The coldest I have been in my own house was not outside. It was Thursday night in the den, late last January, when the wood stove had burned down to ash and the power had been out since Tuesday. We had quilts. We did not have a bag. That is why I bought two Go Time Gear Life Bivy emergency sleeping bags in February, one for me and one for Hollis.
I am not a prepper. I am a retired rural mail carrier who spent thirty years on one route and learned to keep a flashlight where I can find it. The Life Bivy is not a tent and it is not a sleeping bag replacement. It is a thin layer that goes inside or under the bedding you already own. That is how I would use it on the next cold night.
The cold hour before dawn is why I bought two
Two one-person bags sit in the cedar chest on top of the spare quilts. They weigh 4.1 ounces each, about 5.6 ounces with the sack, whistle, and cord. The listing says the reflective lining holds up to 90 percent of body heat.
Amazon See the Life Bivy on Amazon →It Warms You Without a Cord, a Battery, or Fuel
The Go Time Gear Life Bivy has no switch. It needs no electricity, no propane, and no batteries. You open the sack, get inside, and let your own body heat do the work. The listing says it retains up to 90 percent of body heat. I treat that as a listing claim, not a measurement I made. It is not a heater. It is a reflective layer that holds the heat you already have. It warmed up fast on the den sofa.
It Lives in the Cedar Chest, Not in the Garage
A bag you cannot find in the dark is no help. The Life Bivy packs into a small stuff sack about the size of a soda can. At 4.1 ounces, it is easy to keep with the quilts. Mine sit in the cedar chest at the foot of the bed, on top of the spare quilts. That is where the cold night happens, so that is where the bag lives. A stuff sack that disappears into a closet is a bag you will forget.
It Does Three Jobs, None of Them Fancy
The listing says the bag can be used as a sleeping bag, a blanket, or a liner inside a regular sleeping bag. My plan is to get inside it with the quilts over the top. I have tried that once, on the den sofa. It is one person per bag. Two people need two bags. Go Time Gear lists it as an emergency sleeping bag, not as a family blanket.
It Covers the Hour When the Stove Burns Down
In the ice storm we slept in the den Wednesday and Thursday nights. The wood stove kept that room at about 62 degrees. On Thursday night into Friday morning the stove burned down, and I lay there cold. Nobody was hurt. The next month I bought the bags. That hour before dawn is the whole reason they are in my house. I am not going to say a bag would have made that night comfortable. I will say I wanted one.
Two Bags Mean One Each, With No Argument
We are two people. I bought two bags, one each. Hollis has never opened his. It is still in its sack in the cedar chest. That is fine. A spare bag is not clutter if it is the difference between one warm person and two. If your household is two people, buy two. If it is four, buy four. A bag per person also means nobody has to share a layer that does not breathe.
It Holds Your Own Heat Under the Quilt
The bag is polyethylene on the outside with a reflective lining inside. It does not breathe. I got inside mine on the den sofa for about an hour, with a quilt over it and the heat on. It warmed up fast. It crinkled loudly every time I moved. After about an hour the inside was damp from my own body. I got out, wiped it dry, let it air overnight, and rolled it tight. It took a few tries to get back in the sack. A dry layer over a quilt is useful. A wet layer is not. Keep your face clear at the top.
A Whistle and 20 Feet of Cord Are in the Sack
The sack comes with a 120-decibel whistle and 20 feet of paracord attached. I have never blown the whistle or used the cord. I am not going to pretend a whistle is a rescue plan. It is one more thing you have if you need to signal. The cord can tie a bag shut or mark a path. Small tools, no promises. The whistle is attached to the sack, so it is with the bag and not in a kitchen drawer.
It Moves From Room to Room in One Hand
At 4.1 ounces, the bag is light enough to carry from the bedroom to the den without a plan. It is about 5.6 ounces with the sack, whistle, and cord. There is nothing to install and nothing to charge. You pull it out, get in, and add a quilt over the top. That is the entire setup. We keep two in the cedar chest at the foot of the bed, not in a pack I have to remember.
It Is a Layer for Indoors, Not a Tent
I use mine inside the den, inside or under the quilts, never as the only thing between me and the cold. The bag is thin plastic. Keep it away from the wood stove, candles, and any open flame. Never bring a camp stove, grill, or generator indoors to stay warm. A bag is a layer. It is not a heating system. The den has a wood stove. That is exactly why I keep the bag off the hearth and away from the stove, not draped over a chair beside it.
It Tells You the Truth About What It Is Not
The Life Bivy is not a replacement for a real sleeping bag, quilts, or a warming center. I have not slept a night in one, and I will not put a temperature rating on it. It is one person, one layer, one more thing in your favor. In a long outage, follow local officials and your utility about warming centers and evacuation. The bag helps you stay warm while you do that. That is the honest version, and it is the one I would want if I were reading this.
What I'd Skip
I would skip buying one bag for two people. I would skip treating the Go Time Gear bag as a tent, a sleeping bag replacement, or a reason to ignore a warming center. I would skip storing it in a place you cannot reach in the dark. And I would skip any plan that puts a camp stove, grill, or generator indoors. The bag is a thin layer. Use it that way and it earns its space in the cedar chest.
The listing says it holds up to 90 percent of body heat. What I can tell you is that it warmed up fast on the den sofa, and it crinkled every time I moved.
Put one in the cedar chest before the next cold night
Two bags, one each, on top of the spare quilts. The listing says up to 90 percent of body heat, 4.1 ounces, and a stuff sack that fits in a small space. Check the current Go Time Gear listing for your own house.
Amazon See the Life Bivy on Amazon →