WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 1 2
Results 21 to 37 of 37
  1. #21

    Default

    Those emergency blankets trap moisture. mylar of any color is not breathable... its a plastic sheet. Sure sit by a fire with this mylar thing?... hahahah thats not from experiance in freezing weather.

    Winter camping is a bit more serious than most people think, thus so many SAR calls n fatalities as a result of being unprepared. skimping on equpment is not advisable for winter camping. Take enough clothes n equipmnet to spend a night in sub freezing weather. Those mylar blankets are fine after the marathon, but its not meant to be used for winter overnight camping. It may make a nice wind break but to sleep in it is nuts. Next time you go out... take your full winter kit n try the emergency blanket as an experiment first, but not as your primary sleeping gear expecting to cut down weight n save a few more ounces.

    That reflective thing is a myth. There is absolutely no insulating factor in a 6mil plastic sheet... all your generated heat is lost as fast as you make it regardless of how much reflective heat it tosses back... warm moist air trapped inside will rob you of all your heat.

    wrap yourself in tin foil shiny side in, lay in the fire, baste every half hour n turn for even browning.

    happy trails.

  2. #22
    Registered User
    Join Date
    04-02-2011
    Location
    Nashville
    Posts
    509
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    30 years ago I could make one last for a summer worth of weekend hiking, possibly about 5 to 6 weekends. They were ok during the summer in the Smokies but I'd bring my sleeping bag during the rest of the year. They’re ok for what they promise, but definitely not a non-summer item.

  3. #23
    Registered User NY HIKER 50's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-09-2013
    Location
    Brooklyn, NY
    Posts
    323
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    if anone said this before i missed it

    here is one that's more durable:
    https://www.rei.com/product/157767/s...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

  4. #24

    Default

    Its still plastic n mostly used as a ground cloths under the tent or on the floor of a lean-to.

    Quote Originally Posted by NY HIKER 50 View Post
    if anone said this before i missed it

    here is one that's more durable:
    https://www.rei.com/product/157767/s...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

  5. #25

    Default

    I have the SOL Escape Bivy.Used it a time or two to supplement my 20 degree top quilt in the hammock.It is breathable and probably helped some but I can't quantify how much.It definitely would protect your quilt from
    blowing precip but I would never think about going out with it as a primary quilt or shelter;might work as emergency back up in a day pack though or in the event your down bag gets soaked.

    I don't carry the Escape Bivvy or mylar blanket anymore but I do double bag my feathers as the extra bag is only 2 ounces.

  6. #26
    Registered User NY HIKER 50's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-09-2013
    Location
    Brooklyn, NY
    Posts
    323
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by camper10469 View Post
    Its still plastic n mostly used as a ground cloths under the tent or on the floor of a lean-to.
    It can also be used as a makeshift shelter. I have a quilt for my hammock ind if it's chilly I put it over myself and get warmer instantly. It cuts wind which is a big plus.

  7. #27

    Default

    Emergency Blanket is the worst idea, you have to focus on your health first of all and not about extra weight of your equipment.

  8. #28
    Winter 35R & Catskill 3500 Club Starvin Marvin's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-16-2012
    Location
    Hudson Valley
    Age
    61
    Posts
    108

    Default

    DSC06359.jpg 3 Heatsheets, some packing tape and some string.
    __________________________________________________ __________________

    Walk it off.

  9. #29

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Starvin Marvin View Post
    DSC06359.jpg 3 Heatsheets, some packing tape and some string.
    Hello condensation.

  10. #30
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-01-2014
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
    Age
    62
    Posts
    2,500

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by CalebJ View Post
    Hello condensation.
    No more than any other shaped tarp of this design. I like this. Any patterns available?

    FWIW: Here is an image of just one heat sheet, some nylon strapping tape, string, some rubber bands, and a shelter than survived a gale-force wind storm over 36 hours in my back yard . . .

    SOL Heatsheet tarp pitch.jpg

    This is the "2-person" SOL survival blanket, and it's about the same size as my poncho tarp that I use regularly as an ultra-light shelter. Yes, this survival blanket shelter works for me, even if just barely, at 6'4" tall. That being said, why carry something like this that you have to be relatively careful with when I can carry my sil-nylon poncho that is only slightly heavier (okay 8 oz instead of 4 oz?) and I can beat the crap out of it and use it for raingear as well?

