Are group shelters or Bothy bags commonly used in North America?



These group shelters are invaluable in the type of weather this unfortunate group had to deal with.

Combine a 4 person Bothy bag (500gms) with lightweight Thermarest lite seats (each at 100gms can be compressed enough to fit a pocket) and this may have saved this womans life. They can even be used to change into dry clothes stored in a dry sack or even get a hot drink going with a lightweight gas stove and pot.

http://www.thermarest.com/product_detail.aspx?pID=45&cID=4



A few pounds weight shared 4 ways amounts to virtually nothing!