Back in the old days, before bivy-bags and mylar blankets, the plan was to carry a cagoule. One sat down, flexed the knees and pulled the hem of the cagoule almost down to the boot-tops, and spent the night cozy and

The rest of the time, the cagoule served as an anorak that hung down to one's knees, and spent the night cramped, but cozy. I tried it a couple of times while deer-hunting, and it was warmer than the alternative. Scrapped it when the bivy-sacks came along.

Does anybody currently carry and use a cagoule?

My back would never stand one night...

Kinda, in the past I had one of these and loved it. According to the prices I see now, I am glad I didn't have to pay for it directly. I would love to have one for each of my family, but I also love to be able to pay the bills.

I have a wool WWII Swiss greatcoat that is similar. It has become my favorite piece of gear for camping in the Texas winter. I got it from Sportsman's Guide on clearance for $14 but now the only one google turned up is this one.

-Blast

http://estore.websitepros.com/1764795/-strse-8/Bivanorak/Detail.bok

check out hillebergs bivanorak

I can't remember now which mountain man it was I read about that survived a blizzard by "building a cup full of fire, sitting around it cross legged (non P.C. term Indian style) wrapped a blanket around himself like a tipi" and weathered it out. I've always kept that little tidbit in mind living in an area where -40F isn't uncommon in winter. Always figured if I had to, my old fire dept bunker coat would be the best choice for the job.

My wife has one from Campmor. She calls it her Buggoule as
it is good for refuge from mosquitoes too.

Don't know how hell e berg can patent something so old as a cagoule.

Homeless folk around here will sit under some plastic with a
candle to survive the night.

Cavers keep a garbage bag tucked in their helmet suspension.
When deployed they use their carbide lamps to heat the air
in the shelter if they become injured and have to wait for
help.

With a larger tarp, several can sit our of the storm with
the edges tucked under them.

i don't have or need one..i always assumed they were a bit of mountaineering gear ment for quick shelter. no mountains around me but i get the impression it can go from ok to really bad and back again in a very short time with little space to pitch a shelter so you wear something you can hunker down in untill it clears up. the Hilleberg bivanorak is the perfect example of the quick mountain shelter.not something you would want to spent a nite in but great for a few guys to take cover in where there are few wind breaks.

I spent lots of nights huddled under a poncho in my old wool sweater. It's about the same thing, just not as refined. It wasn't snuggly warm, but survivable.

HI, you almost, but not quite got the idea of a cagoule.
If you have ever walked through the brush when it has been drizzling for a couple of days you will understand.
Old cagoules were rain gear.
Like Haley 1 says above, a poncho.
Except it is sewn together like a pullover.

They were made big enough to drape over you even with a pack on.
They were also made long enough to reach your ankles like a dress.
The reason they were so long was that every leaf on the shrubs holds a drop of water and it would soak you from the waist down as you walk through it.
Even if it was not raining enough to get your head wet your legs would be just soaked from the water on the low shrubs.
Today we would wear rain pants or leggings.
The cagoule was cheaper to make and better because the water would not run down your legs and into your boots as badly.

The time when you would pull the cagoule up around your waist would be if you were walking down a road or someplace without any bushes to brush against you, just to give your legs more freedom of movement.

The old cagoules I saw were oilcloth.
That is a light canvas which has been treated with linseed oil, a lot like those Australian Outback coats.
As for lighting a fire under a cagoule to stay warm, umm no. It would not work.

However seeing as a cagoule was rain gear and not a parka that means it is not bitterly cold and if you are wearing wool shirts, pants, and a sweater you shouldn't freeze and might even stay fairly warm. It would be almost the same as sleeping under a canvas tarp.
You could stuff it with anything bulky and dry too. (if you could find anything dry)
Not at all comfortable, but doable.

Yeah, like Haley says, it is the same as sleeping in a poncho.
I would not do that if I had a tarp or a tent.

The tent thing that Desperado showed has a configuration a lot like a cagoule when it is not pretending to be a tent.

Edit:
I do not own a cagoule. Whenever I have to travel through soggy brush like that I either wear rain pants or I make trash bag leggings.
It might look funny but if it keeps me 100% waterproof and warm I am all for it.

Ranger Rick had a tip that was similar - sitting round a candle with a poncho wrapped around you.

For all the fancy shelter options we have, I suspect that when things go badly wrong and it is dark, cold, late etc this might be the best way to get through night one.

We used the same technique. Wrap your poncho and poncho liner around you, with your head out side and a good seal around the neck, and leave a vent at ground level. Put your heat source inside, between your feet. You can also dig a hole and burn a fire in it until you have a good bed of coals. Cover it with a few inches of dirt and sit over it wrapped in your blankets. The heat will dry you out and warm you up.

