Worst Case Scenario: 10 uses for an emergency blanket that you never thought of and why you need one for every backpack and vehicle.

If you are reading this, you most likely spend a lot of time traveling, adventuring and road tripping. Whether or not you are a boy scout are girl scout you must be prepared for worst case scenarios. An emergency blanket for every member in your crew is vital and has many uses for safety, survival and comfort. Here are 10 things you never thought of and why you need an emergency blanket in you stash, bug-out bag, backpack and vehicle.

It’s important that first you choose the right emergency blanket, many on the market are single sheets with limited uses. You also want to choose one that is wind and waterproof with taped seams, and made of mylar which provide the ability to reflect a whopping 90% of body heat. You also want to choose one that can be used as a sleeping bag etc. I can personally testify to the importance of having a Mylar sleeping bag/emergency blanket. Two winters ago, I was traveling to the mountains for an epic powder day. I left the bay area super early knowing it would be a long and nasty drive. Once I hit the mountains, the weather became brutal and many roads were closed. I decided to take a back road to get me around the closures. I solo travel a lot, and here’s where I made my first mistake. I got on a side road where the visibility was zero and the temperature outside was hovering around 8 degrees. When I travel solo I almost always leave a drive plan and itinerary with a friend or family member just in case there are any problems but on this particular trip I hadn’t.

Get Your Emergency Sleeping Bag / Shelter

About a half hour of driving on the side road my rig broke down. I pulled to the side of the road but my engine would not restart and my battery was dead. UH-OH! It was about 3 AM and not a soul or another vehicle was in site. Visibility was so bad it was to dangerous to hike for help. Since my battery was dead I had no way of staying warm. Immediately I went to my backpack and broke out my emergency sleeping bag and blanket and got inside. With the combination of these two items I stayed toasty warm till a passing vehicle came by 4 hours later! Thank goodness they stopped and helped get me to safety. FYI there was NO cell service in the area I was in, and it would have been a very bad situation if I hadn’t been prepared with this simple, yet super important emergency blanket/sleeping bag. In addition to service as a warm blanket, here are my top 10 additional uses for this amazing blanket.

This amazing emergency blanket, also known as a space blanket, was developed by NASA back in 1964 and has since become a mainstay in many emergency and first-aid kits — and for good reason. Emergency blankets take up little room, are very lightweight, and can keep you warm by efficiently preventing heat loss. Stash one in your backpack or vehicle’s glove compartment and wrap yourself in it if you ever need a way to stay warm in a jiffy. It’s powerful Mylar material, heat-retention properties are one of the reasons it was used to line the spacesuits that went to the moon.

Nomad PRO TIP! For maximum effectiveness, the shiny side should be facing the body to retain warmth and the dull side with shiny side out can be used to reflect heat to keep you cool and out of scorching sun.

1. Insulation

An emergency blanket/sleeping bag is an amazing insulator that can keep you warm and dry. You can also cut the blanket into small pieces to stuff your gloves and shoes to provide an emergency layer for your extremities and stave off frost bite.

2. Shelter

With the correct type of emergency blanket/sleeping bag you can use it as a simple shelter as shown in the image. Two people can cozy up and stay even warmer by using two bodies for maximum heat. You’ll be close together, but this is about survival not comfort.

3. Heat reflection

Mylar is simply an amazing material and can withstand up to 500 degrees of heat. You can use it to reflect campfire heat and/or portable heater heat in any direction for maximum effectiveness.

4 . Water Gathering

This one is self-explanatory. If you need a vessel to gather water and transport it simply fashion the blanket into a cone and whala! You have a portable vessel to transport water. With a bag or bivy style blanket, it’s even easier because of it’s shape.

5. Water proofing

If you’re out back packing and a storm rolls in, instead of carrying an extra limited use piece of gear, you can use your emergency blanket/sleeping bag as a backpack cover and personal rain fly.

6. Tarp

Whether you’re on a picnic or an impromptu hike, the blanket makes an excellent tarp to give you comfort and insulation from the ground. This allows you to have a multi-function item in your bag, without having to carry multiple single use items.

7. Signal mirror

Using the shiny side, you can use this reflective surface as a signal mirror to let your where about’s be known.

8. Emergency cord

Mylar is very strong. When twisted or braided into a cord/rope it can be used for anything you can imagine. It’s probably not the best choice for a climbing rope, but you get the idea.

9. Medical

You can use the emergency blanket as a tourniquet, makeshift sling or use strips of it to create small cords to help immobilize a broken bone or support a sprain. The possibilities are endless.

10. Sleeping bag and sleeping bag liner

 With the correct type of emergency blanket/bivy/bag you will have an ultralight sleeping bag and a sleeping bag liner that will increase the temperature rating of any sleeping bag, yes, in this case less is more!

There are literally hundreds of uses for this must have emergency blanket/bivy/Sleeping bag, Not all are created equal and most are overpriced. American Nomad Outfitters has the absolute best one at an incredible value. If you have more ideas for uses of the emergency blanket/bivy/bag please shar on our Facebook page. Thanks, and safe travels. Get yours TODAY!

Cheers,

Nomad