Actual effectiveness of space blankets

somewhere I have seen a pic of a guy sitting with the blanket wrapped around his neck like a teepee. He had a candle inside and supposedly it kept him warm. Maybe someday I'll try it when I am really, really bored.
 
Years ago I got really wet while camping due to a torrential down pour that flooded my tent. At that point of the night moving was not an option, so I unfolded my el-cheapo space blanket and wrapped it around my body inside the sleepping bag. While it did keep me considerably warmer than I'd have been without it, it was extremely noisy. Really not one of the best nights sleep I've had.
 
I went on a hike to point reyes and it was pouring rain. we hiked 15 miles and were trying to dry out our gear when the sun came out.(kind of) I sat in my space blanket tube and warmed up instantly. it was a huge help in a miserable hike.
 
We use them as liners between tarp and sleeping bag. Work well-enough on snow & ice during glacier hiking trips.

The thin ones work, but they sure make a lot of crinkling noises.

Never had a real emergency, but I've always planned on cutting one up and lining the inside of my clothes if necessary.
 
I've been told that most standard emergency OB kits have a space blanket "potato wrap" for the newborn. I figure if it works well enough for a newborn, it'll sure help my sorry low R value ass. I have a few, still havn't tried out the adventure medical bivy bag V2, but it seems like a thick tyvec like material should be pretty durable.
 
I think they suck. In a genuine emergency that would warrant a space blanket I think you'd do much better with just a plain big plastic sack. Make your nest pile with as much kit under you as possible. Sit on top of it. Yank the sack over your head and rip little hole for you face. Wait for extraction. Of all the ways one loses heat I think the small payback you get from the reflection of a space blanket it completely beaten by a plain plastic sack / Bothy bag. On the other hand, if you want to go the self-help route and build a Bivy rather than a Bothy a big sheet of Silnylon is going to allow you to construct something more useful than a weedy little space blanket will. 80's fad thing.
 
I have both the bag and blanket made by Lifesystems. Never had to use them so cannot comment on their effectiveness. However, both are quite small and weigh next to nothing, so both are in my pack as a just in case.
 
bladefrienzy said:
http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/FAQ_SpaceBlankets.htm

A good bit down the page it states, to be used directly against the persons skin.

I've seen several others, but still searching. They do help and are better than nothing. I would like to get one of the ones you guys are talking about with the reinforced tarp side.
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By golly it does! Sorta'

But if your clothes are dry, are you really going to strip or will you use the "blanket" as a wind barrier to stop convective heat loss? Are you goping to let the rain soak your clothing or would you use the "blanket" on the outside to keep your clothing dry? What is "most effective" depends on the circumstances. Authority does not replace logic.
 
baldtaco-II said:
I think they suck. In a genuine emergency that would warrant a space blanket I think you'd do much better with just a plain big plastic sack. Make your nest pile with as much kit under you as possible. Sit on top of it. Yank the sack over your head and rip little hole for you face. Wait for extraction. Of all the ways one loses heat I think the small payback you get from the reflection of a space blanket it completely beaten by a plain plastic sack / Bothy bag. On the other hand, if you want to go the self-help route and build a Bivy rather than a Bothy a big sheet of Silnylon is going to allow you to construct something more useful than a weedy little space blanket will. 80's fad thing.
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Why might one piece of plastic be better than another? One could be larger. One could be tougher. One might be in a better configuration (sack vs. sheet). But "survival blanket" thingees come in various sizes, thicknesses and configuration, including bivy sacks.

Carry whatever floats your boat. But if all you had was the cheapest "suvival blanket" you's be better off than with no waterproof cover.

Where can one get 30-36 gal. orange/red/brightly colored plastic trash bags?
 
I'm not gonna strip period, unless I was dumb enough to wear cotton and I'm soaked. I just remembered hearing this was how the were made to be used. So nothing is between them and the skin to reflect heat back on the body. Read/heard it in several places. I know this is not how most folks use em, but they are supposed to be much more effective this way and I just wanted to post it. This was their original intended method of use. Never said it was the best way to use them, just how they were meant to be used, no authority over logic here. I never said I would use them like that. Just to make sure you understood my 1st post.

This being said, I have 2, I have found they help when camping or whatever and it turns colder than expected. I would hate to only have them to use though.
 
baldtaco, I'm confused, do you not like them because you've used them, or because you do not believe that they reflect any heat? I mention this because an orange garbage bag is going to reflect no heat at all. also for the few dollars that the space blanket costs compared to a comparable sized silnylon tarp, I can have one in every kit I own, including one in my parka pocket. the only problem I've ever had with a space blanket is the one that got filled with tomato juice...oops... and that dissolved the aluminum off of part of it. I opted to replace it instead of trying to clean it, but had I needed it I'm sure it would have only made a 10% difference.
 
bladefrienzy said:
I'm not gonna strip period, unless I was dumb enough to wear cotton and I'm soaked. I just remembered hearing this was how the were made to be used. So nothing is between them and the skin to reflect heat back on the body. Read/heard it in several places. I know this is not how most folks use em, but they are supposed to be much more effective this way and I just wanted to post it. This was their original intended method of use. Never said it was the best way to use them, just how they were meant to be used, no authority over logic here. I never said I would use them like that. Just to make sure you understood my 1st post.

