Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Surviving a cold wet night

How do you use them?

I've found space blankets to be more hype than help.

often part of my kit if I've got a full blown backpack on mike


but first we have to define space blanket, those fold up in your pocket thinner than tissue paper are not even as good as TP cause they won't wipe yer azz very well as they're too slick!


but the heavier duty space blankets that weigh 12 oz.+ are pretty good gear.

they insulate from cold ground a bit for one, I always use one under my pad for both insulation, heat reflection and to protect my pad if inflatable. I don't take one sheep hunting as they don't make weight btw. I use a sil nylon poncho instead


they can be used to reflect heat from a fire upon your back, though for the life of me I've never understood why if a guy can build one fire he can't build two and sit between them while feeding them.

and 3 they're a decent emergency shelter, I've used one when caught without raingear (rookie mistake)

my fave has a hood and two pockets to stick your hands in so you can wrap yourself up without being exposed to the elements. but I haven't seen them offered in awhile, so perhaps they quit making them.

where it really comes in handy is wrapping up and putting a candle inside, you can get toasty warm for awhile, which can be a very good thing.


the other thing I like about them if caught in a downpour away from camp, I don raingear and then the space blanket or poncho over my raingear. Only way I know to stay truly dry in a toad choker.

pretty good piece of kit ime, but for me space blankets start with the heavy duty ones, the others are worthless.

Never saw a need for them the way I pack.

LMAO, I have often wondered the same thing! I guess Resources could be an issue, or even how much work is going into gathering the wood. I guess the main reason would just be, it's just easier to maintain one fire than two. A radiant reflector can do (some of) the work of a second fire with no effort or calories spent.

But if it's cold enough, the wood is readily available, and just for one night. Im with you, Im building 2 Bonfires!!! lol

LOL!

In artic survival school they told us that as a last resort, build some tinder under the lower branches of a pine tree and light the whole thing up like a torch.

You may start a forest fire, or you may be fined, but at least your widow isn't paying it out of life insurance.

Alukban, have you ever tried to start a fire in this manor? [bleep] Les Stroud! Try it your own dam self and you will learn that smokeless powder is too damn stable for this exercise!

Mr. Walter, have you ever got around to making that video?

Smokeless powder is too stable?

What ever are you talking about?

Have you tried it?

I have been carrying a mini butane torch. It will light almost anything and the you can also solder with it at home.

Around here, that's called "paraphernalia"..

Btt for the hunting season

after hunting in wet 6" of snow and having the clouds drop in on us for 100 yard visibility, we decided to make a fire. I picked teh wrong day to lighten my pack and we found out that my buddies new butane torch lighter wind proof thinga magigy sucked over 8,000 feet. It took about an hour to get one going, but we did manage eventually. That fire kept us on the mountain and we finally scored bulls at sunset when the clouds lifted and temp dropped to single digits. I need to re-evaulate my survival gear I carry.

I came late to this tread so forgive me if this is repeat info.

I carry a Jerven bag www.jerven.com the website explains it better than I can. This is wind proof, water proof and warm, weighs about 3.5 pounds, carries rolled up on bottom of Mystery Ranch Big Horn pack until needed. I've used it as on stand in sub-zero weather also as a "blind" during two heavy wet snow events that sent everyone else home whilst I killed several deer, as a bivi-sack over a 0 degree bag, and light weight sleeping bag in suimmer.

Along with the Jerven bag I carry a heavy down jacket and a pair of down pants. Put on the jacket and pants and slide into the Jerven bag, very comfortable to 20 degrees, keep you alive lots lower temps. All I need for summer pack trips, really multi use. I super cold weather I "wear" my sleeping bag.

Survival has 3 areas of concern in reverse order:

3. Food. You can survive several weeks without food. Yes, you may start to feel like crap after a couple of days and you may, depending on your physiology and environmental conditions deteriorate quickly. High fat, high protein will keep you happier(warmer) than granola ever dreamed of.

2. Water. You can die. DIE. From dehydration in a few hours. Three days is about it for most people before you start to go nutz. Keeping hydrated is vastly more important than food. I had dysentary once, as close to death as I ever want to come. A water purification system is paramount to your long term survival. I have two, a ultra-voilet light purifier and a chemical purification system, either will work in cold or dirty conditions.

1. Dry and Warm. Dead in 30 minutes in some conditions just from cold, dead in a few minutes if you're wet and cold. Warm and dry is of paramount importance far outsrtipping either water or food.

