emergency plastic blankets...effective?

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Great new forum, nice to see this take shape.

To the point, the emergency mylar blankets coated with a silver coating on one side and a gold coating on the other...

I used these as a Boy Scout when camping. Just wondering if any of you folks have had good or bad experiences with them. The times I used them were in moderate circumstances. They seemed to keep me really warm, and reflected body heat well. I'd like to know if anyone has any real-time experience with these. Wal-Mart sells these for less than $2.00...can't beat it.

Christa

-- christa (christamike@hotmail.com), July 08, 1999

Answers

Christa,

Used these blankets while in the military. They do work well in as much as they will keep you from freezing. Don't fall for all the hype used in their ads, many people feel let down when they find out that, on a really cold night, you will not be as warm and toasty as they think they will. The blankets will keep you alive if you use them alone, even when it's very cold out, but you will not get much sleep. If used in combo with other blankets and/or sleeping bag they perform much better. Place one between you and blanket/sleeping bag and you can stay very warm. Just remember to use common sense, the emergency blankets are not as heavy-duty as your blankets/sleeping bags so take care with them. If you know that it is going to be very cold, don't expect them to do the job alone. I have a lot of the emergeny blankets in my storage plan, some I will use as needed and some I will trade out to others.

-- sigmund (kingofsomewhere@hot.com), July 08, 1999.


Folks,

Well, I hate to keep plugging the solar angle, but these blankets make superb relectors for solar panel cookers.

Solar panel cookers really work, they cost virtually nothing to make, they are brilliant. I think the most (only?) enjoyable moment in all my Y2K prepping was taking my first home baked loaf out of the oven, having been cooked by just sitting in the sun for 2.5 hours.

Just unbelievable, you have to see it to believe it!

Get some of these blankets NOW, and go to http://www.accessone.com/~sbcn/plans.htm#box-style and print off the plans for the Cookit Solar Panel Cooker. Make one now, or save the plans till you need them, but its better to practice now.

RonD

-- Ron Davis (rdavis@ozemail.com.au), July 08, 1999.


I'll repeat a warning I previously made at (my effort at hotlinking)

Bugging Out: Bug Out Bag Revisited

Just a warning on mylar sheets, space blankets, etc. Most of them are flammable, and being so thin, they can be explosively flammable - like one second from sheet of plastic to sheet of flame. Happened to my sister-outlaw when camping - she still has burn scars. Not to put them down - they are very useful, but just don't get them near flames, and see if you can find any of the non-flammable ones - which of course cost much more. Regards.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 08, 1999.


These blankets/bags are very effective. A heavier-duty version is available with stitched seams. During winter hikes I carry one and put it under my bag to reflect heat from going into the ground.

-- Tom (retro50@agapeis.net), July 08, 1999.

One of those blankets saved me from hypothermia huddled under a cliff face in a drenching rainstorm one night on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. It was August, but a VERY strong wind was blowing. It and a light wool blanket kept me warm enough to get some sleep even though I was sleeping on a bare rock ledge (not recommended for general habit).

So, yes, they help, have backup that will retain warmth even if wet. Wool is the best for that because of the physical structure of the fiber.

-- Jon Williamson (jwilliamson003@sprintmail.com), July 08, 1999.



They also come as a bag, like a mummy sleeping bag. Got one, haven't tried it. Seems like it would do a much better job of keeping drafts out.

Once these things tear, in my experience, they're toast. Don't know about the strength of the seams in the bag-style.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), July 08, 1999.


Thanks for the answers, everyone. RonD, I've never thought of them for cooking purposes. That's a great idea. And someone mentioned flammability. Little details like that can save a life.

It does seem the ones we had in the Boy Scouts were heavier and alot thicker, and cost $5 or $6 but that was almost 30 yrs ago. I got the impression these would tear easily. I guess like anything else, the price is lower but the quality suffers.

-- christa (christamike@hotmail.com), July 08, 1999.


As well as being flammable I believe they're electrically conductive too, at least that's what it said on one which I bought.

RonD

-- Ron Davis (rdavis@ozemail.com.au), July 08, 1999.


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