Shelter? Sleeping provision? For a Get Home Bag?????

OREGON FAL'ER said:
I keep my wiggy's bag in the car. It's really a sleep system, it's a zero degree bag during the fall/winter/spring and a 30 degree bag during summer. I keep the bag , pad and bivy sack inside a compression sack in the rig full time.
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Keeping a bag compressed constantly reduces the loft of the bag and , thus, its insulation value.

Fold a nylon spatula and let go. Now fold it, put a cinder block on it, and come back in six months. Like that. A number of companies that make sleeping bags point this out.

Slumberjack used to include a cotton storage bag in the box - 30 gal or larger, and they urged you to store the bag in the storage bag and not the stuff sack.
 
Have a poncho for sure but a rain suit will keep more of you a hell of a lot drier and keep a whole lot more of you out of the wind when on the move and can be an extra layer in your overnite spot......Frog togs are breathable and cheap and they will last at least three days.....If you can find one, a cagoule is an interesting item and again is better on the move than a poncho and makes a half assed bivy sack when unsnapped and draw strung(?)........Try to find a rainsuit in a breathable fabric or the Tyvek the Froggies are made of........The sewn half way up poncho liner is good and compact but is hardly a cold weather bag.......I have been meaning to try one of those fleece cocoon things.....Fleece is great because it dries so fast......You can sling it around and get a bunch of water out and it will retain some warmth when wet, like wool........Has anyone tride using a fleece blanket and sewing it along the bottom and halfway up the sides??????....... Inquiring minds would like to know....How about some of the new Microfiber blankies ?????....

Thanks for the question Col.........

Ethan
 
where does the 'walking home for three days away from civilization' criteria come from?
three days is a long time to expect to see NO civilization at all. If I were going out that far I'd probably pack extra, and otherwise keep the get-home back quite a bit lighter.
 
Id honestly rather carry the extra weight, id rather a comfortable 5 day hike, than a miserable 3 day hike. Now if i feel my family is in trouble at home or something along those lines id drop everything but my 9 rig and run home.
 
daizee said:
where does the 'walking home for three days away from civilization' criteria come from?
three days is a long time to expect to see NO civilization at all. If I were going out that far I'd probably pack extra, and otherwise keep the get-home back quite a bit lighter.
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There's a certain amount of evasion, and other slowing factors that lead to the 3 day number being a common time frame...if you have stuff and others don't...you can't walk in a straight line from work to home...
 
As society declines, I have reduced the distance I work from home.
If things suddenly go bad, my oldest son will have the house buttoned up tight.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Keeping a bag compressed constantly reduces the loft of the bag and , thus, its insulation value.

Fold a nylon spatula and let go. Now fold it, put a cinder block on it, and come back in six months. Like that. A number of companies that make sleeping bags point this out.

Slumberjack used to include a cotton storage bag in the box - 30 gal or larger, and they urged you to store the bag in the storage bag and not the stuff sack.
Click to expand...

This is very true. And synthetic fills are more susceptible to losing loft that high quality down insulation. Ideally, neither insulation should be stored for extended periods in a compressed state.
 
Ethan Becker said:
Have a poncho for sure but a rain suit will keep more of you a hell of a lot drier and keep a whole lot more of you out of the wind when on the move and can be an extra layer in your overnite spot......Frog togs are breathable and cheap and they will last at least three days.....If you can find one, a cagoule is an interesting item and again is better on the move than a poncho and makes a half assed bivy sack when unsnapped and draw strung(?)........Try to find a rainsuit in a breathable fabric or the Tyvek the Froggies are made of........The sewn half way up poncho liner is good and compact but is hardly a cold weather bag.......I have been meaning to try one of those fleece cocoon things.....Fleece is great because it dries so fast......You can sling it around and get a bunch of water out and it will retain some warmth when wet, like wool........Has anyone tride using a fleece blanket and sewing it along the bottom and halfway up the sides??????....... Inquiring minds would like to know....How about some of the new Microfiber blankies ?????....

Thanks for the question Col.........

Ethan
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Cagoule! Mr. Becker you never cease to impress!

As for fleece of microfiber, while the insulating properties of the fabric are compelling, the material lacks any real wind resistance. This could be a problem in some open bivy situations.
 
A military Poncho for a quick shelter, rigged low with 550 cord, a Hootch, mainly a protection for Wind and wetness. Sleeping under a structure is best, just spend some time looking before deploying a Hootch.

To stay warm, you need insulation from the cold ground, this is hard to pack in a 72 hour fit, you'll need to make from Garbage or natural materials. I also pack a Thermo-lite 2.0, I've sleep in rain gear, and the Thermo lite, the Thermo lite is a good piece of gear and easier to use than my Bivy(smaller and lighter to pack too). As the seasons change, vary the weight of your Fleece in your pack, although a 300 weight can be nice year round, I can live with cold legs, so unless it's winter, I don't pack thermals for my legs.

Your not going to sleep comfy with a light weight kit, you might get cold, but you won't freeze to death. Pack plenty of Powerbars, extra calories in your belly can fight off a few more degrees of cold.

