This was the first bivy sack I ever bought. Despite my friends commenting that I look like a bear burrito, this thing does the trick. It’s big enough for me to hide inside (5’11”) with most of my stuff and it’s light and cheap. If you want to see how you like a bivy or want to get something minimal for those warm summer trips, this can inexpensively fill that roll.

i’ll add that this can combine with one or two sleeping bag liners(silk/flannel) to make a really compact, really light sleep system for 40 degrees+, or 50+ comfortably. i put a small tear in mine the first night i used it, but it is repairable.

This is a great bivy bag for relatively dry conditions. I have used mine on dozens of nights out. It doesn’t breath very well (no bivy bags do), so often I just use it as a ground tarp. If I get a little cold at night or, heaven forbid, it starts raining, I’ll jump inside it.

I have weathered a few downpours in it, and it’s alright, but I much prefer a tarp system to keep the rain off. In combination with a small tarp, this bag is a very comfortable setup.

Look for the new “version 2” of this bag (pictured above). Besides being 30% stronger, it’s also tapered at the foot, making it smaller/lighter. On average the old versions lasted me about 2 years each (and many nights out) before I’d tear them. So far so good on the newer stronger version.

A good emergency bivvy, and a fantastic value. I bring a tarp or something else when I expect rain, but this thing is so small and cheap, you can bring it on long day adventures just in case.

I’ve used this one some and the lighter (garbage bag style) version more. This one is more comfortable to actually try sleeping in. It seems durable. I usually carry the lighter one as an emergency option. It sometimes get used as a ground sheet, sometimes to add a bit of weatherproofness to my sleeping bag (usually just around my feet), and sometimes I’ve slept in it. Sweaty and uncomfortable, but I’m still alive.

This is an indespensible item for light-weight bikepacking. I’ve used one on many cool, high altitude nights in Colorado along with a light down bag. I wonder what you could do with 3 of them… super-light & packable. I’ll bet this technology is going to get better!

Although it’s pretty decent for dry nights and the occasional downpour, I just weathered an awful hailstorm with the version shown above. Because of the velcro closures and 3/4 side entry, hail managed to find its way into the sack, providing a very cold and sleepless night. The cheaper version may not last as long but it’s trash bag style without the 3/4 side entry is much more impervious to the wet weather.

I guess that’s why it’s called an “emergency” bivy though, as it did get me through a 30 degree night with a very wet down sleeping bag. I would have been in trouble without it.

I’d like to update my impressions, after having actually used the smaller 3 oz version for an unplanned bivouac (ie just it, cycling clothes, and a fire). It provided a surprising amount of warmth. It alone would have made the summer night (in Utah, at 8800′) doable. It with the fire meant I actually slept fairly well. I did have to discard it after, the fire had melted it a bit.

Mandatory gear, cannot imagine more warmth for the weight.

I have the regular size model i used it in a rain storm last summer and it worked great with waterproofness but if water got in the opening you got soaked so you have to pull the opening over your head and it dosent breath at all you will sweat and it does hold body heat great for someone who packs light on bike pack trips

It is absolutly a steal compared to other items in the survival category i paid 20 bucks for mine and the only complain i have is that my brother and my parents said it looked like i was sleeping in a body/trash bag haha and it dosent breath at all but in an emergency what are you more concerned with comfort and lugsury or survival and warmth
and with a sleeping pad it works awesome for bikepacking

I’ve been using the Adventure Medical Thermolite emergency bivy for over 10 years as a sleeping bag cover and emergency shelter. I’ve wound up in them myself for unexpected nights out as well as planned use as part of a sleep system. I’ve used it as a standalone sleeping system with a down vest and wool clothing.

Warm and comfortable, the only caveat I have is it is quite a moist sleep and you have to air them out upon returning home or they can get stanky so you don’t want to use them EXCEPT in a real emergency. At that time, its best to just replace them as they are quite affordable.

I’ve put it thru its paces off the bike as a mountain rescue volunteer and backcountry patroller on Mount Rainier in the winter, and have used them to package more than one person with broken legs or worse for evac. They even last thru a couple litter packagings if you don’t have to cut it off the person or it flies off in the helo.

These bivy bags are inexpensive, lightweight, compact, weatherproof and warm. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Add one to your kit, you may even forego the sleeping bag entirely on some trips.

i have one of these as a backup and had to use it once. worked great and switched to my main bivy and warm night bag. well…..i wore it out. it’s just not made for many uses. i got about 30-40 nights out of it. not bad for the cost and weight.

now they make three different versions from emergence, escape and thermal(from lightest to heaviest). the thermal is still very thin and light, but just more durable(maybe 100 nights worth).

i have gone back to using a bivy shell and carrying the emergency bivy for a backup or doubling up. also i bout the 2 person one due to needing more room to sleep in. the 1 person was just too tight for me.