How To Use An Emergency Survival Blanket

Survival blankets should be an essential addition to your bug out bag or go-bag, your car emergency kit, and your camping or hunting knapsacks. There are many ways on how to use emergency survival blankets. In the event of cold temperatures, you’ll appreciate the warmth it can offer to you and your family. 

If you're caught in freezing weather, a survival blanket could be your best line of defense to avoid hypothermia and, ultimately, death. However, your emergency blanket has more uses than just keeping you warm. It also serves several other purposes, both for everyday use and in emergencies. There is more to it than you think! Here are some of the ways on how you can utilize your emergency blanket. 

Ten Ways to Use an Emergency Survival Blanket

1. Warmth 

You can use your blanket to keep yourself and your family members warm. Make sure that the shiny side of the blanket is facing the person who needs to keep warm. 

This side of the Mylar blanket is designed to reflect 90% of the heat being put off by an individual. If it gets too warm, you can flip the blanket over to decrease the number to 65% reflected body heat, for more comfort. It can also be used as an additional layer of inside a sleeping bag or underneath a traditional blanket for added warmth and comfort.

2. SOS Signal 

When you're seeking to get the attention of a rescue group, especially during emergencies, you can use your emergency blanket to reflect an SOS signal. The corner of your survival blanket can instantly be turned into a mirror that will reflect a bright beacon to lead people to your current location. 

3. Fire Use

When you're having trouble starting a fire, having an emergency blanket can be a solution.  You can set up your survival blanket to help reflect the sun's rays, or you can create a tent that will capture more of the fire's heat. 

4. Heat Up your Food 

Did you know that your survival blanket can warm up your food? This is one of the coolest ways to use your survival blanket. Since it reflects the heat of the sun, it will increase the temperature of your food and allow you to cook some simple yet incredible meals. 

5. Gather Water 

Water is the most critical necessity for your survival, and your emergency blanket can help you get it! You can line a hole in the ground to catch rainwater or use it as a way to drain water out of a creek. Your survival blanket is an ideal waterproof tool to access water. In addition, you can also use it as a makeshift container for boiling water to make sure it will be safe to drink. 

6. Catch Fish 

Just like other animals, fish get attracted to shiny things. Try tying a few strips of Mylar blanket to your fishing rod to see fish swimming straight to your hooks. Thin strips are more than enough and won’t hurt the quality of your blanket. 

7. Drying your Clothes 

Laying your wet clothes over your Mylar blanket under the sun will help them dry much faster compared to hanging them on a clothesline alone. 

8. Keep your Food Cool 

Since your emergency survival blanket is waterproof, anything that you enclose in it is safe from rushing water–given, of course, that the blanket isn’t punctured or ripped. Wrap your food that needs to stay cold in the blanket, seal the edges, and place it into a creek or other source of running water. Secure it in place or weigh it down to keep it from drifting away. 

9. Cool Down 

If you think your emergency blanket is useless during the summer season, think again! When the shiny part point outward, you can utilize it to help you cool down. It will reflect the sun’s rays away from you, making the heat a bit more bearable. 

10. Medical and Emergencies 

Accidents do happen, especially when outdoors. Luckily, you can rely on your survival blanket to help you save the day. Use it as a splint, to secure a broken arm, or a tourniquet to prevent excessive bleeding during medical emergencies. You can also use it as a makeshift stretcher for easier mobility.