Great post, prepared people ROCK.
 
I keep my North Face Bighorn, in a 9 strap military compression sack. I leave it unstrapped, like so:

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But it will compress well when needed:

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Breathing aside, you constantly give off moisture (as your body tried to keep relative humidity at 100%). It migrates away, and when it reaches dew point (Remember breathing on a single-pane window?) it condenses.

If its cold, dew point is on the surface of, or even inside, the sleeping bag/coat. The liquid moisture is absorbed readily by down. If field conditions do not allow drying out the bag/garment (most of the U.S. in Winter), it gets steadily wetter=flatter=less insulation.

Polyester, being texturized plastic, is hydrophobic and therefore handles moisture much better. Body heat tends to drive moisture away from you ("wicking') and the material dries much more readily in the field. That is why polyester dominates insulation for Arctic and Antarctic expeditions (except for New Zealand groups who like wool for obvious reasons).

Whatever you decide on, try it out in practice sessions. Better to find out in your back yard that you need other gear than when your survival is on the line.
 
Balldboy said:
There's a certain amount of evasion, and other slowing factors that lead to the 3 day number being a common time frame...if you have stuff and others don't...you can't walk in a straight line from work to home...
Click to expand...

Aha, see, I was missing the basic assumption that civilization has become instant chaos nd everyone is out to get you. In my limited experience this is a very far-fetched scenaario.
 
Car can't move in the snow, and you folks at home that depend on you. No power, no water, and a cellphine call to my family saying I'm staying here, ya'll take care, ain't happenin' with this fella. If I got feet that work, I'm foot mobile to home. Might not take 3 days to get there, then again, covering 20 miles in heavy snow on goot, could take just that.

Emergency bivvy, with a Snugpack Jungle bag will keep you warm and dry, but you have to be warm and dry, when you get in. A 12 hr candle inside a mylar bivvy ( open slightly to vent) will get to about 65 degrees in 15 minutes.

Frogg Toggs are a godend, they are a water proof shelter that you wear, cost next to nothing in comparison to a single tent, and can be found at you local China Mart. Throw them in a compression sack, as they have no filler to compress, should be around the sizr of a football when you're done Col.

Mylar emergency blankets are littered all throughout my gear, and I just recently started adding the bivvys to the mix. Now, they make a 1 man tent outta the stuff, that packs down like a to a cigar box. One of those, a couple of 12 hr candles, and you got warm and dry for the night.

Wool is heavy, but works well when wet. Mylar works just as good, and never gets wet, its a vapor barrier.

Moose
 
When its cold out dress for the weather or at least have gear with you to dress for the weather. A Carhart or similar insulated coverall, a few extra insulating layers (fleece or poly) and a sleeping bag is all the sleeping gear you need to get home (including popper footwear and a face ,mask and gloves). If I am walking home from work, things are not good and I doubt I will be pitching a tent along the way...
 
I think my GHB would be my EDC bag (mainly for my water bottle and GSI cup) and a BK2. I agree with Moose. I have a wife and 3 small kids at home so if something were to happen and my family needed me at home, I would choose the most direct path and me and my BK2 would destroy anything that got in our way. lol. Those of you without kids may think I am joking, those with kids know exactly what I'm saying. Theres nothing that would stop me from getting to my little ones. I think maybe a poncho or rain gear would help but Im not stopping to put up a shelter. Even if it takes 3 days to get home, I wont stop til I get there.
 
Whole bunches of good ideas here, some of which I will try for sure. I will always have a small knife on me so no need for one in the GHB. The question about three days is just that my wife and I now live alone (kids all gone) and I need to get back home for sure. Home is reasonably well equipped for most scenarios and is my bug out location. My lifestyle is such that 90% of the time I am within 30 miles of home and 99% of the time within 60 miles; hopefully I can walk 60 miles in three days and 30 miles in one or two days.. Obviously none of us can prepare for every possibility but I guess what I am looking for is a 90% plan that will cover my most likely situations.

Great ideas so far and if anyone has more please keep them coming!!
 
Great question from the OP. Some great answers throughout the thread.

My situation is that I work some 34 miles from home. and regardless of my route home will have to go through 1 large or 1 smaller town and cross 2 rivers to get there (assuming the bridges are out). I figure with the areas I'll have to go thru and the water crossings, plus having to skirt a lake. I will not get home in less than a day and a half at best. 3 days is more likely.

I tend to pack lighter and move faster when possible. Right now my GHB is a Large Mountian smith butt pack with suspenders and it holds mosteverything I feel I will need to get to the house. While I do keep a sleeping bag in the vehicle, I only carry a mylar bivy bag, tarp, 2 large garbage bags, & 100' of 550 cord along with a BK2 blade. If I do stop to lay over somewhere for a while I can pile up enough debris around the bivy for insulation on the garbage bags and under the tarp. I won't be real warm, but with some calories in me to burn off I won't freeze either. If it gets that cold, I will dig a dakota hole and have a small fire.
 
I carry a military poncho and liner. The liner makes a good blanket and the pocho can be used as a shelter. I also reccomend coffe singles or energy gels...something to keep you going.
 
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