Wool or survival blanket?

...wool.... Warm when wet . . ..
Click to expand...

The choice - given the OP's question.

Wool actually generates measurable heat by exothermic reaction while absorbing moisture up to about 1/3 of its weight. After that, it cannot absorb anymore water and has almost no insulation value. It's just wet cloth.

Polyester fleece or batting does not generate heat but it absorbs no water within the fiber (being plastic) .

I don't recommend either fleece blankets (no experience with wool) or space blankets as your only insulation for winter survival. I took one of each on a backpacking trip a few months ago, and was shivering all night with both at 40 F with all my clothes on too. I think it would be smart to do that test yourself in controlled conditions (backyard overnight in winter?) before you rely on those thin insulation layers when you're really stuck.
Click to expand...

Sage advice.
 
My advise would be neither. A Warm Gore-Tex Parka & bibs is the way to go. You want the insulation under the waterproof material, so it does not get wet in the first place. Gore-Tex blocks wind, rain, snow. Even a military surplus "sleeping bag system" with a Gore-Tex shell would work. I have bought many "it's our version of Gore-Tex" boots & clothing. NOTHING works as good as Gore-Tex in my experience. Buy quality & buy it once. It only hurts once. Buy one size larger than you think you need. I am almost 50 yrs old & that damn dryer seems to keep shrinking my clothes, LOL, even if they have never been put in the dryer. LOL :D

If you want to do it on the cheap, then get one of each. Put the wool blanket next to your body & the survival blanket over it, to keep the wool dry.

There are LOTS of you tube vids on "how to wear a wool blanket." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni7a6BVhYZM
 
In a vehicle, if given only those 2 choices: Wool blanket.

I keep a fleece hoodie, pants, beanie and gloves in the truck.
The hoodie and pants are a size bigger than I need so I can pull them over my clothes.

Wifey and daughter's car have a hoodie and a fleece blanket along with gloves
 
Those considering a "water-proof, 'breathable'" solution, might want to check the results of U.S. Dept. Of Defense testing: www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/breathability.pdf

In short, they don't breath very well and Gore products are hardly the best at breathing. Even stationary in a vehicle, "waterproof, 'breathable'" in severe cold can result in condensation inside the outer layer as the tinny little holes for "breathing" freeze shut, turning the garment into the functional equivalent of a plastic bag.

For some years, for extreme cold, the "waterproof, 'breathable'" approach has been abandoned by the military after two "generations" of failure in favor of a water-repellant, polyester batting-insulated parka - the Korea-era solution brought up to date.
 
Thomas Linton said:
after two "generations" of failure in favor of a water-repellant, polyester batting-insulated parka - the Korea-era solution brought up to date.
Click to expand...

Can you link a commercially available product that's "polyester batting-insulated parka"?

Thanks.
 
I can, but I may not under Forum rules against "deal spotting."

Non- "waterproof, 'breathable'" polyester batting insulated parkas include the U.S. N3B Parka and the M65 Parka, and several European and Canadian surplus models. Companies are making replicas of the N3B and M65, some better and some worse. The Canadian Extreme Cold Weather Parka is available to the public from its manufacturer (pricey). The Swedish army surplus parka is nice, long, and cheaper -- if displaying fewer "bells and whistles." Try Google.

Email sent with three links.
 
Last edited:
Ignorance speaking/asking here - but wouldn't a heavy wool parka vis a vis Filson Double Mac for example suffice as a non-breathable, non- water proof parka and be a potential solution for car-cold weather application similar to a modern M65??
 
Last edited:
rmbonham said:
wool keeps u warm even when wet.
Click to expand...

Again... No it doesn't. It's roughly the same as being naked and dry, but you're still gonna freeze to death if you stand naked in sub-freezing temperatures. Same with wet wool.

People really need to stop confusing "Warmer than anything else when wet" with "Warm when wet". They don't mean the same thing.
 
Another advantage of wool is it is "friendlier" than a sheet of mylar. Kids, other adults, even yourself might appreciate the psychological boost a warm blanket has.
 
