Vango Storm Shelters

In article <[email hidden]>, Nigel
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Has anyone any experience/knowledge of these.

I am considering purchasing one and wondered if someone might give me
an opinion on their usefulness. Are they better than bothy bags and
are they semi-rigid. Its a little hard to tell from the suppliers
picture on the website.

Would It be better to purchase the two-man issue instead of the single
to allow a bit more room, I am of fairly big frame.

Any comments or reports appreciated.

Nigel

They seem little different to any of the other bothy bags (apart from
being heavier than the equivalent Terra Nova - only checked 2 person
size).

I have used a number of bothy bags and have been very impressed by the
Terra Nova 2 that I have. I especially like the windows so I can see
what is happening with the weather and see when the rest of the party
turn up.

The TN 2 is the same price as the V SS2 on the following page but you
might be able to find better deals for both:

http://www.gear-zone.co.uk/eshop/Bivi-and-Bothy-Bags.html

For a larger bothy bag (6-8 person) I have a JDS Components bag from

http://www.outdoorstore.co.uk/products/survivalshelters.asp

which I bought from them on eBay at a discount.

--

Dominic Sexton
http://www.dscs.demon.co.uk/

Quoted message said:

Has anyone any experience/knowledge of these.

I've got a four man one but not used it yet as I mostly walk on my own. I'm
taking a few friends out at the weekend so may use it then.

Quoted message said:

I am considering purchasing one and wondered if someone might give me
an opinion on their usefulness.

They seem ideal for lunch breaks in the pouring rain and howling wind and
are used by mountain rescue teams for sheltering casualties.

Quoted message said:

Are they better than bothy bags and
are they semi-rigid. Its a little hard to tell from the suppliers
picture on the website.

No, they're just held rigid by you leaning against the side.

Quoted message said:

Would It be better to purchase the two-man issue instead of the single
to allow a bit more room, I am of fairly big frame.

Dunno but you can see pics and a review of the two man one here:

<http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/UAN/1802/V/1/SP/3283963361653
64884220>

Cheers, Jiffy

[email hidden] (Nigel ) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone any experience/knowledge of these.

I am considering purchasing one and wondered if someone might give me
an opinion on their usefulness. Are they better than bothy bags and
are they semi-rigid. Its a little hard to tell from the suppliers
picture on the website.

They are just bothy bags, with no rigidity at all.

Quoted message said:

Would It be better to purchase the two-man issue instead of the single
to allow a bit more room, I am of fairly big frame.

The single would probably be OK for size if all you want is a storm
shelter, i.e. a place to keep warm and dry when the wind is howling
and the rain is horizontal. You may not be able to do much more in
it, e.g. get your rucksack off so you can get some soup from your
flask. I should say, as well, that any space inside these things is
usually created when opposing sides are under tension, i.e. you have
more than one person inside. If it's just you then it will just flop
around you. But it'll keep you warm & dry.

Colin

Colin MacDonald said:

They are just bothy bags, with no rigidity at all.

Quoted message said:

I should say, as well, that any space inside these things is
usually created when opposing sides are under tension, i.e. you have
more than one person inside. If it's just you then it will just flop
around you. But it'll keep you warm & dry.

For solo use a treking pole or two to hold it up would make it a whole
lot roomier inside though more prone to getting blown about of course.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Nigel wrote

Quoted message said:

Has anyone any experience/knowledge of these.

I've used one a few times. Despite being touted as emergency
shelters they're darn useful for keeping groups warm at lunch
stops on wet and windy walks.

Because they're just big nylon bags they rely on the bodies of
the people within them to form thier shape. If you were the only
person in a 5-man bag, for example, there would be an awful lot
of spare material flapping about you. It would be comfortable,
however, for a group of three and thier backpacks as long as you
can find somewhere to sit.

Without doubt its a piece of kit that a group leader should
carry as its usefulness far outweighs the volume it takes
up (not much) and its pack weight (even less). Whether they're
as useful for the individual walker is debateable as you'd be
just as sheltered in a good set of waterproofs, be less constrained
and at least be able to enjoy whatever view are offered.

chris

"Chris Gilbert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Nigel wrote

Quoted message said:

Has anyone any experience/knowledge of these.

I've used one a few times. Despite being touted as emergency
shelters they're darn useful for keeping groups warm at lunch
stops on wet and windy walks.

Because they're just big nylon bags they rely on the bodies of
the people within them to form thier shape. If you were the only
person in a 5-man bag, for example, there would be an awful lot
of spare material flapping about you. It would be comfortable,
however, for a group of three and thier backpacks as long as you
can find somewhere to sit.