Yup, not necessarily the most comfortable way to spend a cold night but it still works. It must've been a lot more common in the past. I know some oldtimers who used to sleep outdoors just wrapped in a woolen coat, big blanket or a shelter half (which they would also use as a raincoat) unless the weather was very cold or wet.

Nowadays with more gear available though I think a light sleeping bag combined with a poncho would be a better (more comfortable) choice. A bivy bag more so, but it tends to be more expensive.

These cagoules made by Northwerks look very nice, but I can't get myself to spring for one just yet. Maybe someday.
http://www.northwerks.com/

Somedays I think about sewing my own. Scroll to the bottom of the pattern page under the rain shed pattern section. I own the pattern but have yet to source fabric and spend the time to make one.
http://www.therainshed.com/

A cheap British Army Goretex Bivvi Bag makes for a more comfortable nights sleep than any cagoule being much more comfortable and waterproof. It is also has room enough to make a change of clothes in. i.e. allows you to get out of wet clothing for dry. I personally wouldn't use any material which isn't MVP (Moisture Vapour Permeable) including mylar blankets or the cagoule available at

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___77708

as it simply would make for a really poor nights sleep.

The Hilliberg bivanorak is at least made from an MVP material.

The Laksen Moose Jacket has a very large game pocket at the lower back and it is large enough to take the Goretex Bivvi.



Rolled up British Army Goretex Bivvi bag and the large game pocket on the Moose Jacket



The Moose Jacket has lots of other useful pocket space.

That's it!

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___77708


$39 dollars, weighs 16 ounces, fits in a stuffsack the size
of a pint water bottle,
taped seams, good for raincoat and pants, and for unexpected
bivouacs it beats a garbage bag.

The military bivy bag probably weighs more than twice as
much, costs more than twice as much, and then you need to
buy a rain coat and pants too.

All trade offs.

If I plan to sleep out, I will bring more
stuff for comfort, maybe a bivysack if the weather calls for it,
but if I am just out for the day, I am not going to lug a whole set of overnight gear.

For one night out, impermeable bivysacks,
or just rolling up in a tarp work okay anyway in my experience.

One thing we used to do, in my climbing days, for emergency shelter was one in a group of 4 carries a tarp. If shelter is needed, break out the tarp, everyone sits close together, tarp goes over everyone, tucked under your butts. It keeps you surprisingly warm, even without an external heat source. The actual name of that technique is something russian, named after a russian climber. Been so long I've forgotten it though

Oldsoldier,

Sounds like you are describing how a "bothy bag" works/is used. Could that be the name you were looking for?

And checking a few sites, looks like "Karrimor shelter" is an old term for the same thing but with heavier fabrics.

Hy and Happy New Year,

In France "cagoule" was introduced by alpinist like "Pierre Alain" who used itin conjunction with a small sleeping bag (elephant foot) in the high mountain (+ candle).

In french, the word "bivouak" has not the meaning of "camping". Bivouac is not a volontary action, it is improvisation.

So in high mountain, alpinist in 1930's could bring a big oiled (not exactly oil but "laque" from China) silk anorak "la cagoule" to protect them from high wind, and in their rucksack they could have "pied d'elephant" for emergency (not too much weight and bulk) along with a candle.

Reference in English : http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/news/2003-05-02/

didier.

The Russians in WWII were issued an ankle length wool overcoat and they were taught to huddle in groups with these. It worked in Siberia, not comfortable but survivable.

I was camping with some friends once, and one of them wrapped a piece of canvas around him, sat on a stool, and put a can of sterno between his legs. About two minutes later, he was up dancing around, slapping his leg, trying to put out the fire! He wasn't hurt, and someone else's pain is always funnier than your own.

If I remember correctly, it was SARBound (one of our own members) that suggested this method using a candle and a heatsheet. I have since tested this (really bored that weekend) and it was great.

What sort of candle did you use?

-Blast

Small, cheap, white and stolen from my wife's stores of candles. She has an endless supply. I could probably heat the house for one day or so in the Texas "winter". About 2" in diameter, and three inches tall (unscented).

Reminds me of my youth when I used to go ice fishing with my dad. It would be something like -5 F or so, I would be wearing a slightly larger than normal parka. When sitting waiting for a flag to pop, I would pull my arms in from the sleeves, tuck my head into the chest area, and would be plenty warm with the wind whipping around outside.

Boy, that takes me back.

MedB, I dont think so, but I am honeslty not 100% sure. It was something along the lines of the "_______ technique".