How to Survive with a Mylar Survival Emergency Blanket

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The mylar survival blanket is poo-pooed by many people in the outdoors industry because they think it just doesn’t work. On the contrary, the way that the survival blanket works is by reflecting your own heat back at you to keep you comfortable. Not warm, not super toasty, but comfortable and most importantly: ALIVE!

Whether these ideas are new to you or not, the survival blanket has so many uses to keep you alive in an emergency or disaster.

1. Shelter – I’ve put together two survival blankets and used them as shelter. They work really well for temporary shelter.

2. Cook food – The mylar blanket will sort of “melt” with direct heat, but you can wrap some food up in it and put it over coals or near the fire or on a grate and it should do just fine to cook your food.

3. Insulation/Blanket – As mentioned before, the main way to use these would be as a blanket to keep you warm. They can also be used as general insulation, like putting them inside of your shoe to keep your feet warmer.

4. Waterproofing – Quickly waterproof your backpack, shoes or anything else just by wrapping some of this mylar around it! It really works!

5. Cordage – Twist up some of this mylar blanket to make some quick cordage to be used for a variety of purposes. It’s quite durable!

Sure, they might be a bit noisy and not very “attractive”, but they will absolutely work to keep you alive. Everyone should have at least 2 survival blankets with them at all times. They’re lightweight, small and it’s just smart. I carry two of them around in every single kit, even first aid kits (they can be used for shock, splinting and other uses).

Just a word of caution when buying these, make sure you look for the thick ones! I’ve used the super cheap thin ones and they’re basically worthless. You need to get the thick ones as they’re a lot more durable and less prone to tearing as easily. Trust me on this.

Get more ideas on how to use these mylar survival blankets by watching the video below: