History Main / CarcassSleepingBag

He shoots his poor mule, cuts open her abdomen, and crawls into her body cavity, hoping the heat from the body and shelter from the thick hide will be enough to get him through the night... or at least, until he can be rescued. When rescuers find the hero, they are covered in entrails and blood and the dead animal is ice-encrusted, but the hero is alive. A variant is for the hero to hide in a dead animal's entrails to elude a search party and search dogs.

* [[TropeCodifier The one everyone remembers]], from ''Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack'', when Han keeps Luke from freezing to death on Hoth by hiding him in the body of his tauntaun. Worth noting, the tauntaun dies from the cold rather than Han slicing it open; and Han mentions setting up a shelter, so its clearly a short term solution.

* This has been [[JustForFun/TropesExaminedByTheMythbusters tested]] by the ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'', who mimicked the ''Franchise/StarWars'' example specifically and were surprised by how effective it was.

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[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* [[TropeCodifier The one everyone remembers]], from ''Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack'', when Han keeps Luke from freezing to death on Hoth by hiding him in the body of his tauntaun. Worth noting, the tauntaun dies from the cold rather than Han slicing it open; and Han mentions setting up a shelter, so its clearly a short term solution.

* ''Film/TheNewLand'': When Karl-Oskar and his son Johan are caught out in the open as a blizzard hits Minnesota, the boy eventually collapses. Karl-Oskar saves Johan's life by slicing open the ox that was pulling their cart and stuffing Johan inside while he goes to get help.
* ''Film/GrimPrairieTales'': When warning Deeds about how cold the nights get, Morrison tells him a story about how he almost froze to death in Cherokee territory and only survived by killing a buffalo and crawling inside it.
* ''Film/SeraphimFalls'': Gideon hides out in his dead horse's belly to ambush two pursuers.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Tormund Giantsbane claims to have once been caught in a storm, and resorted to cutting open a dead giantess and hiding inside her. Said giantess turns out to be alive and when she wakes up, she thinks Tormund is her baby and nurses him (hence, Tormund Giantsba''b''e). This is [[TheMunchausen Tormund]], however.

* In "Literature/ToBuildAFire", a short by Creator/JackLondon, a man attempts to kill his sled dog with the intention of warming his hands in the entrails. It doesn't work because by then his hands are too frozen to keep hold on the animal, as well as the dog is becoming wary, instinctively realizing that something is wrong.

* Used in James Follett's novel and radio play ''Literature/{{Ice}}''. When the heroine is unconscious and in danger of freezing to death, one of the guys accompanying her, who happens to be a whale expert, locates a blue whale and gets another guy to help him cut a 5-foot hole in its skin (the equivalent of a gnat-bite to us). The hole fills with warm blood and they immerse her in it. When she wakes up they have a lot of explaining to do.
* ''Literature/TheFutureIsWild'': Bumblebeetle larvae inhabit flish carcasses both for food and protection from the dryness of the desert.

* This has been [[JustForFun/TropesExaminedByTheMythbusters tested]] by the Series/{{Mythbusters}}, who mimicked the ''Franchise/StarWars'' example specifically and were surprised by how effective it was.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* On the second episode of ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', the characters get locked in a freezer that Randal describes as "[[Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack Hoth]] [[ShoutOut cold]]". Jay wishes he had a [[LaserBlade lightsaber]] so that he could [[WithFriendsLikeThese slice up Silent Bob]] and climb inside to stay warm.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'', Wooldoor and Ling-Ling take shelter inside Toot's corpse.
-->'''Wooldoor:''' There's already two of us inside this fat chick, and there's no room for more!
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** In "Road to Europe", Stewie and Brian, lost in the desert with their camel dead, decide to take shelter inside the camel ("It looks like Orson Welles's autopsy!"). [[GaveUpTooSoon However, after Stewie gets in,]] [[NotSoRemote Brian notices a nearby Comfort Inn.]]
-->'''Stewie:''' You know, actually, once you feng-shui the organs, it's kind of cozy.
** The ''Empire'' example is parodied in "[[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuyPresentsLaughItUpFuzzball Something, Something, Something, Dark Side]]", where Han/Peter gives Luke/Chris shelter in his [[Creator/DonKnotts Don-Don]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS3E8MortysMindBlowers Morty's Mind Blowers]]", one of Morty's removed memories in the collection features Rick being forced to butcher a friendly animal for this purpose on the grounds that the planet they're on freezes overnight. Unfortunately, it turns out that [[AllForNothing Rick was reading the stats for the wrong planet]], after-which Morty realizes Rick intentionally removed the memory, along with several others, to cover his screw-up.

* [[TropeCodifier The one everyone remembers]], from ''Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack'', when Han keeps Luke from freezing to death on Hoth by hiding him in the body of his tauntaun. Worth noting, the tauntaun dies from the cold rather then Han slicing it open; and Han mentions setting up a shelter, so its clearly a short term solution.

