those gold/silver emergency blankets: do they really work, and how?
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they reflect infrared heat, exactly what your body gives off just from being alive. Think of the whole cuddle together to keep warm thing. those blankets equal cuddling with another
Not versed on the “how”, but they in fact work. They sometimes work too well, honestly.
When I was getting my camping merit badge in boyscouts, the goal to get the merit badge was to “survive” one night with nothing but the gear you could carry in your pockets, and build your own shelter.
Apparently I was the only one who took it seriously. I made a leanto shelter against a tree, coated the wall supports in mud, followed by dry grass stuffed in where the gaps were, and then just the dead leaves to patch up where any stickiness from the mud was.
Basically, it went from 80+ degrees Fahrenheit to below freezing during the course of the night. Every one was in a scout shirt and the pants (shorts, really), so they had very little insulation. The counselors that were in charge of the event decided to tell the kids that the badge was canceled because it was way too cold, they gathered everyone (or so they thought) built a campfire, and they all huddled around it the entire night to stay warm.
They didn’t get me because I actually strategically chose my spot and was pretty far away from the rest of the group. While every one else was shivering so bad they needed a fire, I was in my basically wind-proofed shelter, sweating half to death thanks to my emergency blanket.
By the morning my clothes were soaked through with sweat, I only woke up when I heard a distant yelling as they were gathering up all the kids… The counselors were honestly surprised *and* impressed because I was the only kid out of the 30-ish kids there who had actually completed the challenge, and also the only one who earned the merit badge that night.
They work extremely well, and I would keep one of those in my car along with a sleeping bag (Very harsh winters where I live, people routinely die in their cars due to being trapped by snow and not being found until it gets cleared).
They don’t vent moisture but it saved my life camping in Colorado at 10,000 ft. Didn’t expect it to get that cold and only had a thin blanket. Luckily I found my survival blanket when it dropped to 30ish degrees and I stared freezing
They don’t vent moisture but it saved my life camping in Colorado at 10,000 ft. Didn’t expect it to get that cold and only had a thin blanket. Luckily I found my survival blanket when it dropped to 30ish degrees and I stared freezing
They do work but they don’t work. Let me explain.
They do work to trap heat. In a cold situation, they’ll reflect your body heat and will raise the temperature slightly. However, it’s very thin metal, basically a metal plastic, and it will shift and crinkle with every breath you take. It’s going to be very loud and you’re not really going to be able to sleep until you’re exhausted. Also if you do happen to get “too” warm then you’ll start to sweat and then that sweat will make you colder if you let some cooler air in. It’s hard to get the temperature to a perfect state.
So yes it will keep you alive but no you’re not going to like it.
They don’t vent moisture but it saved my life camping in Colorado at 10,000 ft. Didn’t expect it to get that cold and only had a thin blanket. Luckily I found my survival blanket when it dropped to 30ish degrees and I stared freezing
They do work but they don’t work. Let me explain.
They do work to trap heat. In a cold situation, they’ll reflect your body heat and will raise the temperature slightly. However, it’s very thin metal, basically a metal plastic, and it will shift and crinkle with every breath you take. It’s going to be very loud and you’re not really going to be able to sleep until you’re exhausted. Also if you do happen to get “too” warm then you’ll start to sweat and then that sweat will make you colder if you let some cooler air in. It’s hard to get the temperature to a perfect state.
So yes it will keep you alive but no you’re not going to like it.
They work if you use them correctly. They reflect heat very, very well. Unfortunately they also conduct heat very well. Keep them away from you skin so that they can reflect your body heat back to you. Do not allow them to touch your skin or they will conduct the heat away from you.
They work if you use them correctly. They reflect heat very, very well. Unfortunately they also conduct heat very well. Keep them away from you skin so that they can reflect your body heat back to you. Do not allow them to touch your skin or they will conduct the heat away from you.
They do work but they don’t work. Let me explain.
They do work to trap heat. In a cold situation, they’ll reflect your body heat and will raise the temperature slightly. However, it’s very thin metal, basically a metal plastic, and it will shift and crinkle with every breath you take. It’s going to be very loud and you’re not really going to be able to sleep until you’re exhausted. Also if you do happen to get “too” warm then you’ll start to sweat and then that sweat will make you colder if you let some cooler air in. It’s hard to get the temperature to a perfect state.
So yes it will keep you alive but no you’re not going to like it.
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