Blanket Tech

abo4ster

abo4ster

Joined
Aug 24, 2003
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I hadn't started a new thread here in sometime, so here it goes...

Wool blankets are a fantastic piece of equipment. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of published information in one place on their use in the woods. The first video below will hopefully help you learn more about things to consider in wool blankets, bedding configurations, and how to use as a coat.

“The warmest blanket for its weight is not a close-woven one, but one that is loose-woven and fluffy…” - Horace Kephart, 1917

That being said, there are no temperature ratings for Wool Blankets… there are just too many variables of which I tried to explain those qualities to consider in a blanket. In addition, everyone and every environment are different. It should be worth noting, your first layer of shelter is your clothing, not the wool blanket.

If you have NOT slept in the woods without a sleeping bag before, and/or you are NOT familiar with the five heat loss mechanisms, Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Respiration, and Evaporation; strongly suggest you learn and plan to address each before you embark using a wool blanket only.

[video=youtube;kYeCQ-Zqfdw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYeCQ-Zqfdw[/video]​

This second video is about going minimalist with a wool blanket. I am quite comfortable with this setup...

[video=youtube;Njbp81qhtkg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njbp81qhtkg&feature=related[/video]

IMG_1669.jpg

I learned the "jet pack" from David Wescott and quite a bit about wool blankets in general from both Steve Watts and David Wescott.
 
I bought a Woolrich wool blanket for outdoor use or in the car in winter (not around Houston). Nice but pretty heavy. 3 pounds 11 ounces. I have not tried overnighting with it.
 
I love my down bag but it wouldn't do me any good wet and is kind of fragile.
 
That was a lot of great info. I used a wool blanket for the past few years but finally decided to take the plunge and get a good bag. It was the weight and bulkiness that finally wore me down.

I always wanted to try a method like the Woodsdrummer uses but he is much more minimalist than me. Looks effective though.
http://woodsdrummer.com/trailtube.html
 
Great video set!

I think the jacket concept is more of a survival thing, or perhaps it gets a bit colder than anticipated, but I wouldn't knowingly rely on a blanket as my outwear if conditions required it. It might have been worthwhile mentioning that the chief advantage of wool blankets over regular sleeping bags is that they are very fire resistant and pretty much completely spark proof. This makes them ideally suited to use with fire where as sleeping bags are subject to damage (pinholes) and perhaps worse. Honestly, if somebody made fireproof sleeping bag outers, I'd probably never bring out the wool blanket again.

Also great advice on the minimal kit. Now people usually talk about skills in place of gear. There is downside to this, however, which is time spent making and improvising gear from your limited kit and natural resources. Everything you do from natural materials is going to come at effort and time costs. For example, building up an insulation bed from natural materials can take only 15 minutes in the right location but as long as an hour in a location without great materials to work with. The lessons I've learned from playing with this stuff is that if you are going to go minimalist you really have to time budget yourself and you will find that a large chunk of the day is used up making your campsite essentials. Not that I don't find this activity fun and the skills worthwhile to know. I'm just putting out the other side of the argument, more gear, can also mean more time doing other things.

Thanks again, and I loved the comparison shot up front of all the wool blankets. You hardly ever see that! Nice collection of blankets.
 
kgd said:
Now people usually talk about skills in place of gear. There is downside to this, however, which is time spent making and improvising gear from your limited kit and natural resources. Everything you do from natural materials is going to come at effort and time costs. For example, building up an insulation bed from natural materials can take only 15 minutes in the right location but as long as an hour in a location without great materials to work with. The lessons I've learned from playing with this stuff is that if you are going to go minimalist you really have to time budget yourself and you will find that a large chunk of the day is used up making your campsite essentials. Not that I don't find this activity fun and the skills worthwhile to know. I'm just putting out the other side of the argument, more gear, can also mean more time doing other things.
Click to expand...

Nice post as always Ken.

As you mention, "skills in place gear;" there is a direct correlation between skills and comfort. As an example, most forests I have been, I can make a springy mattress, even on uneven ground... paired with a blanket, fire, and a lean-to I am quite comfortable, more times than not, more comfortable than a sleeping bag. And there have been occasions, I have slept so soundly that it was better than sleeping in my own bed at home. Maybe I was dog tired from making the bed and procuring the firewood! ;)

Gear can be a great convienence on time as you mention, and I use sleeping bags and pads often because of it. It can also save your butt when time and/or weather is working against you.

But those one-blanket tricks are a great way to start to improve one's skills. As Mors says, if you can sleep and hydrate, you've got it made. I like this particular angle when thinking about what to carry as it puts one's skill level in perspective. What do I need to make it through the night comfortably and to stay hydrated?

