What Are the Many Uses of Foil Survival Blankets?

While those shiny silver survival blankets look like nothing more than huge sheets of aluminum foil, they are actually made of a metalized plastic film called Mylar. The material was originally created for decorative purposes in the 1950s, but it wasn't long before NASA began experimenting with different uses. NASA researchers came up with a two-sided fabric that was the perfect insulator in protecting delicate instruments, in space suits and to protect against the intense re-entry heat.

  1. Uses for the Material

    • Eventually this material found its way to the mainstream, where its ability to reflect and conserve heat made it perfect for a wide variety of applications. Today this material can be found in the protective clothing worn by firefighters, insulating water pipes, in pizza-delivery boxes, candy wrappers and in motor vehicle firewalls. However, it is the applications in the area of survival where this material has really made an impact as the shiny survival blanket, or "space blanket."

    Survival Blanket

    • Its ability to reflect and retain body heat makes the Mylar survival blanket perfect for emergency and lifesaving situations. Not only is it very lightweight, but when folded is about the size of a deck of cards, perfect for carrying in your pocket when you go for a hike, or for keeping in the glove compartment of your car against those unexpected winter breakdowns. To use you simply wrap it around you, tuck it under your sides and feet and cover your head to prevent heat loss through your head. Many people carry a small roll of duct tape to use with their Mylar space blanket, allowing them to tape the edges together to create a type of sleeping bag and keep out cold drafts.

    Protection from Cold

    • Whether camping in a tent, enduring a power outage at home or being trapped in your car during a sudden winter blizzard, the survival blanket can make a difference. Cover the walls of the tent, the windows of a house or the windows of the car with the shiny side inward. This will reflect back your body heat or even the heat of a candle back into the space and help you survive.

    Protection from Heat

    • If the power goes out during the heat of the summer, place the shiny blankets in the windows to reflect the heat of the sun back outside. This can make a great deal of difference to the temperature in your house. If you're in a tent, place the blanket over the top of your tent to reflect the sun off the tent. You can also stretch the blanket over the top of your car to keep the temperature inside the car a bit cooler.

    Survival Shelter

    • A space blanket should be in every backpack, fanny pack or pocket when you head out into the great outdoors. In an emergency the blanket can be used to make a tent or other type of shelter. If you build a fire about five feet in front of a lean-to made with the blanket, shiny side down, you can sit between the fire and the "wall" behind you and the heat of the fire will be reflected off the blanket to your back, keeping you toasty warm.

    Survival Blanket Tricks

    • The shiny surface of the blanket means it can be used to signal for help in the same way you would use a signal mirror. You can cut a hole in the center of the blanket and then slip it over your head to wear as a poncho. Cut the blanket to create a bandanna to wear on your head during the winter to conserve your body heat or in the summer to reflect the sun off your head. The material can also be used to make a solar cooker.

    Survival Water

    • Since the Mylar material is waterproof, you can use the blanket to collect rainwater. It can even be used to distill water from the heat of the sun by laying it over a large depression in the ground, with a container at the bottom of the hole in the ground. Then place a pebble on top of the blanket so there is a slight dip in the blanket directly above the container. Leave it overnight, where the condensation will collect on the underside of the blanket and drip down into the container.