Trigger Monkey
Operator
Every year, hundreds of people unwittingly find themselves in situations where they have to spend an unexpected night away from the comforts of the home. Regardless of the situation that put them there, the potential risk of hypothermia increases as the temperatures fall and without the proper equipment and know how, that could be deadly. The Heatsheets Blanket and Emergency Bivvy from Survive Outdoors Longer (SOL) are two products that are available to help prevent just such a tragedy from occurring.
Space Blankets vs. Survive Outdoors Longer
If you have ever used or handled the legacy space blankets found in many emergency kits then one of the first things that you noticed was how noisy the material was. It seemed like the slightest movement of the blanket unleashed the crinkling of a 1,000 plastic bags. The metalized polyethylene material that the SOL products are made is up to 50% thicker than contemporary metalized polyester type emergency blankets. This thicker construction not only makes it quieter but much more durable as the material will stretch and give before it tears. Even if a hole forms, it won’t shred like traditional space blankets do and can be easily repaired with duct tape. Finally, the orange exterior not only makes you more visible to rescuers but it’s also there to remind you which side is reflective. Traditional space blankets that are all silver can be easily turned inside out in stressful situations, essentially making it useless.
Heatsheets Blanket
The SOL Heatsheets blanket that I bought is their larger 60” X 96” emergency blanket that is large enough for two people to wrap up in. The dimensions of the blanket also make it a multipurpose item, capable of being used as an emergency shelter if need be. On the blaze orange side of the blanket there are numerous instructions in multiple languages to cover survival topics such as first aid, water collection, and shelter building. The information was pretty basic but a good resource nonetheless. The blanket came packaged in a resealable pouch that was approximately 3.5” X 6”.
Using the blanket as just a blanket was pretty straightforward and the generous size made it easy to completely wrap up in it. Even if I was wearing full winter clothing or gear I feel that I would’ve been able to get full coverage over my body. Of course, the blanket is windproof/waterproof so therefore not breathable and from time to time it was necessary to open up the front a little to ventilate. Otherwise, condensation would have built up on the inside, increasing my chances for hypothermia in an emergency.
SOL Emergency Bivvy
The SOL Emergency Bivvy was the smallest, most compact bivvy that I could find and is made from the same material as the Heatsheets blanket. The bivvy is essentially a 36”X84” bag that comes neatly rolled in its own drawstring pouch. Unlike the blanket, the bivvy isn’t as multipurpose but it is windproof, waterproof, and large enough for a full grown adult to wiggle into.
In use I found I was able to easily get in the bivvy wearing boots, jeans, and a long sleeved shirt by rolling it down towards the bottom and stepping into it. It was a little restrictive width wise for my 5’10” 225lb frame but nothing too severe, no worse than some mummy sleeping bags I’ve been in. When I was seated I was generally able to bring the bag up to the back of my head but not really completely over it. Just like the blanket, the bivvy doesn’t breath either so with only one way in and one way out, periodically venting the bag to mitigate condensation build up is crucial.
Shelter
Using the Heatsheets blanket to set up a hasty emergency shelter wasn’t difficult using some 550 cord, stones, and field made tent stakes. I used the stones to help tie off the corners of the blanket to form a simple plow point shelter with the back facing into the wind.
If I had planned to spend a night out a bed of dry leaves about 8” thick would’ve definitely been necessary to insulate myself from the ground. I had a modest fire going a few feet from the shelter and even with that I could feel the blanket reflecting a considerable amount of warmth back into the shelter. Although I did manage to catch the blanket with my boot getting into the shelter, thanks to the material all I did was stretch it out some. The size of the blanket left plenty of room to roll out the SOL bivy and crawl into it without too much awkwardness.
The damage from catching the blanket with my foot, the material stretched but didn't tear.
The Heatsheets blanket can be easily configured into different types of shelters like a lean-to or A-frame depending on what best suits the situation. In hot climates, the silver side can be turned out to reflect the Sun’s rays and provide a cool shady spot to rest. Further uses for the blanket include signalling device, water collector, and ground sheet to name a few.
Observations and Closing Thoughts
According to the product literature both of these items are reusable and from what I’ve experienced that is certainly true. Both of these picked up some wear but they are still completely functional and serviceable if I need to use them down the road. In fact, I was able to fold up both and fit them back into their original packaging for storage, just try and do that with a traditional space blanket.
I feel it’s important to quickly touch on some emergency blanket best practices also. Both of these products only reflect heat back to you and have no insulating value in and of themselves. That means that if you wrap up in these and just sit on the ground, pretty soon conduction is going to suck the heat right out of you. Always insulate yourself from the surface you’re resting on to make these two products more effective. Lastly, while you could make it through a night in reasonable conditions using these products on their own, I recommend using them with a fire whenever possible. Just don’t get either one too close to the flames, they will go up like a Roman candle.
