just curious .. mylar space blankets / survival / emergency blankets

I really believe they could be a life-saver. Maybe not for the body heat-reflecting quality as much as for the waterproof quality. The body heat reflective quality has got to be better than nothing. And we know they reflect heat from a fire very well.

Would you rather endure a 40* night with pouring rain in a debris hut with a $2 space blanket integrated into the top, or a debris hut without one? That's just one scenario. Personally, I've never had to spend an unexpected/unprepared night in the woods, in any weather. But for the negligible cost and weight penalty, I'm willing to keep space blankets in all my packs and bags, and the sturdier re-usable ones in my car.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
When I first ever saw a mylar one I was disappointed , I wont lie , thin sheet of plastic , silver so thin on it you can see thru it in the sunlight .
It was a couple years later I used one , I was camping up on the river flat and sort of was too busy fishing to pay proper attention to the weather .. and got a bit flooded in for a couple days .. that silly sheet of plastic was my raincoat and main wrap after a bit too . just its wind proofing made whatever else i was wearing a lot more effective at keeping me warm .

Not perfect , annoyingly noisy , but it earned my respect enough that I grabbed a few more for incase they were needed .

I have seen the better quality ones online but never run into them at an affordable price enough to mess around using them to see hw they go for funs kind of thing .
I have mylar stashed around in cars and kits , I have a multicam g2 tarp in my pack that does for my main shade / shelter / blanket wrapping up in thing first tho .
 
RescueRiley I have ta agree with ya. I keep about thirty of these SPACEBANKETS spotted all over my house, shop, vehicles, Bugout Bag, First Aide Emergency Field Kit (COMBAT MEDIC BAG), and other places as well. I have a Field First Aide belt model with three in it and I have a Cousin that would always make fun of me and my First Aide equipment. He doesn't anymore, not after I was the only one with First Aide equipment when he took a stray round through his leg while Deer hunting twenty years ago. He no longer makes fun of anything I have for it's for a reason and I've thought it through before I purchased/made particular item.
I learned a lot of neat tricks while in Service and I must tell ya, ya never forget it if ya apply ya self. But those that don't, well what can I say.
 
ThriftyJoe said:
This is the link I was looking for when I commented this thread a few days ago. Just now found it: http://www.combatcasuals.com/store/...ble-emergenc?gclid=COCXyfaj_rgCFbBDMgodkQgAcQ It's got trapped air cells.

Why would anybody carry a space blanket instead of one of these? $32.95 is not too bad..?
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Not all that many reviews for a product out since at least 2007.

The fact that the military use it has to be balanced with the $100's of millions wasted by the U.S. on ECWCS I and II - total flops.

Most reviews are positive but somewhat vague. None address moisture management in what is essentially a plastic bag beyond advising not to breath into the bag.

One point of agreement: very difficult to get small again after use - the curse of handy little garments in cute packages since the beginning of time.

Here is a review on a reputable site that has pro's and con's: http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=125842
 
Just want to throw this out there. Mylar space blankets are last resort items meant to keep you ALIVE. I've never heard anyone claiming they are comfortable, quiet, or good replacements for other gear. They are all about keeping you alive though. And really, if something can't do that (or help to do that) it's pretty useless. Mylar blankets are awesome vapor barriers (wind/water proofing), and when set up correctly are great heat reflectors. Heat reflection can keep you warm or cool, don't forget! You can reflect heat towards or away from you. That's all. End of rant.

Chris
 
cpurcell said:
Just want to throw this out there. Mylar space blankets are last resort items meant to keep you ALIVE. I've never heard anyone claiming they are comfortable, quiet, or good replacements for other gear. They are all about keeping you alive though. And really, if something can't do that (or help to do that) it's pretty useless. Mylar blankets are awesome vapor barriers (wind/water proofing), and when set up correctly are great heat reflectors. Heat reflection can keep you warm or cool, don't forget! You can reflect heat towards or away from you. That's all. End of rant.

Chris
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Sounds more like a sage commentary than a rant. :thumbup:
 
Thomas Linton said:
Sounds more like a sage commentary than a rant. :thumbup:
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What he said

having the right gear is good , no one is saying that the mylar blankets replace anything . they do back it up tho , and they help if you dont have it at all , hopefully anyway ..

