A survival blanket, increasingly important in 2023, may come in handy in a survival situation when it is quite cold on the outside. Whether you are in the jungle, or in the snow of the North Pole, warmth is the essential treasure. To keep safe from heat, wind, rains, drops of temperature, and other conditions, an emergency blanket is a great solution used by hikers across the globe. Read the article and find out why you should ensure taking one along with your sleeping bag and other survival gear. Read carefully: hypothermia can be lethal.
Over 1200 people die from hypothermia in the United States every year. And most deaths could have been avoided by using something as simple as a survival blanket. This is a significant reason to include this item on your survival preparedness list.
There are various types of survival blankets — mylar blanket, emergency blanket, space blanket, survival blanket. But whatever you call them, having at least one is a must, especially if you, like us, are from an area where winters are cold.
A great solution would be to store a mylar space blanket in the glove compartment of your car. This simple item can be your life ticket on an icy night.
It may happen that you had to drive at night on a poorly cleared snow road. Even if you are an experienced driver, there is always a chance that the car may be driven into a ditch on an icy road. You call the evacuation company, but they can only come in the morning. And the road is not at all popular, so there are simply no passing cars nearby, walking is very far, so you have to stay overnight in the car. The car will reliably protect you from wind, but not from frost.
TOP Best Emergency Blankets You Can Buy
1. The Tact Bivvy — Our Favorite Emergency Blanket
The Tact Bivvy uses Mylar as the base of their blanket. Mylar is the best material for an emergency blanket. The Tact Bivvy is more like a sleeping bag in action, it is able to keep body heat inside.
The great thing about the Tact Bivvy is it’s lightweight and size, this blanket literally fits in the palm of your hand while still providing you with maximum warmth.
Its ideal size will allow you to put it in your first aid kit, survival pack, get home bags, bug out bag, or just in the glove box. And you do not have to sacrifice space for something else.
This waterproof and windproof blanket comes with a handy pouch for storing your Tact Bivvy.
This emergency blanket would be your best investment. Its price is more than acceptable for such a set of pros.
Field Tested
Your trust is important to us, so not to be unfounded, we decided to see for ourselves the pros and working process of the Tact Bivvy blanket.
Our editor-in-chief (HIS NAME) tested the blanket on a cool day at 40 degrees. And after 10 minutes of use, the temperature inside the blanket was 82 degrees.
After a while, he had to get out of the blanket to avoid overheating, so Tact Bivvy worked efficiently. This blanket is an indispensable tool for avoiding hypothermia in cold weather survival situations.
In addition, Survival Frog often offers profitable promotions for the Tact Bivvy. Our favorite offer is a 20% discount and a gift of a pack of waterproof matches.
Check Out Today’s Deal
Remember that even without water you can live for some time, but in the cold, death occurs in a matter of hours. Why not foresee this danger and prepare in advance, it is not difficult at all.
We also advise you to watch the video review below. It complements your idea of the Tact Bivvy.
2. Emergency Thermal Tent
3. Packable Black Diamond Down Throw
Down is a very good material that not only weighs very little and folds to a small size, but is also capable of generating heat. Therefore, down is one of the best materials for emergency blankets.
You can buy the Packable Black Diamond Down Throw complete with a bag, which is very convenient for storage and transportation. And this blanket weighs only 1.15 pounds, which will not heavily weigh any bag or backpack.
4. Arcturus Heavy Wool Military Blanket
In addition to their useful properties, these blankets are affordable, which will allow you to buy several for your home and car. This wool blanket works great in combination with the mylar one. Wrap yourself in a woolen blanket first and then a mylar blanket to keep you warm faster.
5. S.O.L. Survive Outdoors Longer Escape Bivvy
We recommend watching this video on using the SOL Escape Bivvy.
6. Swiss Safe Emergency Mylar Blankets
7. Down Under Outdoors Blanket
A pleasant bonus will be a lifetime warranty for this blanket, if you do not like the quality, you can easily change it.
Put this blanket in your backpack before going camping.
8. Grabber All-Weather Blanket
The Grabber All-Weather Blanket can be best used as a ground cover on which you will place your sleeping bag. This ground cloth will protect your sleeping bag from moisture and add an extra layer of insulation. This blanket has good heat reflecting properties.
The creators of this blanket have thought through everything to the smallest detail. They made corner grommets, which will allow you to hang the blanket and thus make a small DIY survival shelter.
9. Survive Outdoors Longer Emergency Blanket
These blankets have bright orange colors, which is undoubtedly very useful when rescuers search for a person. The bright color will perfectly attract attention in case of blockages with snow or the desert.
In addition, this product may have not so obvious functions, for example, it can cover your gear or survival items, it can be used as a ground cover.
Since you are an experienced survivalist, you have the means for this situation too. Your winter survival kit should definitely include a mylar blanket, it will take up very little space, it also weighs very little, so it is an ideal item to use for winter survival.
But we ask you not to trust every advertising and not to buy the first available mylar blanket. This thing is very simple, but you have to trust one. Imagine that you completely rely on the quality of the blanket, and it will let you down on the cold weather of the night. This mistake can be fatal.
Be sure that the survival blanket has all the stated features and can keep you warm. To avoid terrible mistakes, we have compiled our review. We will tell you what types of survival blankets are, show the best samples in our opinion, and tips for using them.
