Mylar Men's Emergency Thermal Blankets (10 Pack)

This product is probably what you think it is. One of those loud, crinkly, reflective "space" type blankets. They're fairly cheap, and you get a lot of them. They're very useful for keeping a person warm if you know how to use them. Some people complain that it doesn't keep them warm at all. This is most likely because they aren't using it properly. There are better articles for this information than this review, but essentially.. This blanket prevents heat-loss from radiation (which is how the majority of our body heat is lost). Radiation is when heat radiates away from its source. This is where the product shines: it allows hot pockets of air to form between you and the blanket. It doesn't do much to protect against conduction since it's so thin. Conduction occurs when heat transfers from one place to another by touching. When you grab an ice-cube, you are losing heat because of conduction. Similarly, if you are in a very windy area, while the blanket itself is wind-proof, the cold air can get under and inside the blanket, stealing away your warmth. As such, when using this blanket, you should squat down and wrap it around you. By laying on the bare ground, there is no "dead air space" for the hot air to collect so, by the process of conduction, your body looses heat through the ground. This product works really well as a sort of "base layer" type of blanket. If you have a sleeping pad and sleeping bag, line the insides of your sleeping bag with one of these and you'll be toasty in no time. Just be sure not to start sweating too much, because of hypothermia and stuff. Even without those fancy sleeping bags, one of these covered by a wool blanket will keep you very warm. Just remember not to wrap the blanket to tightly around you. It is instinctive when you want to get warm, but it'll decrease the effectiveness and may rip it since it's so frail. Five stars because it does what it is intended to do. And while it's quality isn't super, and it isn't made out of top-notch ballistic nylon, it isn't being marketed as if it were. It is intended to be a cheap, disposable cover to be used in emergencies, and it does that job wonderfully.

We recently had a major late-season hurricane here (Sandy). We were without power for a week and it got down into the 30s a few of those nights. I had bought a 10-pack of these a couple of years ago to keep in our cars and with camping gear as a "just in case" thing for if the car broke down in cold weather or we got an unexpected cold front on a camping trip. They are quite small when in the package. Easily fit into a glove compartment or even the storage compartment inside the car door. During the recent power outage, these things saved our butts. They were each big enough to wrap around a normal sized adult. We put them around us, over our clothes or pajamas, and then put blankets on top of us. They kept us warm enough to be able to sleep in a 35 degree house. The down side is that they make loud crinkly noises whenever you move. Like sleeping in a giant chip bag. But I'll take noise over freezing. I wouldn't leave a baby or small child unattended with this because it is mylar (plastic) and could pose a suffocation threat. I ordered more right after the power outage because I don't ever want to be without these. For the price, they are well-worth it. One of those things you hope you never have to use but are glad when you need it and it's there. *edit* It's now 5/2013, and I felt the need to edit this to rave some more about this product. I went camping this weekend. Last night, the temperature got down to 40 degrees F. Not wanting to be kept awake by the constant crinkling noise when I moved, if I had stuck this in my sleeping bag, I decided to take two of them and cover the tent between the fly and tent roof. I made sure the screen vents were covered and it pretty much covered the whole area that the fly did. My theory proved correct and these things reflected the body heat that would have dissipated through the roof of the tent. It worked so well, in fact, that I had to remove one of the layers of covers I had on me during the night. So, they are more than worth the money for both emergencies and just camping issues.

We received all 10 of the Mylar Thermal Blankets. They were decent and I really like them, for what they are which is thin mylar. I keep two in my bag in case of emergencies and use these as gifts for family at Christmas in 'survival' packs for personal vehicles, since we live in a place where drive-times is measured in distance not actual time -- like driving through sixty miles of sheer wilderness to and from work, which in the deep of winter can be deadly. If you are going on a real hike or in remote wilderness for an extended period, PLEASE buy something you have tested out at home to know it will hold up if you repeatedly need to use it. These will probably last a day or two so but in really bad situations they probably aren't worth it. Mylar blankets have a tendency to be thin and can tear rather easily. These disintegrated in an afternoon being tortured by twin toddlers (who were playing with them for tactile and sensory play) -- so in a rough and tumble survival situation they very well might not hold up.. But, for a calmer or finite situation they would work in a pinch... For the price, that makes them worthwhile. But they are not the panacea of survival devices of this type. If you're going to buy Mylar blankets, do your research regarding how to use them prior to purchasing them. Also, look to see if tougher tarp versions would suit your potential situations better. If you are preparing to be in real and probable danger get a larger, heavy-duty space blanket might be a needed addition. I do think these have a place, though, for everyone's survival pack and 'just in case'. They're also small enough to put in car door storage areas and consoles easily, which is their bonus. All that said, these make an excellent pack for car survival kits and personal packs, whether to help at an accident scene as a first responder or to survive the night in less than ideal situations. They make great stocking stuffers for your family preppers too.