    Okay, I'll answer that question. I'd carry it for fun and experimentation, and if I'd rather spend $7 (plus an hour's time) on my shelter instead of $110 for my poncho.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  11. #31
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-01-2014
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
    Age
    62
    Posts
    2,500

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Starvin Marvin View Post
    DSC06359.jpg 3 Heatsheets, some packing tape and some string.
    Oh, you lier! I see zippers also. I want drawings/instructions please? This is cool! I'll go do a winter overnight in it up behind my house in the Chugach Mountains, albeit, probably not above tree line. I think we should start a how-to and testing thread about highly functional, ultra-light, DIY shelters!
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  12. #32
    Winter 35R & Catskill 3500 Club Starvin Marvin's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-16-2012
    Location
    Hudson Valley
    Age
    61
    Posts
    108

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by nsherry61 View Post
    Oh, you lier! I see zippers also.
    Haha, busted. Yes those are tape on zippers from HD/Lowz. The peak vents are removable with velcro.(I forget why I did it that way) The Ridgeline has a string running across sandwiched in the tape, to take the load from the guyouts. Each guyout corner has a piece of tape on the diagonal to spread the load and to keep the sheet from stretching/deforming. I built this in 2014. The wife and I used it for a week in Zion. It worked just fine. It was a fun experiment.

    DSC07192.jpg
    __________________________________________________ __________________

    Walk it off.

  13. #33

    Default

    We use a few yards of tyvek as a ground cloth, picnic cloth, and as a floor in shelters under our bags. Our current piece has been going for 15 years, still intact and waterproof. We needed some more width, so we sewed running race bibs along each side. Adds some visual interest.

  14. #34
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-01-2014
    Location
    bronx
    Age
    61
    Posts
    512

    Default

    Absolutely agree that physiological needs come first (you probably also had to learn Maslow's pyramid of needs, oh college)and sleep is a physiological need. As for comfort, it is in the eye of the beholder. to be comfortable, and to keep you pack's weight reasonable, it will cost you thousands of $$$ (UL tent, UL sleeping bag, UL sleeping pad, etc.). This's is the paradox of hiking. You meet hikers wearing a torn T-shirt and a five dollars short, and on their back they carry thousands of dollars worth of gear.

  15. #35

    Default

    This video pretty much answers every question here. And I trust this guy's reviews on gear probably more than anyone out there:


  16. #36
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-01-2014
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
    Age
    62
    Posts
    2,500

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DuneElliot View Post
    . . . I trust this guy's reviews on gear probably more than anyone out there:
    I agree. This guy does a pretty good pretty consistent job.

    That being said, he also, pretty consistently, presents with a bit of over-confidence in his depth and breadth of his knowledge. As an example in this video, the SOL heat reflective material he is using is metal coated polyethylene, not Mylar. Although similar, they are not the same thing. Second, he's not showing how to effectively use the shelter he has, he is primarily showing how it fails when it is approached without an understanding of how best to use it and how not to use it. I do appreciate his attempt at explaining how heat reflective material can work, but again, he is off about things like how distance from the reflective material effects its function. Distance doesn't effect reflectivity or the amount of heat reflected! It is reflecting infrared radiation, like visible light, reflection is essentially the same at 2 inches and 2 feet. However, althought the volume of space and ventilation both matter for being warm, they do not change the amount of heat being reflected.

    I'm not saying heat heat reflective material is an important tool for most people most of the time. I am saying it can be a highly effective tool in certain circumstances if used with an understanding of how to use it. This guy is doing a good job of showing how NOT to use it. I think his video would be more useful if he also showed how to use these tools effectively, providing a good insight into it's limitations and uses instead of just suggesting, in the end, he doesn't like it.

    Maybe we could start a thread about effectively using heat reflective materials?
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  17. #37

    Default

    best thing to do is try it yourself in your conditions with a good standby incase its not what you expected. personal experiance is the best instead of finding out in an emergency situation where you may get in real trouble n no way out.

    dont rely on someone elses test n reviews!
    ive run into too many people on the trails over the years that needed help because they thought it would work since some guy tried it n said it was ok... yeah we k n his back yard for an hour.

    stay safe everyone...
    paul

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 1 2
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •