Reddit reviews S.O.L. Survive Outdoors Longer 90 Percent Heat Reflective Emergency Blanket
We found 12 Reddit comments about S.O.L. Survive Outdoors Longer 90 Percent Heat Reflective Emergency Blanket. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Depend on the most advanced emergency blanket on the market, meticulously designed to never fail when you're counting on it with your life.Made from vacuum-metalized polyethylene Heatsheets, it reflects 90% of your body heat to help you stay warm.More durable than Mylar, this blanket resists tearing and will not shred like Mylar blankets if nicked or punctured.A true ultra-light multifunction backcountry tool, this emergency blanket can also be used as a ground cloth, gear cover, first aid blanket, and more. This pack includes a 56” x 84” emergency blanket that weighs only 2.5 ounces.Shelter yourself from the elements with the Heatsheets material that is windproof and waterproof.
Instead of regular Mylar, look into a SOL blanket. They're reflective on one side so they will reflect heat outwards without reflecting it inwards as well. They don't crinkle or tear like regular mylar, and are specifically designed for shade. I hold mine on with binder clips.
I bought a fan for $10 at the army surplus which works well and goes through about 2 sets of D batteries through the weekend.
You can also look into making a Figjam Swamp Cooler if you need extra cooling power. It's essentially like an air conditioner for your tent!
Spare hiking socks
Spare underwear
Pants/shorts
web belt (2)
Jacket/rain jacket
Pullover sweater
Bandana/shemagh
OR sunbucket hat
Tyvek tarp (w/grommets)
50' hanks para cord (2)
50' orange 3/8" rope
Titanium tent pegs (6)
Mylar emergency blanket
GPS & spare batteries
Digital FM radio & spare batteries (with headphones)
SPF 30 sunscreen
Lip Balm
Headlamp & spare batteries (with red light)
LED flashlight & spare batteries\
Small IFAK
Fire bundle
Ferro rod, Bic lighter, etc
Mora knife & sharpener
Pocket knife
Multi-tool
50" roll, duct tape
Pen/Notebook
USB stick with scans of important docs along with other files, like a list of Internet bookmarks, etc
Tupperware container (vital records)
Food*
KFS
GSI cup
Aluminum water bottles (2)
Sawyer Mini kit
Toilet Paper!
Hygiene kit
Whistle
Signal Mirror
6" chemlights (4)
Mechanix gloves
Dust masks
Permanent marker
Sillcock key
FuBar
------------------
Food
Cereal bars
Dried soup mix
Trail mix
Mountain House meal
------------------
Winter
Synthetic long underwear
Wool toque
Gloves
The general dangers of running at high elevation notwithstanding, just speaking from a gear perspective:
If you're willing to spend some money you can put together a really lightweight kit that'd be sufficient for an unplanned overnight in reasonably wmnf-bad conditions. You'd need more than a vest to carry it, but there are some nice fastpacks at 20-30L that would be runnable (Osprey Rev series, Six Moon Designs Flight). I'd put together something like the following, but there are many other options.
A solid, but small shelter that can withstand reasonable wind like the MLD Solomid ~1-1.5lb w/ a (trekking or otherwise) pole ~$500
An Emergency Blanket / Ground Sheet ~3oz $6
A very warm quilt like the EE Revelation 0F Short/Slim (for survival, not comfort) 950fill ~24oz $425 You could probably get away with a less warm quilt, but even at 0 degrees the 950fill will compact enough to fit in a smaller fastpack.
A light down jacket like the Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer ~8oz $200-$300
Now you're at around 4lbs with a shelter that can handle some wind and snow loads, a 0 degree quilt, a decent jacket, and a general purpose groundsheet/extra blanket. This isn't a complete list obviously, and I wouldn't generally suggest super ultralight gear for winter backpacking... but it can be a great addition to a winter daypack kit for unplanned nights out.
I live in Florida so I have very different thermal requirements than you do. My coldest winter camping only gets down to the mid 40s at night. That being said, I feel like using a quilt is closer to using a comforter in your bed than a sleeping bag is. The foot box largely keeps it in place when I change positions at night. As for the pad, odds are good that whatever pad you have now will suffice. Remember your sleeping bag is probably not providing any insulation on the bottom currently. So if the crappy foam pad you have now has a high enough R rating you would likely be fine with a quilt. The only concern is how it might feel on your skin if you don't cover it with something. Foam on skin is kinda bleh.
If you find you're cold a lot, here's a few things I've picked up over the years. To start off, the standard beginner camper stuff. Make sure you're wearing proper camping clothing in layers. Avoid cotton at all costs, you want polyester. If you don't already own UnderArmor type stuff I highly recommend getting some. I recently bought some other brand (Adidas I think?) at Ross for $20 for a pants and shirt set. I generally do not wear these during the day but wear them as pajamas at night when it's cold, adding more layers if need be. Speaking of at night when it's cold. You shouldn't be wearing the same clothes to sleep in that you wore during the day. Especially underwear and socks. Those trap lots of sweat which will keep you cold all night long. Also, invest in good wool socks if you haven't already. You probably already have one to wear during the day, but don't hesitate to get an additional thin merino wool beanie to keep your head extra warm at night (again, don't wear the one you were wearing during the day).