Without doubt its a piece of kit that a group leader should
carry as its usefulness far outweighs the volume it takes
up (not much) and its pack weight (even less). Whether they're
as useful for the individual walker is debateable as you'd be
just as sheltered in a good set of waterproofs, be less constrained
and at least be able to enjoy whatever view are offered.

Quite agree. I have used one once in a party of 5. One point that hasn't
been mentioned that I observed - if you stop on a wet, cold and windy
hillside in winter to make a decision about different route to take, it
tends to be rushed and perhaps ill thought out. If you stop in an emergency
shelter, have a drink and discuss things in the warm and dry, you make
better decisions. This is especially true if you are leading a mixed ability
party with a wide range of fitness/expertise.

As Chris implies you would have to be a bit desperate to use a 5-man one on
your own though, they don't half whip about in the wind.

--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

Two things I forgot to mention:

1) They weigh a wee bit less than stated. My 400 weighs 623g instead of
700g.

2) They do pack down to a nice size but I find mine a real struggle to
squash down. It takes me a good while and I'm not looking forward to doing
it on a wet and windy hill. I might just shove the thing in my sack instead.

Cheers, Jiffy

* The air of uk.rec.walking was filled with the delicate perfume
* of violets, as Dominic Sexton <[email hidden]> descended
* on a shaft of golden sunlight, and announced:

Quoted message said:

I have used a number of bothy bags and have been very impressed by the
Terra Nova 2 that I have. I especially like the windows so I can see
what is happening with the weather and see when the rest of the party
turn up.

I've recently bought a 2 person Terra Nova bothy bag to replace my orange
plastic survival bag and also as a shelter in a downpour. I hate moving when
it's raining heavily and would rather sit a short downpour out than get my
rain gear out and put it on. I've carried it in Scotland recently, but not
used it.

Regards: Jim Ford

On 8 Sep 2004 18:52:23 GMT, Jim Ford <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I've recently bought a 2 person Terra Nova bothy bag to replace my orange
plastic survival bag and also as a shelter in a downpour.

How small do these two person bothy bags pack down? I've always
assumed they must be quite big.

Judith

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 09:42:55 +0100, Judith
<[email hidden]> wrote:

| On 8 Sep 2004 18:52:23 GMT, Jim Ford <[email hidden]>
| wrote:
|
| >I've recently bought a 2 person Terra Nova bothy bag to replace my orange
| >plastic survival bag and also as a shelter in a downpour.
|
| How small do these two person bothy bags pack down? I've always
| assumed they must be quite big.

I looked them up http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/terra/bothy.shtml

Packed Size Weight SRP
2 person 22cm x 11.5cm 495gms £30.00

IMO Quite impressive, and worth concidering.

--
Dave Fawthrop <dave hyphenologist co uk>
Sick and tired of Junk Snail Mail? Register your family
surname and address with www.mpsonline.org.uk
IME it works :-)

Dave Fawthrop said:

Packed Size Weight SRP
2 person 22cm x 11.5cm 495gms £30.00

IMO Quite impressive, and worth concidering.

Yes, I suppose that's not bad for a two-person shelter. However, I
usually walk alone and, as others have said, these shelters are best
for groups so that you can keep the material taut.

It sounds like they would be ideal for situations where some of the
group are not as experienced/confident/motivated as the rest and you
need to spend a bit of time out of the wind/rain to reboost morale.

I'll just carry on having the rain running down my nose into my tea!

Judith

Judith said:

It sounds like they would be ideal for situations where some of the
group are not as experienced/confident/motivated as the rest and you
need to spend a bit of time out of the wind/rain to reboost morale.

They're ideal for times when it's simply too ghastly to sit in the
wind/rain anyway, even for highly experienced/confident/motivated
people! Last time I used one was in a gale on a ski tour where there
was no other shelter and we /needed/ to rest, talk a little about plans,
drink something hot and carb up. It just wouldn't have been nearly as
practical without the shelter, freezing temperatures even before the
windchill and you had to shout to make yourself heard outside. In those
sorts of conditions they really are /very/ wonderful bits of kit.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

In those
sorts of conditions they really are /very/ wonderful bits of kit.

Yes, I can imagine. I always find it amusing when I'm sat in a tent,
in bad weather, and I feel completely safe. I've only got a couple of
thin sheets of material between me and "it" but "it" can't get me.

However, I reckon a bothy bag would be more bother (excuse the near
pun) for one person. Shame, cos it's another bit of kit I might fancy
buying!

Judith

Judith said:

However, I reckon a bothy bag would be more bother (excuse the near
pun) for one person. Shame, cos it's another bit of kit I might fancy
buying!

