Emergency Shelters

What an emergency shelter is

An emergency shelter is a light piece of cover you carry and hope never to use. It lives in a rucksack, a car kit or a first aid bag, and comes out if you are caught by bad weather, hurt, or stuck waiting for help. It is not a tent for a planned night: no poles, no proper groundsheet, no ventilation. The shelters here are made from mylar or aluminium-coated PE film, which the makers say reflects up to 90% of your body heat back to you, and they keep wind and rain off.

Tube tents and emergency bags

• Two-person tube tents are the biggest group here. Each is a tube of mylar, 59 by 98.4 inches, or about 150 by 250cm, with a rope that runs through it and ties to a tree or other sturdy object to make a ridge. See foil and reflective shelters.
• Emergency sleeping bags are a single bag of reflective film that you climb into, and one comes with a compass. See survival bivvy bags.
• Thicker high-visibility shelters: one two-person tent here is made from 28 micron mylar, which its maker calls extra thick, with a bright orange outside and a thermal lining. See hiking tents for a tent to plan a night in.

Colour, size and what to check

Choose orange if being seen matters. Several makers describe their bright orange as helping rescuers spot you in poor light. Green and camouflage are for blending in, which one maker offers on purpose, so they suit a quiet backup in the woods rather than being found on a hill.

Check the size against yourself. The tube tents are made for two lying down. The emergency bags differ: one is 213 by 91cm in orange and 200 by 120cm in green or camouflage. Folded, the smallest is 6 by 6 by 8cm and weighs 110g.

Mylar and PE film do not breathe. On a long night the damp from your breath collects inside, so keep your face near the open end and expect the inside to be wet by morning.

If you have to use one

Get out of the wind first, behind a wall, a bank or trees. Put something between you and the ground, such as your rucksack, a sit mat or spare clothes, because cold ground draws heat out of you faster than the air does. Tie the ridge rope of a tube tent between two trees or other fixed points, then get inside with your warm layers on. In the UK, if someone is hurt or you are lost in the hills, call 999 or 112, ask for the Police and then Mountain Rescue.

Questions people ask about emergency shelters

Can I use an emergency shelter more than once?

Several makers say theirs is made for repeated use, with a tear and puncture resistant coating. Check it for holes before you pack it away again.

Will it keep me warm enough to sleep?

It keeps off wind and rain and reflects heat, but it has no padding like a camping sleeping bag. Wear your warm clothes inside it. For a night out on purpose, use a proper sleeping bag with a bivvy cover over it.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when that tent usually arrives, so check it before ordering for a set date.

More to look at

• Survival bivvy bags
• Aluminium foil tents
• Tarps and tarp shelters
• 1-man tents
• Hiking tents
• All shelters
• Guide: Emergency shelters and survival bivvies
• Guide: Tent fabrics: polyester, nylon, Oxford and canvas