The next thing is check out the R-rating of your sleeping pad. Your standard cheap foam pad like this has an R value of only 1.4. An R rating of 1 is considered "minimally insulated." A better but still cheap model like this thermarest has an R value of 2.8 but is still only $20-30. An R rating of 5 is basically rated to around 0 degrees, here's an example from ThermaRest with an R rating of 5. I've seen R ratings as high as 8. I can only assume those pads set you on fire as soon as you touch them.
Don't forget, you can bring some heat with you. You may wish to invest in some of those Hot Hands products. You can get some designed to go in your gloves or your socks. I generally don't differentiate. Each one will put out a lot of heat for 8+ hours. You can either use them as recommended or just toss a couple loose in your sleeping bag. Yes, it'll cost you a buck or so per night of sleep and you have to pack them in/out, but that's not too bad compared to being miserable. I don't typically do this, but keep a few in my pack in case I get wet during the winter. If I get wet in the cold this is pretty much the only thing that really gets me warm again.
Get at least one of these SOL emergency blankets, use it as your ground cloth. It's similar to but much tougher than the standard mylar emergency blankets. It'll reflect your heat back towards you much better than the plastic sheets most people use. If you're feeling spunky, buy a 2nd, put some reinforcing duct tape or something on the corners and add rivets. Hang it above your tent or strap it in between your rain fly and tent to reflect rising heat back down to you. Fair warning, you will look like a giant dork for doing this one, but it does work surprisingly well. I personally use one for my ground cloth but never do the hanging over thing in conjunction with a tent. I have used one as a shelter though when practicing emergency survival. It kinda sucked as a shelter but it does keep in some heat.
Last but not least, you mentioned some frustration with sleeping bag liners. You could go the opposite route and get a thermal bivvy sack. I don't have much experience with them though so I don't have any real advice. I will say I tried using one of these as my only sleeping bag once and it SUCKED because it DOES NOT BREATHE AT ALL so I was soaking with sweat. I'm sure there are better options that do breathe though and you could slip your sleeping bag inside.
For the Car
inx: Just recently here at my work, we celebrated a Bday Party for a co worker, when its time to light the candle, all my co-workers ( 16 people) don't have a match/lighter to light the candle. I don't think we have any first aid kits, flashlights, or most of the basic emergency stuff. SO when SHTF, looks like I'm the only one carrying the basics on me and in my car. It's kinda sad.
You could lose the multitool and whistle and fit plenty of other useful things in that tin. I'd suggest:
I'd suggest a Victorinox SD pocket knife as a replacement for the multitool.
Sounds like a perfect use-case for a durable "emergency blanket." Not the cheap mylar blankets that are almost literally a dime a dozen, but something more like this*:
amazon.com/S-Survive-Outdoors-Longer-Reflective/dp/B00266H5VI
or even a bivy:
amazon.com/Mezonn-Emergency-Sleeping-Survival-Lightweight/dp/B07DW347RP
If you don't need it, great! It was cheap, packs small and you can put it in your emergency kit. But if you do need it, well…maybe a little crinkly or even sweaty but better than freezing, n'est-ce pas?
I keep an SOL blanket in my car but so far I've never needed it. (Holy shirt, I *just now* remembered a time I was camping right next to my car a couple of years ago and froze my ass off all night — I should have grabbed my emergency blanket!)
Where will this be? If Colorado, your setup seems way too warm for 3-season conditions. Maybe if you're up in the Wind River Range or somewhere else farther north this would make more sense. This seems too warm even for late october or april. I use the same sleeping bag and pad in January/February at those elevations (10k-12k feet). Temps dropping to 10F can certainly happen in 3-season conditions but it would be rare.
Softshell pants seem like overkill to me (way too warm). Even for full blown winter camping I've just used nylon pants and warm thermal bottoms.
For groundsheet: A mylar emergency blanket will add a bit of warmth and will protect bivy floor and inflatable pad. These are my favorite because they won't shred if they get a tiny puncture: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00266H5VI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Tyvek would be a more durable option but you won't stay as warm.
I rent a lot of planes, so I integrated the survival bag into the flight bag. Now it just comes with me everywhere. Here's what I have:
It all fits in a small pocket in my pack, and gives me everything I need. I can communicate with other airplanes or rescuers. I can treat life threatening injuries. I can remain warm and build a shelter if needed. And I can tell precisely where I am, which I can communicate to my rescuers.
That's the bare minimum basics. If I owned an airplane I'm sure I'd cram more into a dedicated kit, but since I'm only doing short day trips I don't anticipate being very far from civilization.
Totally worth the $2-5. The SOL emergency blanket is $4.95 on Amazon (linked, non-affiliate), and has grommets on it to help keep it in place (or rig it as an emergency tarp shelter / fire reflector)