I was curious tho if anyone has actually used them or if the general consensus was they are junk , its better to save the $0.90 cents and put it toward a $100 piece of gear instead , and forget about back ups in case you dont have that gear for some reason

For me , I dont mind handing out $0.90 cent items to folk with shock shivers who are going to bleed on them .. I dont want them back thanks .. I would balk some at handing out $15 items .. to me thats expensive ..
Did the cheap items do a better job than expensive ones would have ? I dont know .. they guys were thankful to have something tho ..
 
I've done a few trips with these as my only sleeping gear/shelter and inevitably would wake up wet if I wrapped myself in one... they really gather condensation. They are better as a reflector, last ditch tarp, or vapor barrier under other gear....
 
cpurcell said:
Just want to throw this out there. Mylar space blankets are last resort items meant to keep you ALIVE. I've never heard anyone claiming they are comfortable, quiet, or good replacements for other gear. They are all about keeping you alive though. And really, if something can't do that (or help to do that) it's pretty useless. Mylar blankets are awesome vapor barriers (wind/water proofing), and when set up correctly are great heat reflectors. Heat reflection can keep you warm or cool, don't forget! You can reflect heat towards or away from you. That's all. End of rant.

Chris
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Fully agreed. They can help keep you alive, if conditions aren't too severe. My earlier point was more regarding if you are going to carry one (just like any other piece of gear), don't just buy it at the sporting goods store and throw it in your pack. USE IT. Know what it will do for you, and what it won't. I know this probably sounds obvious, but this seems to be one of those stand-out items that too many people simply buy and throw in their BOB/Emergency kits and never take out of the package until they actually (desperately...) need it.

And I would highly recommend one of these over those crappy ones that get branded under Coughlan's and several other brands. They are way better made:

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com...atname=Shelter&prodname=SOL Emergency Blanket

And if you can spare a little more space and few more ounces, I prefer these. They may not be as versatile for other uses, but they do a much better job of trapping/reflecting body heat:

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com...atname=Shelter&prodname=SOL Emergency Blanket
 
A bit of back ground, Im a keen hunter, I usually hunt alone in remote places. I tend to walk in and set up a base camp then hunt from there with a rifle and a belt kit.

There's been a few times over the years when unexpectedly I haven't made it back to base camp or back to the truck and had to stay the night and walk out in the morning. I used to be a big PSK tin kit carrier but now I don't bother for my uses I find them useless. What I do carry is a small belt pouch contains a decent fire kit, AMK 2 person heat sheet, insect repellent, chocolate bars, headlamp and misc first aid items. These items plus a decent outer layer of clothing, my other hunting gear and afew shelter finding/building skills result in an uncomfortable yet safe night out even in adverse weather conditions.

I started using the mylar blankets and they did the job. I do believe there are far better options available now. The mylar blankets tend to tear easily and for me anyway were not robust enough to rig up as a shelter. The AMK is a step in the right direction, pretty good piece of kit

My advice with this sort of stuff is buy one of each if possible and pull them out and play with them, ask yourself If I had to stay a night out which type would serve me better?
 
stewey1 said:
My advice with this sort of stuff is buy one of each if possible and pull them out and play with them, ask yourself If I had to stay a night out which type would serve me better?
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That right there :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

best advice about everything a man carries , take it out and play with it , or you wont know what to expect from it when you need it
 
Consider too while you're doing that why would you on a car camping trip be using last ditch back up gear

Its not replacement for regular gear but for when you don't have your regular gear .

Still its valid advice to see what works well and what lacks badly
 
OK I'm missing the point obviously
To me , they are not regular use gear but to back up what you have in a bad situation . seems I have it wrong ?

I took them to be like the wire saw mini knife tiny clothes repair kit etc ... Stuff to use when its all you got left .

Seems tho its taken to be regular use item .

For me its definitely for when Im reaching into emergency gear
Each to their own tho
 
The small space blankets are also know as casualty blankets
They are one time disposable EMERGENCY gear
They weigh nothing and take up no space, and are dirt cheap
And work very well with an indefinite shelf

What is the question?
 
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