to trying to stay warm in a little foil bag. Those things are probably more often detrimental (offering a false sense of security) than they are helpful (try sleeping in your backyard in one sometime and see how it goes). An "oh-shit!" puffy jacket can make a big difference here.

The rub is: what happens if you or someone in your party is hurt? This is the scenario where carrying a small sleeping bag and pad could be the difference between life and death. You could carry a 1-lb 30-degree down bag and a 10-oz pad and drastically increase your odds if something goes very wrong.

There is a big difference between comfort (catching some extra zzz's on your approach) and having just enough gear to stay alive all night.

I usually just carry a headlamp, knowing that if I (for example) were to break a leg, my best alternative would still be to keep moving any way that I can. Which would suck, and could be life-threatening depending on conditions. In winter, on more remote trips in the alpine, or long climbs where you could be stranded on a ledge or something, I could see taking <2 lbs of contingency plan: light down bag, pad, maybe a waterproof cover.

There's a range of options here, from bringing an extra warm down jacket, to minimal bivy gear (which in my mind *always* includes some down) to a full sleep-tight setup. It's silly to not carry anything at all based on a dogmatic interpretation of the reasoning that taking bivy gear will force you to bivy.

• Edit: I also bought a really bright headlamp (Petzl Nao) as backup in case I get caught up in the alpine after dark. Weight-wise I think it's a pretty good bang-for-ounce.

Jonathan Awerbuch wrote:... carry a headlamp. Keep going all night and you'll stay warm ...

I seem to recall the story that when the great old-time mountain explorer and climber John Muir reached the summit of Mt Whitney his first time, it was getting dark. So he danced on the summit most of the night.

Starting a climb (or approach) an hour before dawn often can work as a test of carrying enough clothing for the "just keep going" strategy -- since just before dawn is typically the coldest period of night.

Unless the night following is windy.

Ken

Usually in big pack at base:

• fire starter goo
• hurricane matches
• extra water

Carried on big committing climbs:

• puffy
• wind stopper cap
• SOL bag
• extra layer top and/or bottom
• rain coat
• extra food to eat just before going to sleep

A big help is to use every bit of climbing software (slings and rope) to isolate you from the ground. ... and snuggle up!

The above made a good enough night where temps likely did not get below the low 40's.

And everyone stays up telling stories and jokes until midnight so no one wakes up and stays up hours before light(borrowed from someone else)

Jonathan Awerbuch wrote:The simple answer is: just carry a headlamp. Keep going all night and you'll stay warm. Or do pushups if you can't proceed safely. Doing pushups and sit-ups all night is preferable to trying to stay warm in a little foil bag.

This is horrible advice. Have you ever done push-ups all night OR stayed in an ultralight bivy overnight?

Doing push-ups all night might sound doable until you actually try it. If you end up bivying, things have probably already gone wrong and you'll be exhausted. Wasting precious energy you need to figure your way out the next morning by doing hours of push-ups is a bad idea. If you have no other option, by all means stay active if you must stay warm, but you'll be wayyy better off bringing an ~8oz emergency bivy. They're a lot warmer than you'd think.

Keithb00ne wrote:What type of emergency bivy equipment are you carrying, if anything?

Can't emphasize enough that the rope and slings are part of your emergency bivy equipment ... and the fatter all-nylon slings shine. Else, the rock/ground will suck the heat right out of you.

Bill Lawry wrote: Can't emphasize enough that the rope and slings are part of your emergency bivy equipment ... and the fatter all-nylon slings shine. Else, the rock/ground will suck the heat right out of you.

Good advice. When my brother and I got stranded on top of the Elephant's Perch in late October this year, we laid our ropes down as a pad, stuck our feet in our small day packs, and shared a one person bivy sack...the $20 kind from adventure medical kits I believe. It's a glorified space blanket sewn into a sleeping bag shape. It was next to impossible to squeeze both of us in there and we tore it up in the process but the whole setup kept us surprisingly warm for a 28 degree night.

The ultimate ultralight bivy is a heavy duty garbage bag and a small candle.

A dead tauntaun.

rging wrote:The ultimate ultralight bivy is a heavy duty garbage bag and a small candle.

Interesting, I haven't heard of this one. I believe the just keep going mindset is a disaster waiting to happen. If I am using my bivy, it's because I'm lost, hurt or it's dangerous to proceed at night in my condition. My reflective blanket has proven useful on more than one occasion. Once was a temporary shelter in an unplanned storm/flash flood, one time I used it as a makeshift rain suit, one time I used it to help an injured climber in shock. On alpine bids, a knife, duct tape, and garbage bag or reflective blanket can make a bad situation more bearable.