This being said, I have 2, I have found they help when camping or whatever and it turns colder than expected. I would hate to only have them to use though.
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I understood your point very well. :thumbup: Just never heard it before myself. That's a reason to come here. Learn from other's knowledge and experience.

The "logic" is yours because you will be the bug on the spot when the stuff hits the revolving air circulator.

Here's an interesting article: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00184.html
 
Sorry Thomas, evidently I am still not making myself clear. NOT my logic, I do not use them this way. Just pointing out some stuff I had learned along the way. I am NOT suggesting anyone try that method. Only saying that was there original method of use.

Also if you wanted to learn form others why did you state, in your response to my post "No, they are not meant ..." ?
 
My point, as poorly stated as it evidently was, is that in a survival situation, your logic will control, not adherence to the advice of anyone else -- me, the site you linked, anyone or everyone else.

I did not mean to suggest that the logic behind the advice that a "survival blanket" is always "most effective" when placed next to skin is your logic. I understood that you were citing others. Again, you were very clear.

My opinion is, like everyone else's, limited by my knowledge and experience. We are all "prejudiced" in that sense. I may be "right" in some absolute sense -- or not.

I disagreed because that was not my understanding, my logic, or what is printed on the six different "survival blanket" products that I have to look at (again, a limitation). For example, every picture I have ever seen of a "survival blanket" deployed shows it placed over a clothed individual.

As suggested, if you are removing soaked clothing, you COULD wrap the victim in a "survival blanket" if you have nothing else OR cover the plastic wrapped victim with clothing. But in the second instance, I would worry about condensation. Maybe I am wrongheaded 'cause the victim could be in a warm swamp if plastic wrapped and then covered with insulation.

Or maybe this is like the advice that a victim of anaphylactic shock should be "immediately" gotten to a doc or hosp right after the EPIPen shot. Good in theory but not especially useful in the wilderness.
 
Thomas Linton, hola

“Why might one piece of plastic be better than another?”

My point exactly. There is one feature of one of the the bits of plastic that makes it better – the enhanced ability of the blanket to reflect radiated heat. My contention is that the other bit of plastic, the plastic bag, is superior in other respects, most conspicuously coming from the fact that it is bag whereas the blanket is not.

“But "survival blanket" thingees come in various sizes, thicknesses and configuration, including bivy sacks.”

Sneaky :-) That actually moves the goalposts. Talking about space blankets, and then saying space bankets also come as “bivy bags” really shifts the definition of what a blanket is.

“Carry whatever floats your boat.”

Indeed. But most of us are interested in how one bit of kit compares to another not just that we are satisfied with how a certain bit of kit performs. In my case, I answered the OP with my ranking of them. I don't think I would have done him much justice with a response of “well if you like it”.

“But if all you had was the cheapest "suvival blanket" you's be better off than with no waterproof cover.”

Yeah, but we need to start the story at the beginning. You tool up before you go out. That you'd be “better off than with none” could be said about a lot of kit but I'm not convinced that's enough to count as a recommendation.

“Where can one get 30-36 gal. orange/red/brightly colored plastic trash bags?”

I don't know off the top of my head I'm not a citizen of the US. Here, immediately I can find a 6.5'*3' that looks like this
1720.jpg
from here. There are loads of others.

My contention is not that the technology of the space blanket isn't useful. I believe there is even a recommendation in the Lancet for wrapping new born babies in it, and mylar has been a long time favourite among some crop growers. What I'm considering is the role of the space blanket in an emergency such as climbers / ramblers might caught out in .etc. [One would hope those planning on being out longer would have made much better provision than either a plastic sack or a space blanket]. I don't believe the blanket would be anything like as useful as the bag. Further, I believe the relationship progresses the same way. I vote basic plastic sack beats basic space blanket. It we load up on the blanket features similarly we can load up on the bag features, and I still think the bag wins-

Here's an example of a blanket with a couple cringing inside. I think you have a far more snuggly bug time in this alternative with about a similar packed size
vango-storm-shelter.jpg


This one reinforces the point. I think four people inside that would create a more favourable climate than four people with space blankets could create, especially if we consider the emergency nature and perhaps casualties.

Yeah, from small solo emergency alternatives to things that can be team shared I think you get better returns from the plastic bag than the blanket.
 
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Hi everybody,

After a few marathons/ironman triathlons, I've been given "Diet" space blankets - just the tin foil, really.

Your body is pumping out so much heat, and you're retaining none of it...I can say that it gets HOT wearing it, and is super, super effective after endurance events.

I'm not sure if this helps with W&SS at all, but I hope it gives some perspective.

GC
 
Hey TL,

As another perspective, Ron Hood talks about the little space blankets in his survival kit video. He says that ideally, they should be worn under one layer of clothing, mostly to protect the space blanket.

He says he has also used them on skiing accident victims, to keep them warm until help arrives.

Doc
 
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