One of the most essential pieces of camping and hiking equipment is the survival blanket. Survival blankets play a crucial role in your disaster preparedness plans, and you should always have one in case of a cold snap while you’re out in the wilderness. With that said, if you already don’t you definitely should look to invest in a quality survival blanket.
Survival blankets are also commonly referred to as space blankets, and they significantly increase your comfort and the chances of making it through the night in extreme weather conditions. Most types of survival blankets are tear resistant and typically feature a reflective material on the outside. There are also types you can use in water in order to retain your body’s heat.
That being said, there are many different materials survival blankets are made of, most of which are very portable. Some types of blankets include the mylar survival blanket, lightweight thermal blanket, and heat reflective blankets. All of these can protect you from rain and the other weather elements, but more importantly, they keep the cold at bay. Moreover, all of these types come in different widths, sizes, and colours. Bright colours, especially orange, is very popular so that you can be located much easier in case you’re stuck somewhere and need rescuing.
One of the most popular types is the mylar survival blanket, which is basically polyester plastic made from resin polyethylene terephthalate. PET is one of the most versatile materials for manufacturing blankets in terms of style, thickness, and finishes. There are quite a lot of applications for mylar blankets and you can count on one when times get dire.
Lightweight thermal blankets are another popular solution, and they’re specifically designed to keep you warm in extremely cold conditions. These blankets basically use your own body’s heat to generate all the warmth you need. This is the most recommended type for people hiking and camping in areas where there’s a chance of heavy snowstorms. Their biggest advantage is the fact that they’re very lightweight and won’t take up a lot of space in your backpack.
The heat reflective blankets designed for use in chilly conditions by Special Ops usually feature a tactical olive drab and can be reversed to silver for emergency signaling. The purpose of these blankets is not only to retain your body’s heat but to also block infrared or radiant flow from reaching you.