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.