Equipped To Survive Equipped To Survive® Presents
The Survival Forum
Where do you want to go on ETS?

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Topic Options
#118456 - 01/02/08 01:23 AM Brrrr... help me pick a shelter!
CityBoyGoneCountry Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 369
1. Must be 4 season.
2. Must be able to fit in ALICE pack.
3. Must be able to accomodate my long legs (I'm 6'4").
4. MUST NOT BE TOO EXPENSIVE.

This is what I'm looking at right now:

Outdoor Research Alpine Bivy
MEC Hybrid Sleeping Bag -20C

Combined price of both is $371. This is roughly the price range I'm trying to stay within. I'm willing to go a little higher if the benefits are worth it, but not too much higher.

Let's hear your input!

Top
#118461 - 01/02/08 02:00 AM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: ]
Blast Offline
INTERCEPTOR
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 07/15/02
Posts: 3760
Loc: TX
Quote:
He told me one thing that's stuck with me. DONT USE BIVYS IN COLD WEATHER. You end up creating ZERO air space between you and the tent wall. He sound he found the more dead space you have inside the tent the more comfortable you are.


And you are just getting around to telling us this NOW?! grin

-Blast
_________________________
Foraging Texas
Medicine Man Plant Co.
DrMerriwether on YouTube
Radio Call Sign: KI5BOG
*As an Amazon Influencer, I may earn a sales commission on Amazon links in my posts.

Top
#118478 - 01/02/08 02:34 AM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: ]
ironraven Offline
Cranky Geek
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 09/08/05
Posts: 4642
Loc: Vermont
I've never had a major problem using them in Vermont, can't comment on Florida. :P But my bivy is little more than a bag cover, it is nothing fancy- a nylon body bag would work just as well, probably.

You have to remember ventilation, a decent sleeping bag for the temperature, and to have something between you and the ground.
_________________________
-IronRaven

When a man dare not speak without malice for fear of giving insult, that is when truth starts to die. Truth is the truest freedom.

Top
#118479 - 01/02/08 02:40 AM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: CityBoyGoneCountry]
Troglodyte007
Unregistered



Top
#118480 - 01/02/08 02:54 AM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: ]
CityBoyGoneCountry Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 369
Originally Posted By: Troglodyte007


Nice hammock. I would feel like a punching bag for a bear.

Top
#118482 - 01/02/08 03:01 AM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: ]
Alan_Romania Offline

Addict

Registered: 06/29/05
Posts: 648
Loc: Arizona
looks like a very cold night to me.
_________________________
"Trust in God --and press-check. You cannot ignore danger and call it faith." -Duke

Top
#118501 - 01/02/08 05:44 AM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: Alan_Romania]
Art_in_FL Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/01/07
Posts: 2432
I never much liked tents. Too confining. If I wanted to stay indoors I would stay home.

Down here in the SE possibly the ultimate shelter is IMHO a 8' by 10' tarp and a few pieces of mosquito netting. In rain and hail it makes a decent shelter set up as lean-to or any of a half-dozen other shapes. When the wind gets strong or there is nothing to support a conventional shelter, or your simply too tired, I simply roll up in it forming a 'burrito roll'.

I once slept through a good part of a hurricane snug in my roll on top of a sand hill and away from trees. The roll has nothing to catch the wind and rain just rolled off. My pack and bots were stuffed into a large garbage bag.

After the storm passed, it took most of six hours for the worse to clear, I hiked out through so many downed trees it was like a bomb went off. A huge area was without power and the normally small streams had jumped their banks.


Top
#118525 - 01/02/08 01:40 PM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: CityBoyGoneCountry]
saniterra Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 08/07/06
Posts: 68
Loc: Mebane, NC
I would recommend that you at least evaluate an ultralight single wall tent as an alternative to the bivy. Outdoor Research makes one, the NightHaven Pocket Shelter, that is cheaper than the bivy and provides more protection against both the elements and small critters. It is essentially floorless, but a fitted floor is available. Try MoabSports.com and their $0.01 (US) buyer's club membership for good prices. The NightHaven appears to be out of stock at the moment, but they will honor their current prices on a backorder. I have had very good luck with them. +1 on the sleeping pad - more comfort and insulation.

Top
#118548 - 01/02/08 03:36 PM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: saniterra]
KenK Offline
"Be Prepared"
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 2210
Loc: NE Wisconsin
Is this shelter for living in or surviving in?

If its for living, I don't know of anything that compact that is 4-season.

If its for surviving, then I might suggest two large orange trash bags and a mylar emergency blanket. One bag for the top (with a hole for your face), one for the bottom, and sit on the mylar blanket w/ leaves & debris for insulation.

Top
#118556 - 01/02/08 04:10 PM Re: Brrrr... help me pick a shelter! [Re: KenK]
CityBoyGoneCountry Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 11/04/07
Posts: 369
Originally Posted By: KenK
Is this shelter for living in or surviving in?

If its for living, I don't know of anything that compact that is 4-season.

If its for surviving, then I might suggest two large orange trash bags and a mylar emergency blanket. One bag for the top (with a hole for your face), one for the bottom, and sit on the mylar blanket w/ leaves & debris for insulation.


Unfortunately, we can't pick and choose what time of the year a disaster might happen. If you had to bug-out in the middle of a freezing winter, do you think some garbage bags and a mylar blanket would be good enough? Personally, I would like something more than that.

It's true that I can't fit the best tent in the world in a backpack, but some kind of tent is infinitely better than no tent at all, IMHO.

Top
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >



Moderator:  Alan_Romania, Blast, cliff, Hikin_Jim 
November
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Who's Online
0 registered (), 321 Guests and 129 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Aaron_Guinn, israfaceVity, Explorer9, GallenR, Jeebo
5370 Registered Users
Newest Posts
Leather Work Gloves
by Jeanette_Isabelle
Today at 12:37 AM
Satellite texting via iPhone, 911 via Pixel
by Ren
11/05/24 03:30 PM
Emergency Toilets for Obese People
by adam2
11/04/24 06:59 PM
For your Halloween enjoyment
by brandtb
10/31/24 01:29 PM
Chronic Wasting Disease, How are people dealing?
by clearwater
10/30/24 05:41 PM
Things I Have Learned About Generators
by roberttheiii
10/29/24 07:32 PM
Gift ideas for a fire station?
by brandtb
10/27/24 12:35 AM
The price of gold
by dougwalkabout
10/20/24 11:51 PM
Newest Images
Tiny knife / wrench
Handmade knives
2"x2" Glass Signal Mirror, Retroreflective Mesh
Trade School Tool Kit
My Pocket Kit
Glossary
Test

WARNING & DISCLAIMER: SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Information posted on this forum is not reviewed for accuracy and may not be reliable, use at your own risk. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site.