While I am no wilderness survival expert; I have been experimenting this past year with several ways to provide a well protected sleep system in the wilderness with just a few lightweight materials. I am specifically going to be discussing the various ways in which you can use an emergency blanket in a survival situation. A few weeks ago I was in the Pecos Wilderness in the mountains around 10,000 feet and decided to forego my warm 15 degree Marmot sleeping bag and try out my Adventure Medical SOL emergency survival blanket. This was my first time using this product and I didn’t quite know what to expect in the conditions I was facing. The night I decided to use it, it was a clear night with temps into the lower 30’s with a slight wind. I was sleeping in my MSR hubba hubba tent with a Thermarest Ridgerest as a sleeping pad. I also slept in a silk sleeping bag liner which I then lined in a fleece sleeping bag liner with the emergency blanket on top.
My main concern throughout the night was how to avoid condensation build up on the inside of the emergency blanket, which has a reflective coating on the inside to reflect body heat back towards the body. It seemed that no matter what I did, I could not control the condensation at all. I slept very cold and wet most of the night. Most outdoor survivalist literature that I have read has said that moisture is your enemy and leads only to drastically reducing your core body temperature. I can testify to this statement as I felt miserable most of the night soaked in moisture. Had I not been in a tent and had a sleeping pad, I know that I would have been even colder and possibly have mild to moderate hypothermia throughout the night.
Even though I personally will probably not use the emergency blanket directly as it’s prescribed for use as a blanket, I have seen many people set up excellent emergency shelters using these lightweight durable blankets. The next time I am out in the backcountry, I will try this method in hopes to get better results. There are still so many advantages to carrying one of these blankets around with you. You can utilize them as a makeshift shelter from the wind and rain. You can also lay them on the ground to collect moisture for water collection in a survival situation. The Adventure Medical S.O.L brand of blankets is extremely durable and will last you a long time. If you have any suggestions on how you have successfully used one of these survival blankets, please comment below.