I like this quote about a Master Woodsman...

Master Woodsman – A man is skillful at woodcraft in proportion (to his) approach (to) balance… knowing the wilderness can be comfortable when a less experienced man would endure hardships. Conversely, if a man endures hardships where a woodsman could be comfortable, it argues not his toughness, but his ignorance or foolishness, which is exactly the case with our blatant friend of the drawing-room reputation. – Camp and Trail, 1920
Click to expand...
 
Very nice quote Abo4ster! Knowing how to use a blanket for multiple functions is a great skill to have, much like knowing how to use the contents of your FAK for different situations and purposes. Of course, these skills are also very transferable to other gear choices as well. I think, much like I would never rely on friction fire as my fire source, learning the skill to do so makes one learn all the basics of fire from tinder to managing coals that inevitably improve your fire craft even if using a bic lighter. Likewise, knowing your blanket tricks can just as easily let you use an opened up sleeping bag in a jacket configuration, use a tarp for a backpack or build a better insulation bed after finding that your pad just isn't cutting it on its own. So I think we are in total agreement here.

Personally, I don't tend to gravitate to the old ways out of nostalgia which many do, but I certainly see the value of knowing how to improvise when the gear isn't working as well as it should or when the unexpected has happened. That's why practicing this stuff is so important because we are much less clear headed when miserable. Keep up the skills vids - they are great.
 
I love that setup with the reflective lined ceiling.

I used to have a Pendleton shirt, and I swear it was warmer, ounce-for ounce, than my Patagonia fleece jacket. Plus I imagine it is more flame resistant. Even if it does burn, it isn't going to melt into your skin the way polyester will.
 
If you can tuck the dog into the blanket, in the diagonal configuration, I will give you $10.

:D
 
Nice videos Abo4ster!
I use a wool blanket much of the time. Though, the ease of throwing down a high-tech sleep system can't be ignored. Unlike Kgd, I am a traditionalist at heart and tend to run a bit on nostalgia and the challenge of "making due". I do tend to shy away from the purist crowd of "period correct" and adopt a more eclectic approach... at times, it's a bit of a paradox but I'm just here to have a good time.

I only have two criticisms of the info you presented...

1. It may get misinterpreted when you say that you lose most of your heat through your head and neck. It is my understanding that you don't lose any MORE heat from that area than you would from any other part of your body. It is just those parts are usually exposed more than the rest.... thankfully:eek::o:D.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour
http://www.healthylivingindia.org/2010/09/myth-you-lose-most-of-your-body-heat.html
http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/fitness-fixer/do-you-lose-most-your-heat-through-your-head

2. You mention that wool can absorb 50% of it's weight in water before you start feeling cold. My sources point to it being more like 30% before you begin to feel wet and it loses the majority of it's insulative properties. You will still get colder as wool accumulates moisture.... it just does a heck of a lot better than most other materials. It even produces heat to a small degree as it absorbs.:thumbup:
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/11/wool_facts_behi.html
http://www.earthsake.com/wool_facts.html
http://www.i-merino.com/easycare/Warmth
 
Last edited:
Rick Marchand said:
Nice videos Abo4ster!
I use a wool blanket much of the time. Though, the ease of throwing down a high-tech sleep system can't be ignored. Unlike Kgd, I am a traditionalist at heart and tend to run a bit on nostalgia and the challenge of "making due". I do tend to shy away from the purist crowd of "period correct" and adopt a more eclectic approach... at times, it's a bit of a paradox but I'm just here to have a good time.

I only have two criticisms of the info you presented...

1. It may get misinterpreted when you say that you lose most of your heat through your head and neck. It is my understanding that you don't lose any MORE heat from that area than you would from any other part of your body. It is just those parts are usually exposed more than the rest.... thankfully:eek::o:D.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour
http://www.healthylivingindia.org/2010/09/myth-you-lose-most-of-your-body-heat.html
http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/fitness-fixer/do-you-lose-most-your-heat-through-your-head

2. You mention that wool can absorb 50% of it's weight in water before you start feeling cold. My sources point to it being more like 30% before you begin to feel wet and it loses the majority of it's insulative properties. You will still get colder as wool accumulates moisture.... it just does a heck of a lot better than most other materials. It even produces heat to a small degree as it absorbs.:thumbup:
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/11/wool_facts_behi.html
http://www.earthsake.com/wool_facts.html
http://www.i-merino.com/easycare/Warmth
Click to expand...

I think you need 4 sources, not just 3, to support your point :D :D :D
 
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