* [[TropeCodifier The one everyone remembers]], from ''Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack'', when Han keeps Luke from freezing to death on Hoth by hiding him in the body of his tauntaun. Worth noting, the tauntaun dies from the cold rather Han slicing it open; and Han mentions setting up a shelter, so its clearly a short term solution.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Tormund Giantsbane claims to have once been caught in a storm, and resorted to cutting open a dead giantess and hiding inside her. Said giantess turns out to be alive and when she wakes up, she thinks Tormund is her baby and nurses him. This is [[TheMunchausen Tormund]], however.

An explorer is lost in the freezing wilderness. He's far from shelter and there's a snowstorm blowing in and it will soon be too dark to see. His packmule is shivering and clearly on its last legs. He has no immediate shelter, no way to make a fire... and he realizes that there is only one possible course of action.

He shoots his poor mule, cuts open her abdomen, and crawls into her body cavity, hoping the heat and shelter she offers will be enough to get him through the night... or at least, until he can be rescued.

The animal may be a horse or buffalo. In fantasy, it may be a dragon. In science fiction, it may be an alien creature.

An explorer is lost in the wilderness. He knows he's not far from shelter, but there's a snowstorm blowing up and it will soon be too dark to see. His packmule is shivering and clearly on its last legs. He has no immediate shelter, no way to make a fire... and he realizes that there is only one possible course of action.

[[folder:Film]]

* In Jane Yolan's ''Literature/PitDragonChronicles'', Jakkin and Akki survive the brutal Austorian night by sheltering in the recently-slain body of his beloved dragon.

* ''Film/TheNewLand'': When Karl-Oskar and his son Johan are caught out in the open as a blizzard hits Minnesota, the boy eventually collapses. Karl-Oskar saves Johan's life by slicing open the on that was pulling their cart and stuffing Johan inside while he goes to get help.

->''"And I thought they smelled bad...on the outside!"''
-->-- '''Han Solo''', ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''

* [[TropeCodifier The one everyone remembers]], from ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', when Han keeps Luke from freezing to death on Hoth by hiding him in the body of his tauntaun. Worth noting, the tauntaun dies from the cold rather Han slicing it open; and Han mentions setting up a shelter, so its clearly a short term solution.

* In ''Film/RobRoy'' the hero hides in a dead cow, but it's to throw off his pursuers and their tracker dogs.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. Tormund Giantsbane claims to have once been caught in a storm, and resorted to cutting open a dead giantess and hiding inside her. Said giantess turns out to be alive and when she wakes up, she thinks Tormund is her baby and nurses him. This is [[TheMunchausen Tormund]], however.

* In ''VideoGame/ArmedAndDangerous'', Rexus is delirious from hypothermia, and Q gets the bright idea to stick him in the body of a large animal to warm him up. But instead of gutting it, he [[AssShove takes a shortcut]]...

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', Black Mage suggests doing this to Fighter (and then Red Mage and Thief) in order to make sure the remaining Light Warriors (i.e. himself) don't freeze. Later, Garland and the Dark Warriors actually do this to a Yeti.
[[/folder]]

* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Hide and Seek." The kids shrink themselves, and Baljeet is stranded in the chandelier, where his diminutive size and proximity to the air conditioning vents is causing him to lose body heat fast. He cuts open a fly and gets inside to stay warm.
-->'''Candace''': Who smells like fly guts?
-->'''Baljeet''': I had to survive, okay?!

** The episode "Escape to the House of Mummies Part II" parodies the Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack scene, with Brock cutting open Edgar Allen Poe in order for Hank to rest inside of him.
** In another Venture Bros. episode, Rusty is stranded naked in the arctic. Brock shows up just as he is about to be attacked by a polar bear, and skins the bear with incredible speed to keep the Doc warm. In this case it's partly residual body heat from the bear (its skin is shown to be steaming) and partly just the benefit of a fur coat.
* On the second episode of ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', the characters get locked in a freezer that Randal describes as "[[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack Hoth]] [[ShoutOut cold]]". Jay wishes he had a [[LaserBlade lightsaber]] so that he could [[WithFriendsLikeThese slice up Silent Bob]] and climb inside to stay warm.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'': Wooldoor and Ling-Ling take shelter inside Toot's corpse.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''

** The ''Empire'' example is parodied in [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuyPresentsLaughItUpFuzzball "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side"]], where Han/Peter gives Luke/Chris shelter in his [[Creator/DonKnotts Don-Don]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS3E8MortysMindBlowers Morty's Mind Blowers]]," one of the removed memories in the collection features Rick being forced to butcher a friendly animal for this purpose on the grounds that the planet they've ended up on freezes overnight. Unfortunately, it turns out that [[AllForNothing Rick was reading the stats on the wrong planet]] - hence why Morty wanted this memory removed from his brain.

* You can now buy literal Tauntaun (...shaped...) sleeping bags.