Actual effectiveness of space blankets

I can only tell you that my brother has used his when he got caught in a serious weather change( freezing rain) while spring turkey hunting in the Catskills. He remembered he had it with him and told me it made a huge difference in loss of heat. I guess you could look at it as a extra bit of insurance. I don't believe they are a gimmick. I guess it is just how effective are they? My .02 cents

Paul.

I always keep one in all my packs and PSK
 
i have used one strung up as a small area tarp when it was raining...not too effective but better than nothing. i also experimented a little with using one in conjunction with fire, in this way it is quite effective.

if you sit in front of your fire with the blanket wrapped around your back and hold it open to the fire, you get a ton of heat bounced around you, it can get quite warm. different angles yeild different results.

i want to do some more experimenting with a space blanket soon, maybe in the next few weeks. things like space blanket plus candle, plus fire, plus nothing. how tight it should be held to the body, etc.

i keep one in my sports bag, it will keep me safely warm (above hypothermic) at the bare minimum, and much better i know so far from experience. they are a good piece of kit to have, and multi use too. (think water collection, signaling, shelter, fishing lure, etc)
 
They block wind pretty well and they do keep you relatively warm. There are also differences between space blankets so buy decent ones. Some of them can be a little bit fragile. The more durable ones make a decent emegency ground cover as well.
 
I was backpacking and camping right on the edge of a canyon and the wind was whipping and I was getting pretty cold. I had a 20 degree bag and I don't think it was 20 degrees outside but I guess it was the wind. I kept waking up cause I was cold. Finally I pulled a cheap Sportsmans Guide Space Blanket out and put it over my sleeping bag and I could tell the difference and slept the rest of the night fine.

Not sure they would save you if you were under dressed and it was minus 5 but they would help.
 
As noted, they block wind, stop rain/wet snow and reflect radiant heat (Ever cook on a reflector oven?). They can only work somewhat to trap a bubble of heat (helping with convection heat loss) since you have to allow some ventilation to avoid condensation as the warm, moist air from your body hits the cold inside of the blanket. They have a R value of one - like a sheet of glass. They can gather water when you need it and can be used for signaling. All in all, good utility for the weight/space.
 
Thomas Linton said:
As noted, they block wind, stop rain/wet snow and reflect radiant heat (Ever cook on a reflector oven?). They can only work somewhat to trap a bubble of heat (helping with convection heat loss) since you have to allow some ventilation to avoid condensation as the warm, moist air from your body hits the cold inside of the blanket. They have a R value of one - like a sheet of glass. They can gather water when you need it and can be used for signaling. All in all, good utility for the weight/space.
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Hey you sound like Ray Mears or something!;):thumbup:
 
I had a similar experience to Hollowdweller.

I had brought a light bag on a weekend trip and was fairly cold. I wrapped one of the AMK Heatsheets around me and stayed warm. Just remember that since these act as a vapor barrier you can soak yourself with sweat if you get too warm.
 
Thomas Linton said:
As noted, they block wind, stop rain/wet snow and reflect radiant heat (Ever cook on a reflector oven?). They can only work somewhat to trap a bubble of heat (helping with convection heat loss) since you have to allow some ventilation to avoid condensation as the warm, moist air from your body hits the cold inside of the blanket. They have a R value of one - like a sheet of glass. They can gather water when you need it and can be used for signaling. All in all, good utility for the weight/space.
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Exactly what I was thinking, even if it didn't hold in heat it still does a lot of other useful stuff. Not sure how durable they are though.
 
like matt said, they come in very different levels of qauility, but all still have a "better than nothing" factor.
 
I def. think they are better than nothing and have used them as an "extra" when camping too. But if I remember correctly...they are intended to be used while you are naked, reflecting the bodies heat back. Sorry, you won't catch me relying on that and no clothes, so you can all thank me now that you will never come up on that scene in the woods :)!!
 
I have rigged a space blanket under my Hennessey Hammock in colder weather with positive results. Would I get the same results without the reflective surface provided by the space blanket:confused: Not sure, something to try next time.
 
bladefrienzy said:
I def. think they are better than nothing and have used them as an "extra" when camping too. But if I remember correctly...they are intended to be used while you are naked, reflecting the bodies heat back. Sorry, you won't catch me relying on that and no clothes, so you can all thank me now that you will never come up on that scene in the woods :)!!
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Girl says to boy 'I'm freezing'
Boy replies 'I can help you out, you see I have this space blanket....Thing is though, you have to use it naked':D:D
 
- they block the wind :thumbup:
- they block the rain :thumbup:
- they reflect heat from a candle or other heat source :thumbup:
- they fit into a jeans pocket :thumbup:
- they reflect radar :thumbup:
- they reflect light at night, at day, are easily spotted by aircraft pilots :thumbup:
- cheap $$$ to buy :thumbup:
 
I always go canoeing in november, and I usually fall in.
They have come in handy warming me up.
The thicker military ripstop one is much improved then the cheap ones and the military one is what I carry.
 
bladefrienzy said:
. . . But if I remember correctly...they are intended to be used while you are naked, reflecting the bodies heat back. . . .
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No, they are not. No manufacturer makes such a suggestion, and I can find no other suggestion to that effect. You radiate heat through your clothing. But radiant heat loss is not nearly as important as convective or conductive (like sitting on cold ground/in cold water) heat loss. The figure that they stop 80% of heat loss refers to radiant loss not total heat loss, so somewhat misleading.
 
They are fairly good especially if reflecting the heat of a fire back to you. If you buy the heavier duty ones then they work as a tarp and can serve other purposes as well. In really bad cold I wouldn't use one alone and think I'd stay warm.
 
Over here the ambulance people have the one use ones as standard - and highly reccomend the. They use the for injured people - to help amintain temperature (good for shock) and a bit of weather protection. (I just did my red cross refresher last week and the ambo talked them up)

I have had the thicker ones for years camping - effectively as a light weight tarp with extra features i.e , defacto ground sheet, impromptu shelter/windbreak and emergency blanket as needed. The odd burn hole of stick hole just gets covered with a piece of tape. A bit big to take hiking unless specifically using it for a purpose (ie groundheet for tent) but keep one in the car for multiple possible emergency uses
 
i think the ones that have a tarp backing are the best, no doubt. Used to beg my medics for them when I used to walk around a lot They always had them on there vehicles. Great shelter!! The small ones i have never used. The tarped back ones fold up very small as well
 
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