SOL Emergency Blanket
Don't get left out in the cold. The SOL emergency blanket reflects up to 90% of your body's heat back to you.
- Bright orange exterior is easy to spot, even in bad weather
- Measures 84 in. x 56 in. and is sized to shelter 1 adult
- Blanket provides protection from water and wind
- SOL emergency blanket is easy to open and fold in cold weather; folded flat, it's easy to pack
Imported.
View all SOL Emergency Supplies| Best Use | Backpacking |
|---|---|
| Material(s) | Plastic |
| Dimensions | 84 x 56 inches |
| Weight | 2.5 ounces |
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Trash bags are thicker than these, save your $.
trash - save your money! I ordered three of these and all three boxes were opened and torn. The blanket inside of one looked to have a hole in it in the center. It is highly possible someone opened, used then sent them back. I'm embarrassed for REI for sending this trash to my house. This is an extremely poor quality product. I've had emergency blankets before, they were not as paper thin and junky as these. You're basically gonna pay five bucks + shipping for an orange trash bag. Don't do it! I'm about to call to see if REI will refund me w/o me having to pay to ship the garbage back. If they do the right thing, I won't be so irritated. If not, this will be my last REI purchase.
Big improvement over standard space blankets
This is a tough blanket that is much more tear-resistant than a typical space blanket - it tends to stretch, rather than rip, when poked. Over 4 years and 30+ nights, it's been great to use as a groundsheet under my tent or for protecting my sleeping pad when cowboy camping. 2-3 holes from ground debris have been easily patched with clear packaging tape. Reflective / blaze orange coloring helps with a tiny bit of added warmth and (possible) emergency signaling. Used as a groundsheet, it doesn't make any noise under the tent, but is usually pretty crinkly and prone to attracting dirt when packing away. I will definitely be buying another when this one finally gives up.
MUCH different than a space blanket!
Been climbing a lot in the rainy PNW, and always make sure to carry shelter on my trips. I've never needed to use my SOL blanket. I've carried this thing around for approximately 7 years, and didn't even replace it after I found out my dog chewed holes into it. This last trip my g/f and I went to go bag Mt Stuart on an overnight and decided against bringing a tent. The weather looked solid--but it wasn't. After deliberating for over an hour at the trailhead because the weather was obviously not stable, we made the decision to embrace the suffer-fest if that's what it was going to end up being. Fast-forward to 10pm at 6500' it started to rain. Not a sign of any overhanging spots for shelter we decided to construct a Lean-to using both my SOL, and Caitlin's generic space blanket. The SOL did all of the work that night. (Picture included.) Within minutes I had the SOL set up in a lean-to fashion using rocks as anchors and even pierced a hold on the far left side with my trekking pole to use as a guye out line (Not included in picture.) The material did not once rip as a result of the hole, the wind, or the added weight of the (At some points) heavy rain. My girlfriends generic space blanket, was meant to be her side of the lean-to. As you can see in the picture, the generic space blanket on the right hand side of the shelter is just a clumped pile of trash that served only to keep the rain off the rest of the equipment we had.. The space blanket's integrity is COMPLETELY compromised at the smallest hole. Initially, a rock I used an anchor, must have worn a small hole into it which then induced a 3 foot long split through the material. The same happened on the other side a minute or so later as I worked on finishing the shelter up. I'm not trying to say this saved our lives or that I got several hours of uninterrupted sleep under Fort Misery the other night, but since I always have a space blanket as a piece of my ten essentials- I'll never carry anything lesser than the SOL.
Inexpensive insurance!
I liked how compact this space blanket was compared to others I've used. I bought 3 of these 2 for my packs and 1 to try before use. I consider these a last ditch / survival use and not as an everyday subsitute for a blanket or sleeping bag. I spent a night out on the AT in PA with just this blanket, an army poncho and liner in 45 degree weather. Like all space blankets it was noisey and there was some condensation inside. The blanket didn't tear and I believe it would have lasted for many days if taken care of. Even at home I wasn't able to fold small enough to put back in the bag but I could get into a pocket. I like the recloseable pouch it comes in because it protects the blanket while stored and gives you a waterproof pouch to store stuff like dry tinder etc.
You need to have at least one
You should already know from the other reviews that you need one. I'm writing this review to tell you how to fold it back up. The challenge is that you have to press out the air at each step. So fold it lengthwise twice, then once widthwise, and carefully press out the air, starting in the corner with the double fold. If you do it right, you'll be able to fold it in half widthwise, and then in thirds lengthwise and put it right in the bag. Or just consider the $5 a folding fee and forget it. :)
warmer, ground cover
> Didn’t use this in an emergency situation, but just came back from a backpacking trip in the Ventana Wilderness in Big Sur, CA. Because of daylight savings, it’s dark early and we didn’t want to go to bed so early. Sitting at camp our group of 4 started getting pretty chilly. We all ended sitting on a eggshell sleeping pad, against a log, and put the blanket over us. Kept all 4 of us significantly warmer. > That night, we were hearing some twigs cracking and realized if we wanted to we could use the eblanket to “get big” if necessary. So another win. > The next morning, I ended up using the eblanket as a nice clean spot to stretch & lay in the sun. > always smart to have a eblanket on you, and it weights almost nothing.
One of the best!
Keep one or two of these in your kit; they can be used in a variety of ways as any good, heavy-duty plastic sheeting can. This two-sided space blanket is easily visible in virtually any environment, and the reflective coating is resilient unlike most cheaper versions. Buy a couple of extra to practice with *before* you need to use it, however, as one needs a PhD in folding to get it repacked. Highly recommended even for a minimalist kit.
Crazy warm.
I carry one of these in each of my packs, hiking, day, bug out, and emergency packs. For $5 a pop why wouldn't you? It's maybe 4 oz of weight, and so thin it can fit literally anywhere. There is no sacrifice to be made for a product that can save your life if you're caught off guard. I opened one and it's insane how warm this thing is nearly immediately. You could definitely increase your odds of survival with this very useful product in many various ways.
Life Saver
Carried in my first aid kit in my summit bag when me and my partner had to emergency bivy on top of Mt. Conness. Temps down to the 30s with occasional winds. Just big enough to cover the heads and torsos down to the knees of two full grown men (I'm 6'2" 215lb) in intimate contact. Sturdy enough to withstand quite a bit of jerking and pulling on the edges as we fought to wrap the ends around and seal ourselves. Did sustain a few holes in the end from the struggles but very grateful to have it on hand.
This blanket save our life
We were walking the white mountains near New Hampshire, got lost in the middle of the night, it was raining, winds at the time 50+ and it was 22 degrees F. We were able to find a patch of short pines at the top of the mountain. We didn't have a tent or any heat source with us. We were supposed to expend the night at one of the shelters but couldn't not find it. It was 11p, by now we had walked 15 hours and our flash lights could not light our way since it was very foggy. We decided to stay within the patch of short pines. Fortunately I bought 10 of this blankets. I was able to tight the corners to the branches above us to help with the rain and used the rest to cover ourselves. It was very cool, but we made it. Thanks to this product I am writing this review. Thank You for making it so affordable.