Space blanket
Who has a space blanket for an emergency in the GSMNP in November or the winter for that matter? It's 2 ounces. I never see this included in anyone's AT gear list for early starts.
I keep one in my med kit, for my self or another who may need it. Not sure it even weighs 2 oz though. As Feb starter myself, I think it's more than prudent. I dont have an oz scale so my list isn't itemized as such, mostly guesstimates.
My evolving gear list, some links provided
https://www.geargrams.com/list?id=44571
To each their own, get all the advice you can, then figure out your own path.
I have one and a small tarp (and other essentials), always in my daypack even for day hikes. You never know when you might have to spend the night.
"It goes to show you never can tell." - Charles Edward Anderson Berry
I carry one or two space blankets in the pack wherever I go.
But as far as I found out, they are of no other use than for short-term single use in emergency cases, exactly what usually is printed on the sleeve: Wrap a victim of an accident for the short time until medical aid arrives.
Space blankets, once used, cannot be folded up again, and will break in any other than really smooth conditions.
And if a space blanket is carried in the pack for some time, it most likely is already unusable, you can't unfold them without breaking. So you have to replace even the unused ones from time to time.
Why would you need an emergency space blanket if you already have the necessary gear to camp?
Seem to me the most appropriate time to carry a space blanket would be for a day hike when you're otherwise not carrying the gear needed for camping.
Perfect example in GSMNP would be a stay at LeConte Lodge. You obviously don't need a tent or tarp with you when you expect to spend the night in a heated cabin. But you want to make sure you are prepared in case you get injured on the trail and won't make it to the Lodge before dark.
yes ,the space blanket is best used for emergency situations, i.e., coming across an injured hiker who may be in shock or at risk of it, or for yourself if you have the ability to get to it or let someone know you have it. Probably not going to get you through a spontaneous blizzard unless incorporated into your other cold weather gear
My evolving gear list, some links provided
https://www.geargrams.com/list?id=44571
To each their own, get all the advice you can, then figure out your own path.
I have a slim bag that contains several emergencies: The first aid kit (a very small one), a tiny knife, a Minibic, a compass, some cord, a piece of candle, a blue wax crayon, a small plasic tube, and among other small items I belive that could help me save my life also a space blanket. All very small and lightweight.
I toss this essentials bag in the pack I'm using at the moment. On my desert hikes I sometimes carry an extra daypack, so again this essentials bag goes in the pack I using.
Sometimes, when doing a investigation walk without a pack in an unknown area far from anybody else, I hang this bag to the belt of my camera bag. Just in case.
If, when going climbing, there is a real chance to get delayed or stuck in the rock face, I would carry a bivvy bag.
Exactly. My space blanket is my tent.Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu
Not a 2 ounce space blanket, but its bigger (8.4 ounce) brother: the Survive Outdoors Longer Escape Bivvy. It's breathable, has a zipper, and is fairly durable rather than single-use.
SOLEscapeBivvy.jpg
I'd prefer the Blanket version because it would be more versatile (picnic cloth, tarp, bivvy, etc).
115d6e2c-36dc-442c-872e-06708ea2e0e8.jpg
I have the blanket. It's refoldable (unlike the cheap ones). I always take a cheap one, but will take this on longer hikes. It's a LOT more substantial. Was still cheap (in the $10 range, I think). The bivvy is $15-30 depending on breathability.
I bring an SOL mylar bivy with me both on dayhikes and overnights in cold weather. It even lives in my car during cold weather just in case.
To those saying "why would you need it?" My answer is I hope I don't find out, but if I do I'll be glad to have it. I've seen enough mishaps over the years to know there's a reasonable chance that myself, or just as likely someone I encounter on trail may well need it.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
A few points:
- This blanket isn't breathable, so you need to leave ventilation openings, thereby reducing the maximum thermal benefit. If your sleeping bag gets lost/dropped in a stream, you'll likely need as much warmth as possible.
- Versatility reduces effectiveness as a bivvy. The SOL Escape Bivvy has both a zipper and a hood.
- The plastic tarp weighs 12 ounces vs. 8.4.
There are always tradeoffs.
Have carried one of the cheap ones for years. Have had to use it three times. Each time I was very glad I had it. First time was for two people that dumped a canoe and their bags were soaked and it made the night better for them. Yes they would have lived without it but it made for a better night until the bags could get dried. The other two times were when I missed on the weather forecast and needed a little extra warmth. Yes I think on both occasions I would have lived but it made the night much better. I still carry the same blanket and I still hope to never need/want it again but for the weight it is a nice buffer for oops on the forecast. On longer hikes it is less of a buffer because the forecast has a larger range and packing for the low end of the expected temps.
I'm carrying the SOL Escape Bivvy mostly in case of something bad (drop in a stream sort of bad) happening to my sleeping bag, but the secondary use is for non-emergency nights in GSMNP. I expect to be there in late winter, and if I have to sleep in one of their icebox-style shelters rather than my own snug tent I may need some extra protection from the elements. A tent blocks most of the wind and keeps you a few degrees warmer than outside, and the bivvy will do the same thing in a more confined space.
We used them in a tent and they were worthless. Waste of money.
And if you can't use a tent for some reason?
I may repeat my experience:
A space blanket will break in storm, when operated manually too much, will be torn by rocks, shrubs and edgy/pointy things on your backpack all too easily.
You cannot rely on it to help you stay well over night. It will not work for another use, if used once.
Its really just for emergency, to wrap somebody up to keep the body from freezing to death, for a very limited time.
A piece of a space blanket saved my and my friends live once, when we got stuck in a snowstorm, dug a shallow hole in a snowdrift and covered our heads with it. It provided the small difference between freezing to death, and shaking uncontrollably through the night, but surviving.
The few times I tried to improve a cowboy camp with a space blanket to have a less uncomfortable night, it failed miserably. Once a space blanket got shredded in the gusts within minutes. Another time we tried (covering the sleeping bags with it) we had heavy condensation, Rendering the bags quite useless, so we were colder than we would have been without the blankets.
So:
"Worthless for everyday use" - yes!
"for emergency only" - yes!
Leo echos what my gut has told me. I've never used one, but I have played around with them and see that they are super fragile. Seems more like the thing to use in a rescue situation.... as in a temporary thing, say if someone gets pulled out of some icy water....wrap up in this while a fire is started, the real tent and sleeping bag unpacked, etc...
I have contemplated getting one of those more substantial ones such as the SOL one HooKooDooKu linked to.... I thought it might serve to bolster my big ages kings canyon quilt when temps get down to the edge of its limits. My gut tells me that it would help, but the better solution would be to get something better in a quilt.
I use the Sol emergency blanket/sheet for a ground cloth. It is waterproof . Very durable. It does not tear like the silver one do. Have not had to use it as a emergency blanket, but I could.
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