Just came across this thread. FWIW, I have the Pro Tech bag, and it's quite a marvel in many ways. It is incredibly warm; I've slept in just a thin base layer and the Pro Tech into the (upper?) 30s (F) or so. My tent partner wanted to kill me, what with the gigantor potato chip bag crinkling next to him all night. For several nights. But I slept great. The big downside to this is how huge they are once you unseal them and "fluff" them. They just don't pack back down. Did I say BIG? All things considered, though, a great piece of kit. A great thing to add to your pack for a long ski day trip or something. Just make sure you have some extra pack volume for the trip out, or strap it to the outside. (I should try stuffing into a sack to see how small I can get it, I guess...)
Cheers-

"Once they send me the correct order, I'll let you know what it looks like. Pictures and everything."

Well, kids, it's not going to happen. I got an email saying they were going to credit my account. I'd like to try buying the blizzard bag somewhere, but definitely not from Botach.

I just received the Blizzard bag. I can't really comment on it since I have not used it and won't unpack it because it is packed so tightly. It seems like a frozen block not sure if that's because it is so cold from sending it via Fedex or if it is really just a hard block. It seems like a bivy sack would be softer due to the fabric.

Edited by stanhope2003 on 01/19/2010 12:43:35 MST.

It's that hard because it's vacuum-packed so tightly. Let that serve as notice that it probably won't pack down anywhere near that small again! (Consider vacuum-packed coffee: hard as a brick, then you cut it open, and the contents "go soft...")

Well, they did credit my card.

Why not just climb with someone else and share the weight of a proper shelter? I would make sure to tell people where I'm going (and when I will be back). If its really backcountry then I would consider bringing a SPOT locator, PLB, or ELT along with my bag and pad.

I just checked the Blizzard bag here:

http://www.ps-med.com/blizzard/bag.html

Two questions:

(1) Can one fit a sleeping pad inside? (I have the Pacific Outdoor Equipment Ether Thermo 6 (regular) - very high R-value for the weight.)

(2) The weight at the above URL is 13.8 ounces; earlier in the thread a weight of 12 ounces was quoted. What changed?

I could use some advice about emergency accommodations too. Most of my hikes are day hikes in the back country. I like to plan for being caught out at 8,000 feet on Mt. Rainier or in the North Cascades. In an emergency, I might not necessarily be in a snow cave (although I could be). The scheme for emergencies that I have at this point in my evolution of knowledge and skill level is this: put my Thermo 6 pad inside an emergency shelter or bivy, put whatever warm clothes I usually bring with me (including my Montbell Thermal Wrap), and I might be ok in an unplanned overnight stay.

Right now I carry around a tarp that I got at REI; it's kind of heavy and I'm not sure it'd be all that great in an emergency. I'm interested in ditching the tarp in favor of something better. Maybe that would be some sort of shelter or bivy.

Some options beside the Blizzard blanket that seem interesting:

Bibler Winter Bivy (9 ounces): http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/tentdetail.cfm/BIB175

Equinox Ultralight Bivy Cover: http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/bivydetail.cfm/EQ3000

Mountain Laurel Designs Bivys (more expensive - I wonder what they add over the Bibler Winter Bivy, if anything)

Any thoughts?

Edited by northwesterner on 09/06/2010 14:32:42 MDT.

why would you have a pad and no bag?

the blizzrd is meant for emergencies ... in this case you might have a pad from yr pack's frame, use branches or just use yr climbing rope/pack as ground insulation

the blizzard is fairly large ... you can find videos of it on youtube

if you bring a pad you might as well bring a light bag as well

You should consider a bothy bag.

A very good emergency solution that is also useful for non-emergencies (shelter for lunch, etc.)

Any bivy bag over $100 should be an eVent bag. Nothing else come close to keeping your sleeping bag from accumulating a lot of moisture from your body and breath. And a cheap, light, seam sealed nylon rainsuit can be your VBL suit.

My experience with a Gore-Tex bivy bag in a snow cave was that I got condensation inside the bivy bag each night and it wetted my sleeping bag's nylon top. Surprisingly mthe bag's bottom was only slightly damp. It was a Mt'n. Hardwear -20 F. Polarguard bag that dried quickly in the sun.

Edited by Danepacker on 01/08/2011 12:06:54 MST.