Coghlans Tube Tent

The Coghlan's emergency tube tent is the survival shelter that's been in scout kits and backpack lids for fifty years for a simple reason: it weighs essentially nothing and it works. Bright orange polyethylene tube, two-person capacity, ridge-line setup between two trees in five minutes — it's the shelter you carry as cheap insurance against the day a planned day hike turns into an unplanned overnight.

Coghlan's 2-Person Emergency Tube Tent

Setup is exactly as simple as the format suggests: thread the included cord through both ends, tie between two trees at the right height, weight or stake the sides, and you have a tube tent that sheds rain and blocks wind. The bright safety orange is intentional — if you're sheltering because you're hurt or lost, the color is visible to ground searchers from a meaningful distance and to aircraft from above. Polyethylene is waterproof for the kind of multi-hour emergency use this product is designed for. At about 4 ounces packed, the weight penalty for carrying this in a day pack is nearly zero.

• 2-person tube tent — fits an injured partner and a helper
• Sets up in 5 minutes between two trees with included cord
• Bright safety orange — visible to ground and air searchers
• Waterproof polyethylene blocks rain and wind
• ~4 oz packed — negligible weight cost in a day pack

For the price of a fast-food meal, this is the cheapest meaningful upgrade to a day hike survival loadout.