The job of a survival blanket is to increase your odds of surviving in extreme conditions. Most survival blankets are tear resistant and have some type of reflective material on the outside of them. Some can also be used in water to help lock your body heat in.
They can be made of various materials and are extremely portable with most of them folded into a shape about the size of an adult’s hand. They can serve many different purposes in order to help save your life.
A heavy blanket can be used to create a way to keep the elements off of you. These heavier blankets can be rigged up over tree branches as a way to make a shelter. You’ll get a protective barrier against wind, rain and even driving sleet.
Lightweight blankets are made of material that’s intended to keep the rain or other elements off of you, but they’re not good if you need to use a blanket as an emergency shelter. They can also help keep out the chill, but if you’re going to be somewhere, such as in snowy areas, it’s best to have the heavier blanket. Survival blankets come in different sizes, widths and colours. One of these colours is bright orange and the orange is what makes it easier for you to be found in the event that a rescue is needed. These kinds of blankets are large enough to wrap around two adults or one adult and a child.
Other survival blankets are lightweight thermal ones that are specifically designed to keep you alive in blizzard type conditions. These are self-heating blankets that use your body’s own heat to generate the warmth you need.
There are also heat reflective blankets that have a mirror type sheen on one side, which makes them reflect. These are highly visible blankets and are good to use in extreme cold or in extreme heat because they deflect the rays of the sun and help keep you cool.
All weather blankets are also well known as survival blankets. These types of blankets are made with the same kind of material that’s used by astronauts. It can deflect heat or hold heat in even in below zero weather.
This kind of blanket is good to have in the event of a major disaster like a hurricane if you live in the colder states and lose your electricity during winter months. The all weather blankets are strong enough to double as a shelter. Placed in the bottom of a tent, they can protect you from the cold or wetness of the ground.
Having one or many emergency survival blankets in your kit will make a difference.