The Jerven bag was about $350.00, down jacket and pants about $400.00 how much would you pay to not freeze to death? NEVER under any conditions wear cotton clothes whislt hiking in cold weather conditions. Cotton kills period.

Fire starting: Carry several of those little chemical hand warmer packs. You can't build a fire with frozen fingers, most people will be very cold BEFORE they try to build a fire, cold hands can make that impossible. Lighters. Butane lighters don't work reliabily at elevations over 7000 feet, no kidding, been there, done that. There are little sealed lighters similar to Zippo's, actually use Zippo parts. I've bought them at gun shows. They are sealed and do not dry out even after several YEARS in your pocket. Find them, cost me $8.00, buy several, they work, period. Carry fuel tabs, build your fire over the fuel tab, it will work every time, weight about 1/2 oz, costs a few cents, will save your butt.

When I first got into the guiding business I asked the outfitter I was guiding for if my 44 mag was enough for bear protection, his reply was based on nearly 40 years in the mountains, "Son, it ain't gona be a bear that kills you out here, it'll be a broken ankle. Carry a walking stick, use it."

I ALWAYS HAVE A SET OF THREE SECTION WALKING STICKS. One to walk with all the time and one strapped to my pack. When I carry a bi-pod BOTH sticks are on the pack while I use the bi-pod as a stick. When packing out an animal I strap my rifle to my pack and use both sticks. My best friends nephew is an ex Seal, he thinks I'm an old lady for using the sticks and never used the ones my friend bought him after he slipped and broke his leg. He broke his leg AGAIN this year while hunting. Second time in 5 years, he's a jackass. A prime example of "If you're stupid, I hope you"re tough..." If you are hunting alone this could be fatal in some circumstances. At least, depending on the break, there is a good chance you could loose your foot from complications if you do not get help soon, learned that from an orthopedic MD client. I insisted that my clients use sticks, got lots of crap about it until they fell over and rolled down the mountain a ways. Fortunately, not one every hurt themselves seriously, though we had sereral injuries each season from "know-it-all" "tough guys" that thought we were Girly-men for using sticks. One ass actually asked for a refund because he spent half his trip in camp with a sprained ankle. My reply was ESAD, (eat .... and die) you screwed up, not me.

this is how the army is equipping Soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere where it's cold.

Lots of this stuff available at Army Surplus stores next to forts/bases, I got almost all of mine for dimes on the dollar and it's great gear.

I did not see this mentioned: Extra fine steel wool and a fresh 9 volt battery kick off a good fire, even in the rain. Put a few vaselined cotton balls on top of the steel wool, touch the battery terminals to the steel wool, and viola! Ignition! I carry this stuff in my hunting vest along with a magnesium block to add shavings to the cotton balls if the weather really stinks or to strike sparks if the battery craps out. Of course I also carry a few parafinned strike anywhere matches for less challenging conditions.

Another firestarter, if you're shotgunning, is to carefully take the powder out of a shell.

I pack this stuff and a few other things in my hunting vest and include a few sheets of folded up paper towel for hygiene and also fire starting.

The striker rod on the magnesium block doesn't work well with stainless steel as in many knives now days. Good sparks take high carbon steel. My solution was to add a 5 inch piece of hacksaw blade to the chain on the block. This produces good sparks. Plan B is to pack along a high carbon knife.

some real good looking rigs on here. i always carry a little survival kit also. main things are protein bars, firestarters, canteen cup, space blanket and various medical supplies. i picked up some good tips from some of the other posts.

i had one of the old magnesium bars and got another one from someone but it had a toothed piece of steel for shaving the bar and then striker on the other side.

Great thread, I have posted this on lots of forums and gotten more ideas on what to carry. My lists keeps getting upgraded as I get better or lighter gear. Here are my current lists, the pocket kit, the bag that is always in my daypack, and the items I add for western hunts, bad weather, or coonhunting. These are in addition to my regular hunting gear. I counted GPS, clothes, knife, food, water bottle, etc as hunting gear not survival gear.