Overall, I liked both products very much and highly recommend them for your pack, your home, and/or your vehicle’s emergency kit. Life is too unpredictable not to have something as lightweight and compact as these items, which could provide serious help in a life threatening situation. The SOL Heatsheets 1-2 Person Blanket can be found for approximately $8.00 and the SOL Emergency Bivvy costs around $16.00, so they’re incredibly affordable for the piece of mind they can provide.
Space Blankets vs. Survive Outdoors Longer
If you have ever used or handled the legacy space blankets found in many emergency kits then one of the first things that you noticed was how noisy the material was. It seemed like the slightest movement of the blanket unleashed the crinkling of a 1,000 plastic bags. The metalized polyethylene material that the SOL products are made is up to 50% thicker than contemporary metalized polyester type emergency blankets. This thicker construction not only makes it quieter but much more durable as the material will stretch and give before it tears. Even if a hole forms, it won’t shred like traditional space blankets do and can be easily repaired with duct tape. Finally, the orange exterior not only makes you more visible to rescuers but it’s also there to remind you which side is reflective. Traditional space blankets that are all silver can be easily turned inside out in stressful situations, essentially making it useless.
Heatsheets Blanket
The SOL Heatsheets blanket that I bought is their larger 60” X 96” emergency blanket that is large enough for two people to wrap up in. The dimensions of the blanket also make it a multipurpose item, capable of being used as an emergency shelter if need be. On the blaze orange side of the blanket there are numerous instructions in multiple languages to cover survival topics such as first aid, water collection, and shelter building. The information was pretty basic but a good resource nonetheless. The blanket came packaged in a resealable pouch that was approximately 3.5” X 6”.
Using the blanket as just a blanket was pretty straightforward and the generous size made it easy to completely wrap up in it. Even if I was wearing full winter clothing or gear I feel that I would’ve been able to get full coverage over my body. Of course, the blanket is windproof/waterproof so therefore not breathable and from time to time it was necessary to open up the front a little to ventilate. Otherwise, condensation would have built up on the inside, increasing my chances for hypothermia in an emergency.
SOL Emergency Bivvy
The SOL Emergency Bivvy was the smallest, most compact bivvy that I could find and is made from the same material as the Heatsheets blanket. The bivvy is essentially a 36”X84” bag that comes neatly rolled in its own drawstring pouch. Unlike the blanket, the bivvy isn’t as multipurpose but it is windproof, waterproof, and large enough for a full grown adult to wiggle into.
In use I found I was able to easily get in the bivvy wearing boots, jeans, and a long sleeved shirt by rolling it down towards the bottom and stepping into it. It was a little restrictive width wise for my 5’10” 225lb frame but nothing too severe, no worse than some mummy sleeping bags I’ve been in. When I was seated I was generally able to bring the bag up to the back of my head but not really completely over it. Just like the blanket, the bivvy doesn’t breath either so with only one way in and one way out, periodically venting the bag to mitigate condensation build up is crucial.
Shelter
Using the Heatsheets blanket to set up a hasty emergency shelter wasn’t difficult using some 550 cord, stones, and field made tent stakes. I used the stones to help tie off the corners of the blanket to form a simple plow point shelter with the back facing into the wind.
If I had planned to spend a night out a bed of dry leaves about 8” thick would’ve definitely been necessary to insulate myself from the ground. I had a modest fire going a few feet from the shelter and even with that I could feel the blanket reflecting a considerable amount of warmth back into the shelter. Although I did manage to catch the blanket with my boot getting into the shelter, thanks to the material all I did was stretch it out some. The size of the blanket left plenty of room to roll out the SOL bivy and crawl into it without too much awkwardness.
The damage from catching the blanket with my foot, the material stretched but didn't tear.
The Heatsheets blanket can be easily configured into different types of shelters like a lean-to or A-frame depending on what best suits the situation. In hot climates, the silver side can be turned out to reflect the Sun’s rays and provide a cool shady spot to rest. Further uses for the blanket include signalling device, water collector, and ground sheet to name a few.
Observations and Closing Thoughts
According to the product literature both of these items are reusable and from what I’ve experienced that is certainly true. Both of these picked up some wear but they are still completely functional and serviceable if I need to use them down the road. In fact, I was able to fold up both and fit them back into their original packaging for storage, just try and do that with a traditional space blanket.
I feel it’s important to quickly touch on some emergency blanket best practices also. Both of these products only reflect heat back to you and have no insulating value in and of themselves. That means that if you wrap up in these and just sit on the ground, pretty soon conduction is going to suck the heat right out of you. Always insulate yourself from the surface you’re resting on to make these two products more effective. Lastly, while you could make it through a night in reasonable conditions using these products on their own, I recommend using them with a fire whenever possible. Just don’t get either one too close to the flames, they will go up like a Roman candle.
Overall, I liked both products very much and highly recommend them for your pack, your home, and/or your vehicle’s emergency kit. Life is too unpredictable not to have something as lightweight and compact as these items, which could provide serious help in a life threatening situation. The SOL Heatsheets 1-2 Person Blanket can be found for approximately $8.00 and the SOL Emergency Bivvy costs around $16.00, so they’re incredibly affordable for the piece of mind they can provide.
