Finally got around to getting one of these, a Terra Nova one, and was a bit surprised to see that the seams aren’t taped and the material isn’t as tent-fly-ish as I’d have thought. This makes me wonder how good it would actually be on a wet windy hillside.
Anybody got one? Are they all like that and it’s so you don’t get too clammy in there?

It’s not a replacement for a tent. Assume you would be wearing waterproofs if it was that bad and the BB is a way of reducing wind chill. It also creates a bit of a warm bubble which is great for snack stops etc.

I know they’re not mini tents, but still, I thought they’d maybe be a bit more weatherproof. Good point about waterproofs though.

I’ve also got the terra nova one. As scotroute says, it’s just to let you take a break from whatever is currently sapping your will to live.

By not taping the seams it keeps cost and weight down too. Not difficult to seal them yourself if it’s really important to you.

They are a godsend on a long, exposed route where you just need to chill out for 20 mins and have a bite to eat without being pummelled by wind and rain. On those rare occasions when you really need it, you’ll be so glad of the shelter that it provides that you honestly won’t give a shit about a bit of leakage or condensation…trust me 🙂

Right, I’ll stick with it then. Thanks for the advice all!

This makes me wonder how good it would actually be on a wet windy hillside.

I was skeptical until I used one in an exercise on a gale swept Snowdonian mountain. Makes a huge difference, especially when theres a group of you inside sharing body heat. The instructor had a bit of a job persuading us back outside into the wind and rain again.
I always carry one when hill walking now; great for quick picnics as well as being a potential life saver.

Ive had one for years and as other people have said its excellent if theres a couple of you in it to keep out of the weather for lunch etc

They make a huge difference, get 3-4 people in one and it really warms up.

Not weatherproof, of suspect construction but better than they look? Well named as bothy bags then because that sounds like most bothies I’ve been in

As above, the only bad bit is getting out. It can be quite a surreal experience, you don’t realise how insulated you are from the outside world. We put a group in one before the walk out of the northern corries to warm up and when we got out about 6 inches of snow had fallen and it was a complete whiteout. It was like having teleported into a different world.

Mine is a fantastic yellow coloured one from summit gear. It’s REALLY nice sitting inside and having a peek out the clear plastic window at the horrible weather outside. I dont remember if the Terra Nova ones have a window though.
Many a picnic has been had inside that little shelter of happiness, they are perfect for having a break and lifting the mood of a group… especially since I keep little packets of haribo inside the stuffsack too!