A bivvy bag is the step up from an emergency blanket. It fully encloses you, blocking wind and rain while trapping body heat. In UK conditions where rain and wind are constant threats, a bivvy bag can genuinely save your life during an unplanned night outdoors.
Cheaper bags cause condensation. Look for breathable membranes like Gore-Tex or eVent.
Emergency bivvies: 100–200g. Reusable quality bivvies: 300–500g.
Full-length zips make getting in and out much easier.
In an emergency, fumbling with a bivvy bag wastes precious body heat. Practise at home.
A lightweight reflective survival bag that traps body heat to fend off hypothermia in a cold-weather emergency. Packs down small enough to live permanently in a rucksack or car.
A compact emergency bivi bag from Lifesystems that reflects body heat back to keep you warm if you're stranded or injured outdoors. The kind of lightweight insurance that lives in a rucksack for hillwalks and long drives.
A versatile 3x3m tarp with multiple attachment points for building shelters in dozens of configurations. A bushcraft mainstay for staying dry off-grid.
A reel of genuine 3-strand 2mm nylon cord for pitching tarps, guy lines, repairs and general lashings. It's thinner and lighter than 550 paracord, which suits shelter-building and everyday jobs where you don't need full 550 strength.
A twelve-pack of hooded emergency ponchos that fold to pocket size and cost pennies each — the sort of thing you tuck into every grab bag, glovebox and coat pocket and forget about until it pours. Not built to last a season, but exactly what you want for a sudden downpour, a queue in the rain, or keeping a stranded family dry.
A multipack of reflective mylar blankets that reflect body heat back to fight the cold and shock. Cheap insurance to scatter through car, home and grab kits.
A thick 420g/m² waterproof tarp with reinforced edges and eyelets, useful for rigging emergency shelter, covering a damaged roof or protecting kit and firewood from the weather. The heavier weight trades packability for durability, so it's better suited to the home and car than an ultralight pack. Pair it with paracord or bungees to pitch it.
A tough 105gsm waterproof tarp with reinforced grommets for rigging a quick shelter, groundsheet or storm cover. Throw it over a downed fence, a leaking roof or a woodpile, or string it up with paracord for emergency overhead cover. The kind of dull, reliable kit that earns its place in a shed or vehicle.
Compact thermal blanket that reflects up to 90% of body heat. Weighs under 60g and fits in your pocket.
Lightweight waterproof sheet for creating emergency shelters, ground cover, and rain protection.
Insulated sleeping bag rated for cold temperatures. Essential for any overnight emergency or planned outdoor stay.
Understanding the key differences between a bug-out bag and a survival kit, and when you need each one.
A step-by-step guide to building a kit that will sustain you and your family for 72 hours during any emergency.
A calm, UK-focused guide to spotting hypothermia early, preventing it in cold and wet weather, and giving safe first aid while help is on the way.