Tips for Using the Mylar Space Blanket
Have a Few
Mylar blankets take up almost no space, so it will not be cumbersome for you to fold two blankets in your glove compartment or car trunk. If you are alone, you can cover yourself with two at once, which will increase their effectiveness, and you will be even warmer. And if there is another person besides you, then you can offer a blanket to him or her. If you have a family, then stock up on a blanket for each family member so that in the event of a survival situation, you do not have to decide who is freezing and who is warm, all members will have their own.
Get It Out Gently
Many advertisements say that mylar space blankets are very durable, but this is not entirely true. You need to avoid contact with sharp objects. Therefore, in the first place, do not store knives, blades, or sharpening next to your survival blankets. And secondly, always carefully remove the blanket from its packaging. Even if your hands are very cold, do not rush, it is better to slowly and carefully remove the blanket to avoid getting any holes on it. Indeed, if a hole forms, then it will not help you much.
Right Size
Pay attention to the size of the blanket before purchasing. There are small blankets for children or teenagers that can also come in handy, but they will not do much for an adult. Therefore, it is better to invest in the purchase and buy a suitable large mylar blanket than to save money and throw money out. It must completely cover you to work.
Do Not Cover Your Face or Head
Mylar does not allow air to pass through, so if you succumb to the temptation and completely cover yourself with an emergency blanket, you may have two unpleasant situations. First, you may pass out due to the high concentration of CO2 in the exhaled air, which will remain in your blanket cocoon.
Secondly, condensation will inevitably form from your breath, which will lower your body temperature. It is important to keep the mylar blanket dry so that it can do its job.
Mylar Does Not Generate Heat
Yes, a mylar blanket will perfectly protect you from the wind and keep your body heat, will not let it fall. Unfortunately, this technology will not be able to raise body heat higher than it is.
Various Types Of Emergency Blankets
Wool
Wool has the beneficial qualities required for an emergency blanket. This material is waterproof, warm, and insulates heat well. Moreover, wool is light. You can buy such a blanket in an army store, which will be quite cheap. Or you can buy an expensive blanket in a boutique. You can find a wool blanket for every taste, size, and price.
Animal PeltsHumans made the very first survival blankets from the skins of mammoths and other animals. But these blankets had obvious cons, they were too large and heavy. You definitely will not put them in a backpack or the glove compartment of a car. But the ancient people saved themselves from the cold with animal pelts and even built their dwellings from them.
Down and Synthetic Down
It is a great material capable of trapping your body heat and generating a lot of heat.
Synthetic down has an advantage over the regular one. When wet, synthetic down will not lose its properties and will also warm you, which cannot be said about real down.
Down is a recognized warm material and is used for warm jackets, modern sleeping bags, and compact survival blankets.
Polar Fleec
Polar fleece is made from polyester, a very lightweight material.
Polar fleece blankets are remarkable in that they stretch easily and are easy to wash.
Space Blanket
A great example of how space technology can help us in everyday life. BoPET (Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a NASA development, more commonly referred to as Mylar. It is an innovative, ultralight material that looks like tin foil but is much more durable. A big plus in addition to its low weight is the ability to fold to a minimum size.
Now ambulance crews or rescuers have Mylar space blankets in their first aid survival kits. It is an indispensable item for a survival first aid kit for cold weather, snowy regions, or mountainous areas.
Mylar blankets perfectly retain body heat, take up very little space and weigh practically nothing.
Best Survival Blanket Summary
People can use these blankets to keep warm and keep body heat and as a survival gear cover or ground cloth.
We are accustomed to the fact that first of all, we need to stock up on water and survival food because without this people cannot live long. But we can tell you that you can freeze to death even faster, without even taking advantage of your wonderful food supplies hidden in emergency shelters. Every year in the United States, more than 1000 people die from hypothermia. If you do not want to become one of the victims, you can buy an emergency blanket, survival blanket, or mylar one. In addition, this product is not expensive at all and is available for purchase both in stores and on the website.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
What is the best survival blanket?
In this regard, we prefer Tact Bivvy. It is as light as foil blankets, but the body’s heat retention and strength are much higher. Lightweight, space-saving, durability is the undeniable pros of this product. All features performed well in the tests we ran. You can search for other items, but we consider the Tact Bivvy one of the market’s best products. You can also read reviews from satisfied customers. You can order it online on the Survival Frog website.
Which products you might also like?
We also recommend looking out for the Emergency Thermal Tent, which can shelter up to two adults from cold, water, and wind. The Survive Outdoors Longer Escape Bivvy is also a good thing, which is a mylar-based sleeping system. Survive Outdoors Longer Emergency one uses bright colors to help rescuers find the victim. So all of these items have their own useful features and can also bring a good customer experience.
How does a survival blanket work?
First and foremost, they help the body retain its heat. Along with heat retention, blankets capture up to 90% of your body heat and keep you warm. That is, 90% of the heat that is normally dissipated in the atmosphere is used to warm you up more. Also, blankets protect you from wind and water. You can use them as a ground cloth to create insulation between the ground and your sleeping bag.
Are Mylar blankets reusable?
It depends on how carefully you use them. Some are more fragile than others. But in principle, mylar is a strong material, the main thing is to store it in a safe place away from cutting objects. Place your blankets in a special bag. Check reviews before buying to see if it is possible to use them multiple times.
What are survival blankets made from?
There are various materials, but the most popular are wool, synthetic down, polar fleece, and mylar. People used to use animal pets, but this stuff has a lot of cons.
Although wool, down, and fleece have the pros like lightweight, windproof, small size, mylar one wins in the list of features. It is even lighter and takes up even less space and can store up to 90% of your body heat. It is a good idea to combine several blankets of different compositions.
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