Grease said:
Again... No it doesn't. It's roughly the same as being naked and dry, but you're still gonna freeze to death if you stand naked in sub-freezing temperatures. Same with wet wool.

People really need to stop confusing "Warmer than anything else when wet" with "Warm when wet". They don't mean the same thing.
Click to expand...

Sheep and goats may disagree with you.
 
Smithhammer said:
This.

And a down-filled sleeping bag stuffed in a compression sack is likely no bigger, and probably smaller, than a wool blanket.
Click to expand...

Or better yet

sleeping-bag-suit.jpg
 
Buffalo fibre pile bag :thumbup: Warm wet or dry, can be compressed for years without detrimental effect, windproof, you can dry wet clothing in it, tough as old boots, and you can even drive in it!

superbag2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Smithhammer said:
This is the blanket/sleeping bag I'm lusting after right now:

http://www.hillpeoplegear.com/Produ...uctDetails/mid/1916/ProductID/64/Default.aspx
Click to expand...
I was just going to mention the HPG mountain serape. I just received mine about a month ago and it has been riding (uncompressed) in the trunk of my car ever since.
The versatility of the MS is what attracted me to it.
I do a lot of fly fishing, even throughout the winter and I can see myself having to wait out a snowstorm in the car, possibly overnight. In that case it would be great in sleeping bag mode and if I absolutely had to leave the vehicle I could wear it in "great coat" mode.

I have a few other HPG products and the quality has been top notch so far.
 
mewolf1 said:
Sheep and goats may disagree with you.
Click to expand...

True, but they wear anywhere from 3-10 inches of the stuff clogged up with skin oil and dirt. It's hardly the same as a couple inches of clean wool. If you had that thick of a wool covering, of course you'd stay warm. But I sure wouldn't want to carry around the weight of that much wet wool. The wool from a single sheep is heavy enough when dry.
 
Here in CA we don't have such cold weather. But how about an old surplus heavy wool coat ??? They are easy to find cheap and atlist for me they are very warm that most of the time I can't even wear it unless its cold freezing outside, For CA anyway. There are all types of lenghs some all the way to the knees.

Sasha
 
Here in CA we don't have such cold weather.
Click to expand...

That depends on the time of year and altitude. It does rain, sleet, snow in the mountains and High Desert in the winter. Your blood sugar may get low due to extreme exercise. Then there are unplanned dips in cold water. You can get hypothermia, which uncorrected, causes death.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584843,00.html

http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsul...wood-city-man-died-hypothermia-exposure-aptos

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spo...thon-thousands-evaluated-for-hypothermia.html


"Warmer than anything else when wet"
Click to expand...

That would be polyester pile, fleece, or batting. Which is why, after science replaced Magical Thinking, all that lovely wool showed up on the military surplus market starting twenty years ago. And I like wool. It simply has limits reached sooner than with man-made.

Ignorance speaking/asking here - but wouldn't a heavy wool parka vis a vis Filson Double Mac for example suffice as a non-breathable, non- water proof parka and be a potential solution for car-cold weather application similar to a modern M65??
Click to expand...

The issue is wind-resistance. There are some very dense wool products out there, like the "boiled wool" garments once popular in Europe (I have some great W. Ger. and Swedish Army trousers.) They are good but simply not as good at stopping wind as tightly-woven nylon or polyester. Even cotton/poly blends are better. And those solutions weigh a lot less than wool and dry out faster.

Do you need the optimal solution? Depends.

And if wool works for you, it works. (Please test new gear in expected conditions.)
 
For camping, car kits, emergency preparing, I really like wool. Personally, I even like the Harbour Freight wool blankets. Yes they are cheap, scratchy, and full of recycled materials. But they are very warm and inexpensive enough to stock up on and have in every car. I even make a wool pullover with I one of them after watching one of Canterbury's videos! Wool is the winner hands down.
 
W.L. Gore has been experimenting with a new/er version of Gore-Tex that breathes better than all their previous models. For anyone interested. My Gore-Tex has been keeping me dry & warm for years, as well as those that climb mountains. It works well for me, that's about all i can say.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top