Beacon Bag

I wonder if it needs to be a bivy bag as such which would force you to lying in a fairly heat inefficient manner. Maybe an igloo shape so you could huddle up and conserve heat, although you could be mistaken as a UFO.. but then the idea is to be noticed!

Hi Kenny ,

Interesting point, My main considerations were around the point of needing a survival bag and how to improve its current concept, I.E. How to make it more usefull without increasing its weight too dramaticaly and yet combining the life saving features of the exisiting Survival Bags and Blankets and improving its visability, as generally if you need to use this its an emergency situation.

I have also been looking into the idea of attaching straps so that team mates could put you in one and carry you out or in the event of rescue there would be no need to pack and wrap, simply lift up the casualty into the stretcher and winch away.

Your point about the Igloo shape is a cunning one , however it would need a supporting frame structure thus increasing its weight or the need to be in a solid state of mind to use.The point of lying in a vunerable way would include this design as inorder to insulate yourself you need to avoid direct contact with the outer material so heat loss like this can also be an issue in Bothy bags or indeed igloo shapes without extra support.

The idea is last ditch, Im in serious trouble use with the option to hide in it whilst eating lunch on a windy day.

The addition of a lighted SOS is if your plight goes on into the night

Thanks for the input I apreciate the time.

Cheers Jon

Hi John. This product seems similar in construction to some other survival bags on the market. But I do like the idea of the distress lights. Bearing in mind that there can often be lights of all colours on the hills at night (and thus light alone would not trigger any rescue), do you have any particular flash sequence in mind, such as six long flashes over one minute.
My other thought on this bag (and with most mummy bags) are that although this would probably sell like hot cakes and in huge numbers. It would in the event of a (sudden injury) emergency be next to useless for a soloist, and would probably take approx twenty minutes for a team of two, to get a casualty inside it. Why do I say this?. As a home test, try to get yourself into your mummy sleeping bag with the zip closed, it’s not easy being able bodied. Now try doing it with one ankle taped to the opposite knee (to simulate injury), you will soon see the drawback to the mummy shape, and it will only be a bit easier getting in with the zip open. If you also tried putting a casualty who was unconscious into a mummy shaped bag (zipped up), it would take ages, and possibly injure them more by doing so. From practical experience of putting unconscious casualties into survival bags outdoors, I have found that is is easier to do by cutting one side open, even on conventionally shaped bags. So maybe the shape and entry could be looked at, but the light idea is still good (remembering that if a casualty has to be left by a party either injured or dead, a way of marking the spot will be needed), plus will this come in orange, or maybe orange/medium blue to cover all possibilities.
PS. I know very little of cool wire lighting. Could it be arranged in the shape of a capital letter “Y”, as this would attract rescuers.

Hi Ray.

Thanks for taking the time to construct your reply,

You raise a great point for me with regards to access in the event of the situations you describe, Im think to remedy this is to put in a water seal zip (plastic) such as you would find on a resealable bag of frozen pea’s, alternatively I could build this as a “sliced” open mummy and reseal the sides with velcro?. Ill take that one back to the drawing board and ponder it.

The visability of the lighting to me is the most crucial element as this would be it’s USP over other shapes and designs of as you say what is essentialy the same thing. The letter “Y” would be very easy to replicate using this as its similar to neon in that it needs to be a continious loop, It would also mean the letter itself would be 5ft tall by 2ft wide at the apex of the “Y”. As opposed to my other intention of SOS which would need to be along the length and that would then be around 2ft high by 3ft long. I was also considering more basic options as the whole bag illuminating in a repeater flash similar to that of head torches. But final decisions on that would come from a cost/practicality/weight issue at the build point.

As for colour I was looking at a range of 3/4 ccolours giving me a wider audience.

Ray, Once again thanks for your time , I would be interested to know if as an end user you feel it would be easier to use the velcro or plasti zip construction if the bag was to be opened out? I would err against the zip from a Frostebite point of view?

Jon

Hi again John. thank you for reading my reply. I personally would use Velcro over a zip, as it might be easier to use than a zip, but more importantly, it would keep the casualty dryer/warmer in the long run. I say this, as most folks think of using survival bags as a form of emergency sleeping bag, if they are delayed on the hills (whereas most of this same group seem to also carry bivvy bags and use these in the above situation). BUT if we go back to the main EMERGENCY use of survival bags, if is worth thinking of a few actual scenarios. Think of a casualty who broke their femur in a fall, they would need to have their injury assessed at regular levels to check on its condition. In this instance (injury at their mid point), it will be much easier to just open a small section of Velcro (maybe with one hand?), rather than undoing a zip all the way from the top to the mid section. This would also apply to foot injuries etc. This also raised another issue to me, would your lighting system light the internal area of the bag at all due to transparency of the materials used. If if did this at all, this could help in lighting the casualty (for treatment)in the dark. This would only be a by product of the design, but just something I was wondering?
Another idea that occurred to me was will the material you select be easy to write on, with, say a Biro as well as permanent marker, so as to write first aid info on?. Or maybe there could be small area to write on (as long as its adds no extra weight. I guess it would depend entirely on how it interfered with your lighting system, as to whether it would also have any printed first-aid diagrams or rescue symbols on the outside of the bag. I mark my bags with Y, X, I, L etc. as it seems we can all get a bit confused in times of stress or tiredness!
Finally, what 3 or 4 colours were you thinking of?, I only suggested orange/blue as these would be the two primary rescue colours. Orange for snow. desert, temperate and blue for autumn or orange sand/crops. (At this point I can imagine many readers wondering about blue as a marker!, all I can say is try it. It stands out massively well against most backgrounds, and especially in autumn. Just think of all the orange crops/rocks/sands/colours in nature. Now think of how many blue backgrounds you can think of in nature. Most people get stuck after Corn flowers!)
I hope some of my comments help. I guess the real acid test of this product would be if it could be used for the purpose MOST walkers/climbers regularly use their own survival bags for. SLEDGING!!! (tongue firmly in cheek then, even if it’s true!)