Altoids tin pocket kit (4.4oz total)
-Reynolds oven bag � (water boiling & storage)
-small firesteel & striker
-small bic lighter
-2 vaseline coated cotton balls
-fish hooks 6 small 6 medium
-fishing line 30ft 25lb Big Game
-repair needle to fit fishing line
-15ft green 152lb braided nylon bank line
-Leatherman mini (blade, scissors,tweezers, file)
-Leatherman mini flashlight (batteries backward, 30hr life)
-4 1qt water purification tablets
-6 18" 30lb wire fishing leaders (snares)

Full-time daypack kit (2lb 4oz)
-spare wool socks
-Adventure medical heatsheets bivy the (3.8oz one)
-MPI red/silver hooded space blanket 5'x7' (tarp, poncho, or blanket)
-compass
-bandana (red for signal, pre-filter water etc)
-Mammut S-lite headlamp (1 AA lithium battery, 60hr life, 2oz) (this is part of the kit, and in addition to the bigger headlamp I count as hunting gear)
-Victorionox trekker knife (decent saw, 4" un-serrated blade, tools)
-little whistle from my Bear Grylls knife
-fire kit: firesteel, lighter, vaseline coated cotton balls, 2oz bottle coglans fire paste, 4 wetfire cubes
-50ft roll 2" duck tape
-frontier water filter straw
-4 tabs potable aqua
-30yds 152lb bank line
-15yds 350lb bank line
-blank CD (signalling)
-little bag with 12 leader snares & 30ft 25lb fishing line, 12 hooks, repair needle)
Medical: (stop bleeding, make splints)
-quick clot sponge
-1 roll hot pink vetwrap (bandaging with duck tape, marking trail, etc)
-small tube neosporin
-4 3"x3" gauze pads
-rubber glove
-6 pills immodium
-2 pills claritin
-1 packet sunscreen
-1 packet lip balm
-4 safety pins
-1 antiseptic towlette


Additional gear for western hunts
-Kifaru paratarp with 10 1/2oz aluminum stakes (18.4oz total)
-50ft bright yellow paracord
-cheap thin silver space blanket (for using as a reflector for fire heat, or for my hunting buddy who didn't bring one)
-Snow peak titanium mug (12.9oz total) with:
-esbit stove (4 fuel tabs)
-2 oatmeal packets
-6 tea bags
-cut down spork
-1ftx2ft aluminum foil folded down
- Bic lighter

My survival gear adds up to about 4.5lbs when packing it all, but it's really not much weight when you look at what it includes. The Kifaru paratarp was expensive, but it's sure quick to put up and big enough to have plenty of room to keep me and my gear dry. The stakes add 5oz for it, but are way quicker than trying to cut them if a rain is coming. I also have the larger 9oz SOL thermal bivy or a little 1lb fleece sleeping bag I can stick inside the bivy sacks I can throw in if I feel it's needed. I've stayed out testing my kit at temps right at freezing and have been fine, and that was with a ponch lean to instead of the paratarp. I figure anytime I'm leaving a trail for a long dayhunt I want to have enough gear to spend the night if I decide to hunt until dark, or kill miles from anywhere. I took the fishing and snare kits out for a while, but then I weighed them and threw them back in. They don't take up much room and don't weigh 1.5oz all together.
I make sure to test everything before I add it to the pack. I'll also go out to one of our pastures at least a couple times a year with 30-45 minutes of light left and make a quick camp. I feel it's important to be familiar with my gear so I don't waste precious time and energy getting set up to ride out a storm or spend a night out. I know people who carry gear that they have never tried to use and that's not for me.

They are not big enough to sleep under, but they are light and convenient to carry. I've thought of this and believe that if I needed to use one, I'd find as dry a spot as possible, build a bed of leaves or needles, sit down, curl up and, wrap the blanket around myself. That's probably the best I could do.

I don't mean to be a jerk, but can you back this up in any way? I don't claim to be an expert, but I've learned a fair amount about survival (13 years on a wilderness SAR team), and about the human body (16 years in EMS...the last 10 of which I've also been a deputy coroner, paramedic school, etc), and this is the first time I've ever heard that statement.

The common phrase is the rule of 3's. 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. Obviously those are gross generalizations. But that said, I've never seen or heard of anyone in my life that died in 3 hours from dehydration. Possibly if they already had some grave underlying medical condition. Even immagining a worse case scenario, dropped out of an airplane into the middle of a desert wearing artic gear, you're still going to die from a heat related illness, not dehydration. Sure, you'll be very dehydrated, but your brain cooking after your hypothalamus shuts down is what will likely kill you, not the lack of water. So I'm just asking for a little background on where you got that info.