Survival bag - Would you survive a forced stay overnight on a mountain?Survival bag - an essential piece of kit. Benighted - forced to spend an unplanned night on the mountain. Have you? Without a tent or survival bag or food? We have when bad weather on a difficult ridge forced us to rope up and lose critical time before darkness struck.
How would you cope?If the weather is kind you might even enjoy it!!But some preparation is required. In moderate conditions you might only need a minimum amount of equipment such as a survival bag or "space bag" - in addition to the right frame of mind!
Emergency EquipmentAs a day walker you may only be carrying protection in the form of a very light foil space bag or plastic survival bag. Both can be carried in your day rucksack without adding too much weight. Space blankets are better than nothing but a space bag is far better in keeping out the elements.In more extreme conditions a proper bivvy bag (or even a tent) would be far preferable but most day walkers do not carry such luxuries because of the additional weight and we do not plan to become benighted on the mountain every time we go hiking! You may also find it useful to carry in your rucksack a torch, a whistle, spark rod or waterproof & windproof matches and a spare base layer.
How does it happen?Let us suppose you are walking in the autumn/fall but you underestimate the amount of time required or you set off later than expected or are beset by some delay or even injury. As a result you find yourself less than half way down a rugged mountain and darkness falls. There maybe no clear path to follow and the way down is steep and dangerous. To continue without adequate vision would be folly. You are benighted!This is where your mind set comes in. You mentally adapt and accept, for safety’s sake, that you will stop and stay put for something like 10 hours waiting for tomorrow’s dawn. However in bad weather and winter conditions the decision to stay out overnight should not be taken unless there is no other possible alternative in view of the risk of frost bite and hypothermia.
What to do?Having fully considered your situation and after checking that the rest of your group are of the same mind, you decide that there is no alternative but to bivouac on the mountain. Find somewhere safe away from any exposed edges or steep ground. Settle down out of the wind chill behind a large rock or in a sheltered gulley or dip. Put on all your clothing including waterproofs and warm hat and get into your space bag/survival bag. Split any food you have into two. Eat half straight away and keep the other half for the morning. Ration your available drinking water.
Fires?Depending on your location and the weather conditions you might consider lighting a small fire if sufficient dry wood is available. However you should not do so in windy dry conditions near to trees, undergrowth or grass etc. because of the risk of causing a major bush or forest fire.SnowIn snow, if you consider there is not a risk of avalanche, you could dig out a snow cave in a drift or dig down in deep snow to make a pit so that you are out of the wind chill. If you block up the entrance ensure you leave a hole of sufficient size to provide adequate ventilation, especially if you cook on any type of small fire or cooker. The safer procedure is not to cook, or only cook in the entrance before you partially block it up.BearsIf you are in bear country keep your pepper gun to hand and store any food in an airtight plastic bag or sealed container.Setting OffWhen dawn eventually arrives do not be tempted to set off too soon in poor light. Also look at your map, ascertain your likely position, use your GPS if you have one, and take a compass bearing before you set off – just in case you became disorientated overnight.How not to get BenightedThe lesson to be learnt from a forced overnight stop is that, unless time was lost because of injury, it is preferable to get your timing right so that you have every chance of finishing your walk in daylight. See our pointers on timing your hike.Top of this Survival bag page Return to Safe Hiking Return to Ideal Hiking Equipment homepage
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