So, these are fantastic little blankets that are easy to store/carry and when you get a 10 pack at a great price that makes it all the better. Before you order however, it's important to understand how they work in order to get the maximum benefit should you need to use them. These are ridiculously thin, which makes them great to carry as they don't weigh anything nor do they take up much space at all. This also means that they don't provide much, if any, protection from direct contact with the cold. If you're sitting on frozen surfaces, this isn't going to protect you from that. The mylar works, when wrapped around the subject, by trapping the radiant body heat that we give off, warming the air that is trapped around the body, under the mylar blanket. If you were to find yourself lost in the woods on a hike and could huddle up under some brush for cover I think it would be a real godsend. If you're out in a storm with high winds, this isn't going to help too much as the lightweight material is going to be blown about, each time releasing all the warm air that may have been trapped up to that point. While these are certainly not practical for every day use, the tiny price tag combined with the minuscule amount of weight to carry and space taken up to stash a few of these in a glove box, bug out bag, or general emergency preparedness kit makes them a no brainer to buy and have on hand. My wife got me a 10 pack as a part of a emergency prep themed gift and I will probably buy another set or two for the cars and such just in case someone gets stranded somewhere and has to sleep in the car overnight etc. Better safe than sorry!

I have been using these blankets for over a decade, they go with me in my car, every survival and first aid kit, and of course whenever I go backpacking/hiking/climbing. They have so many valid uses like : An emergency shelter or overhead canopy to keep rain and some wind out. If you want to use it as a flap or tie point: then you'll want to put a small smooth pebble or something about that size a few inches in from an edge/corner, and fold the blanket over and tie around the base of it. If you want to poke through it for a stake down or line run through point, you'll probably want to put some tape around it (probably before you poke through it) to reinforce it. It's effortless for a puncture to continue spreading given any force against it on this material. You can also use it as a sort of heat reflector from a fire thats close to a lean-to style shelter, using it as the roof/backing. A ground tarp or footprint. Works good if you have an open bottom or netted bottom tent. Or just a really thin tent/bivvy base that you want to give a little extra protection to. Yes this isn't really puncture resistant, you need to clear off the ground carefully first - as you should be anyways. Also works decently as a dry/clean ground tarp to put equipment or shoes on. A surprisingly warm blanket in a pinch. They say it works best if you get naked and wrap yourself as tightly as possible in this. I think if you have thin/tight fitting clothing you'll be alright to leave it on, but it probably isn't as useful with thick coats/layers. It works by reflecting body heat. I've relied on these blankets twice for this reason so far, and both times I was pleasantly surprised. One time I was about 2miles from my tentsite getting water, when a freak thunderstorm hit, with shorts and no shirt, by the time I had ran back to my tent in the cooled temperature I was shivering uncontrollably. With only this blanket and a single hand warmer I went inside my bivvy and curled up inside of it for about 30min or so, and fairly certain it saved me from hypothermia. The second time it had gotten a lot colder then I expected on a warm day (dropped around freezing). All I had on was summer clothes + rain shell, I curled up next to a small fire with this wrapped around me tightly, and slept for a good 4hrs no problem. Note though small embers/sparks will burn holes through it really easily, but would not catch fire from it. It is a must have for any house/car/trip/adventure. The 10 pack on amazon is one of the best prices around for this product. I go through several a season they get used so often. These are 84" x 52", reflects 90% of your body heat, and weighs 38.5 grams roughly (without the packaging they come in - a little ziplock bag).

I purchased this product (Emergency Mylar Thermal Blanket pack of 10) to put some in my wife's car, my car, and an emergency kit. I have never used one of these before and I thought that they would just be an "okay if I have to" use. Boy was I wrong! I took one out at night (45 degrees F) to test it. It kept me delightfully warm, not hot, but a comfortable warm. I did not feel like I was wrapped in plastic wrap which I thought I would feel. I also tried to push my feet through it (holding on with my hands and with two feet pushing as hard as I could) and all it did was stretch a little but nothing serious. However once it is punched (with a knife on purpose on my part), it will continue ripping fairly easily. Over all this is an excellent, very light weight, cheap price to not freeze in a crumby situation. FYI The blankets I received are made by B-H Supplies, a 52" by 84" (not 54" by 82" if it matters) and holds in 90% of body heat. Also it sounds like tin foil when you are moving around. My father added that in his survival training they said use two, one for the floor so your body heat does not escape into the ground and one around you while covering your head for maximum warmth.

We just had a major ice storm hit my state this past weekend. I bought these blankets YEARS ago and used them to line my windows and balcony door for some added insulation in case my power went out because we were supposed to dip way down to almost zero with windchill after the storm. I never lost power, but these things really did a great job keeping cold air out of my apartment and preventing ice from accumulating inside my apartment which happens when it's extremely cold. My heat didn't go on as much as I was expecting it to thanks to these things. I'm buying some more now since I used the last of my supply with this storm. Wouldn't want to be without them!

These have great quality, and I just tested one here in the fridged and windy climate of the Chicago winter. If you only had a light T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, this blanket would keep you just barely warm enough for maybe an hour or two. Use two blankets, and you'll be golden for as long as you have food and water. Since this comes with 10 blankets, and at such a low cost, I'm handing out spares to my folks and friends to keep in their roadside emergency kits (can you believe some people have a car, but no emergency kit?!). I may just order another 10 of these, and craft something cool for a cosplay event or some such thing. The material is super thin (it's actually see thru if covering your eyes), super light, and way more durable than it looks (because it looks like tin foil, and that rips easily). I may even use it to winterize some old hats that lost their liners. If you intend to use it like a see thru wind breaking face shield like in my photo, be absolutely sure your neck tiedown is loose to allow air through, and punch air holes where your mouth will be. If you don't take those precautions, YOU COULD DIE. Mylar can suffocate you if misused, so be super careful if you dare try that, and be sure to have a knife handy to cut yourself free just in case. Be safe out there. All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase!