Ultra-lightweight, 100g-ish, emergency bivvy bag from Adventure Medical Kits.
Just in is the ultra-lightweight emergency bivvy bag from Adventure Medical Kits, a neat, compact little survival aid that means you have no excuse to go without, even when you're going light.
In fact we've been carrying one of these for a about a year now. It's tiny and weighs just 109g, the pack says 108g, but our scales say 109, so 109 it is... Anyway, it's small enough that it'll sit in a minimal mountain bike pack or runner's bum-bag and not be noticeable. Or in a larger pack too.
Way Tougher Than A Space Blanket
At this point you're thinking the dreaded words 'space blanket' and you'd be wrong. First, it is genuinely a bag, second, it's made from something called Heatsheets, a polyethyline material that's waterproof, windproof, reflects 90% of bopdy heat and, most importantly, is a lot tougher than Mylar, the shiny stuff that space blankets are made from.
The latter has a bad reputation with good reason. Sure, it's light and reflective but it tears and shreds with very little effort at all making it hopeless in windy conditions. To underline the point, Burton McCall, who import the AMK stuff into the UK, sent us sample sheet of Mylar and Heatsheets. The Mylar was terrifyingly easy to tear, no effort at all, just light pressue and it ripped apart.
In contrast, rather than failing catastrophically, the Heatsheets fabric stretches while retaining its wind and watproofing. It wrinkles and looks deformed, but stays in one piece, which is what matters. It has other pluses too, you can, for example, fold it back up and stow it away in the neat little stuff bag supplied, so it's not a one-use only affair. And if you do manage to puncture it - say you're attacked by an angry badger while sleeping, you can patch it easily using duct tape.
You Might Actually Carry It...
We reckon it's a brilliant bit of kit. Sure, a blokka bag or similar communal shelter will arguably be better overall and if weight's no object, we're big fans of the Blizzard Bag, but this does the job of a traditional heavy plastic survival bag at a fraction of the weight and size, which of course means that you're more likely to carry it when weight and bulk really count, which it turn might just save your life. Yes fell-runners and mountain-bikers, we do mean you... or us even.
The Adventure Medical Kits Emergency Bivvy retails for £15.49 and is distributed in the UK by Burton McCall - www.burton-mccall.co.uk. More about the AMK range at www.adventuremedicalkits.com.