Find a pal... obviously if you prefer to be alone not a good option,
but if you can find a companion(s) to go out with there are other
practical upshots like weight saving.
With all the recent sawing handle off titanium toothbrush threads I'm
surprised that on my limited dips into them nobody seems to have pointed
out that it's generally lighter with more people. My 2 person tent
comes in at 900g each, we only need 1 stove for the 2 of us, and so on.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Find a pal... obviously if you prefer to be alone not a good option,
but if you can find a companion(s) to go out with there are other
practical upshots like weight saving.

All of my friends think I am a loony. Well, that's not really fair on
them ..... they don't think I'm a loony, I'm "just Judith".

A couple of times a year I'll do some sort of outdoor activity with
other people. It may be walking or sailing or (perish the thought)
even climbing and I do enjoy the interaction but I don't think you can
beat being self-reliant and heading off into the hills on your own.

Judith

Judith said:

even climbing and I do enjoy the interaction but I don't think you can
beat being self-reliant and heading off into the hills on your own.

You can't beat it, but OTOH you can't /beat/ working your way through
something as a team where it allows you to do something that's beyond
you alone, be it logistically, technically or whatever. One is
different from the other rather than better, IME.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, Judith
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dave Fawthrop said:

Packed Size Weight SRP
2 person 22cm x 11.5cm 495gms £30.00

IMO Quite impressive, and worth concidering.

Yes, I suppose that's not bad for a two-person shelter. However, I
usually walk alone and, as others have said, these shelters are best
for groups so that you can keep the material taut.

I have the two-person Terra Nova shelter and it's fine for one. I sit at
one end and use my pack and trekking poles to prop up the other. In fact
I prefer it with one, with two it's very cramped inside. I also have a
3/4 person one, which is better for two.

On Thu, 9 Sep 2004 14:45:45 +0100, Chris Townsend
<[email hidden]> wrote:

| In message <[email hidden]>, Judith
| <[email hidden]> writes
| >On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 09:55:10 +0100, Dave Fawthrop
| ><[email hidden]> wrote:
| >
| >> Packed Size Weight SRP
| >>2 person 22cm x 11.5cm 495gms £30.00
| >>
| >>IMO Quite impressive, and worth concidering.
| >
| >Yes, I suppose that's not bad for a two-person shelter. However, I
| >usually walk alone and, as others have said, these shelters are best
| >for groups so that you can keep the material taut.
| >
| I have the two-person Terra Nova shelter and it's fine for one. I sit at
| one end and use my pack and trekking poles to prop up the other. In fact
| I prefer it with one, with two it's very cramped inside. I also have a
| 3/4 person one, which is better for two.

Ah! they obey my rule for tents.
Reduce the advertised number of people by one to make it useable.
Reduce the advertised number of people by two to make it comfortable.
One person in a four person tent is Luxury, (if you carry it in a car).

I may try one.

--
Dave F

"Bob Mannix" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Chris Gilbert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Nigel wrote

Quoted message said:

Has anyone any experience/knowledge of these.

I've used one a few times. Despite being touted as emergency
shelters they're darn useful for keeping groups warm at lunch
stops on wet and windy walks.

Because they're just big nylon bags they rely on the bodies of
the people within them to form thier shape. If you were the only
person in a 5-man bag, for example, there would be an awful lot
of spare material flapping about you. It would be comfortable,
however, for a group of three and thier backpacks as long as you
can find somewhere to sit.

Without doubt its a piece of kit that a group leader should
carry as its usefulness far outweighs the volume it takes
up (not much) and its pack weight (even less). Whether they're
as useful for the individual walker is debateable as you'd be
just as sheltered in a good set of waterproofs, be less constrained
and at least be able to enjoy whatever view are offered.

Quite agree. I have used one once in a party of 5. One point that hasn't
been mentioned that I observed - if you stop on a wet, cold and windy
hillside in winter to make a decision about different route to take, it
tends to be rushed and perhaps ill thought out. If you stop in an emergency
shelter, have a drink and discuss things in the warm and dry, you make
better decisions. This is especially true if you are leading a mixed ability
party with a wide range of fitness/expertise.

As Chris implies you would have to be a bit desperate to use a 5-man one on
your own though, they don't half whip about in the wind.

As other posters have pointed out, the difference one of these makes
on a very cold/windy/wet day is amazing. Being held up by body tension
does however have one disadvantage - the person sitting on the
windward side can get a very cold back if you hang around too long!
The only other annoying factor in using these things regularly is the
number of times a disembodied voice from "the outside" will ask if
there's anything wrong. Perhaps using a bright blue Karrimor
Instructors Survival Unit (yep - it says that on the shelter) is that
the majority of folk assume it must be a real emergency!

druidh