John. As a P.S.
I forgot to say why I selected a capital letter “Y”
I figure that most other walkers may be on the same level, or below your survival bag (in time of emergency use). So in time of emergency, although they would be able to see the bag clearly, they would not be able to read the writing on it (think of how road marking words are laid out, so as to be read from an acute angle). So I was thinking of a letter “Y”, as SAR, or other aircrews would easily be able to see and read it. And although not all walkers are familiar with the ground ground to air symbols, by their very nature, all aircrew are.
If, as you mention, you may adapt your bag to have an opening, You may have to now consider which way up your writing would need to go!. As once the bag has an opening, it could be used “bothy” style, for a sitting (or unmoveable) casualty. So with maybe the base sealed only, the “Y” or whatever would need to have it’s top at the foot end.

Hi Ray,

Once again thank you, your input is stiring up all sorts of idea’s,

Sledging was of course on the list of requirements

I had started this out as a solo self preservation tool, however as this moves along its starting to lean towards a pack and wrap service for MRT or indeed self rescue within groups, In the latest encarnation the letter Y would make the most sense, Im still wanting to retain its primary function of solo prservation,

I think Im now of the persuasion to still construct a mummy shapped bag that will open on velcro down one side with 4 carry handles 2 one each side.

The internal im still leaning towards a comfort level delevered from a towling liner, which would help a wet casualty.

Im now thinking of a ripstop windproof waterproof outer, with a back lined foil blanket to keep in body heat.

I then have an issue of waterproofness of the parts in direct ground contact but that something I need to look into with materials or try and develop an “air cusion” under the casualty a bit like a thermorest , however all this would increase the weight beyond its remit as an emergency bag as it would end up as a self inflating tent with built in sleeping bag and matt.

That idea could be worth a punt in itself

The design allows for lighting on one side, too much cable would simply increase the weight so much as to make it unviable, With that in mind im now thinking of the seems to have the lighting sewn in therefore lighting up the “shape”, I was thinking this should be in the form of an SOS . . . - - - . . . sequence, something more recognisable to the larger outdoors comunity (hopefully)

The idea of including a “messageboard” is something again worth looking into or including a “map case window\” to enable paper to slide into with, name and notes on ?????

Im thinking of a base range of colours

Red
Orange
Blue
Yellow
Bacofoil silver - High refelctive in sunshine

I would imagine in production I would mainly use Blue (apparently the most easily spoted by MRT’s)
And the bacofoil one as this would have an option to attract attention in 24 hour scenarios.

I would use reflective strips inbetween the seems on the front in order to amplfy the light output of the cool wire.

Once again Ray thanks, Your points have been well constructed and that type of feedback is always welcome.

Jon

Since it’s not going to be a breathable bag, can you work out way of breathing from inside it - a tube or a covered vent or a pipe or mouthpiece or something, perhaps that even warms the air a bit - that allows someone to otherwise totally enclose themselves in it, preserving as much body heat as possible.

p.s i meant to add that this will stop breath condensing inside the bag.

Hi Jerry

Thank you for taking the time to comment, Im pleased to say Beacon Bag placed first in the competition and was announced last Sunday,

The design review of the bag may mean we will lean towards a more breathable fabric in final manufacture, however the 3/4 length zipping system allows venting , the issue of warming up inside the bag is taken care of by the thermal layers.

Regards Jon

Imagine it is freezing, raining or snowing, cold and windy. You are benighted in one of your bags 900m up in the Cairngorms. How do you breathe easily through the smallest possible hole, with the minimum discomfort and losing the least body heat?

Hi Jon..don’t get too bogged down on the breathable issue, as its really not that much of an issue IN PRACTICAL USE. Just leave the bag open a bit for ventilation. Take the issue above..IE if it was snowing heavily on your bag, then breathable material would not work, (it also does not function well in heavy rain, or in excess mud)
Plus for any doubters you may have....just point out that their car inst breathable, but they don’t suffocate in that (due to ventilation) lol. Anyway, well done on your success so far.