If you’re planning on spending the night outdoors, one of your priorities – alongside shelter and nutrition – should be keeping warm throughout the night
That’s where the survival, or space blanket, comes in handy.
You’ve probably seen one of these before without even realizing it. The survival blanket is commonly used in the wake of long running events like the marathon, to keep the athletes body temperatures up. But they’re not only designed for runners. Survival blankets are used in a number of circumstances, even by astronauts in fact.
As far as we’re concerned though, the survival blanket should be an essential piece of equipment you back on your next big outdoor expedition. Whether you’re going mountaineering solo, or taking a trek into the forest with a view to spending the night, you should always have a survival blanket with you.
Why do you need an emergency survival blanket?
Temperatures can drop drastically when you’re out in the wilderness, so it’s important that you have an effective way of staying warm to give you the best chance of lasting the night, and getting a good night’s sleep.
The science behind the survival blanket is simple. They work to reflect the body heat of the person wearing them back inwards. Thus, rather than the heat escaping your body, it is preserved.
What makes them a great option for outdoor expeditions is how light they are. The last thing you want on a mountain trek is to be lugging a heavy sleeping bag around and carrying unnecessary additional weight. With the survival blanket, this won’t be an issue, as they are incredibly lightweight and very affordable too.
This makes them almost indispensable, especially when you find yourself in a cold climate, where retaining your body heat can prove vital.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a comprehensive buying guide to help you find the best survival blanket for you.
Features:
- 4 extra large 5’ x 7’ double-sided blankets
- Individual nylon sacks to carry the blankets
- Waterproof design
- Windproof and Light Reflective
- Specially designed carriers (including zips) for added durability
- 50% of company profits go to charity
As you might guess from the name of this product, these survival blankets are designed to hold up to a fair amount of punishment, and weather conditions.
Made by aptly named outdoors company ‘Don’t Die In The Woods’, this is an excellent product for surviving the wildest of woodland expeditions.
Boasting both durability and an incredibly lightweight design, these blankets are the perfect accompaniment for a trek in the woods, the mountains, or any other wild location.
Made to be waterproof, you won’t have to worry about being caught out in the rain with these blankets, which is hugely useful. Furthermore, the design of the blanket means that up to 90% of your body heat will be reflected back to you, which equals plenty of warmth even in the face of extremely cold and wet conditions.
Aside from the premium quality, what makes these blankets stand out is their size. Bigger than the standard survival blanket, you’ll be able to fully wrap yourself up in these blankets, keeping your extremities nice and toasty. Despite the additional size, the blanket still wraps up and fits in convenient pouches, so you won’t have to sacrifice valuable extra space in your rucksack.
Check price of the World’s Toughest Emergency Blankets
- Waterproof design keeps you warm even in wet conditions
- XL size to cover your whole body
- Convenient nylon pouches to carry the blankets
- Reflects up to 90% of your body heat
- Superior quality
- 4 blankets to use
- Hard to fold back up for reuse.
- More expensive than a lot of the competition.
Features:
- 60” x 80” thermal blanket
- Comes with a convenient carry bag
- 4 colors to choose from
- Includes 4 reinforced tie-down grommets
This survival blanket from Arcturus is a stellar option when camping, trekking, or hiking.
Made to hold up to all weather conditions, this blanket is worth considering if you foresee wind and rain during your outdoor activity, which let’s be honest, is fairly likely in most cases.
The reflective Mylar material of this survival blanket also makes it an effective way of signaling for help, should you ever find yourself in a desperate situation. If you like the sound of multi-purpose blankets, then you’ll enjoy the fact that this one can also be used to erect shelter or tarp.
With a lightweight design – weighing as little as a pound – this blanket will be anything but cumbersome. What’s more, it comes with a special bag to carry it in.
Finally, this survival blanket comes with 4 reinforced tie-down grommets, so you can easily create a waterproof barrier should you need to. Especially useful for unanticipated downpours.
Check price of the Arcturus Heavy Duty Survival Blanket
- Multi-functionality
- Windproof and waterproof design
- Incredibly lightweight.
- Thermal design to keep you warm at night.
- Pricey for one blanket
- Can be susceptible to tearing
Features:
- 4 Dual-sided aluminized blankets
- Additional gold space blanket designed for NASA
- 52” x 82” in size, and 2oz in weight
- Available in a variety of colors
This 4-pack of emergency Mylar thermal blankets from Swiss Safe comes with an additional gold colored space blanket designed for NASA, to bring out your inner astronaut fantasies.
Featuring dual-sided aluminized Mylar blankets, these ones are made to last. Being made of Mylar they are also heatproof, meaning they can double up as a way of boiling water or keeping food warm.
They are also both lightweight and durable at the same time. Easy to carry, but not to wear down.
Retaining up to 90% of your body heat, you can stay warm through the harshest of weather conditions in this blanket, including even snow.
Check price of the Swiss Safe Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets
- Lightweight nature means you can save space in your rucksack
- Weatherproof design makes them perfect for any conditions
- You get 5 blankets at a very affordable price
- A range of colors for a personal touch
- Not the warmest blankets available due to lightweight design
- Maybe not suitable for the larger body
Features:
- 60” x 83” survival blanket
- Multi-purpose design
- 3-ply construction
- High-visibility
- Comes with grommets
The UST survival blanket could be all you need to survive a night in the wilderness.
A versatile product, the blanket can be used as a lean-to shelter, or even a ground cloth to transport equipment or keep food warm.
Both windproof and waterproof, the weather shouldn’t be an issue if you have one of these blankets handy.
The high-vis nature of the blanket can be useful in emergency situations should you need to give away your position.
Check price of the UST Survival Blanket
- Doubles up as a tarp or lean-to shelter
- Durable in all weather conditions
- Useful in emergency scenarios
- Low cost
- Bulky design
- Can tear easily
Features:
- 4.1 ounces in weight
- Includes emergency whistle, alert rescuers and paracord
- Weatherproof design
A multi-purpose survival blanket-cum-sleeping bag, this product can even also be used as an emergency bivvy.
The product comes with an emergency whistle and color alert rescuers, for if things take a turn for a worse. It also comes with paracord which can be used to repair gear, build a shelter or even start a fire.
Don’t let the lightweight design of this survival blanket fool you, this product is tear and puncture resistant making it a great choice for durability.
This survival blanket is also weatherproof, keeping you warm in the face of wind, rain, or even snow.
Finally the product is so light it can fit in the palm of your hand. Weighing just 4.1 ounces, there’s no reason not to take this with you wherever you go, as a precautionary measure.
Check price of the Go Time Gear Life Bivy Emergency Sleeping Bag
- This survival blanket is compact, but resistant
- Can withstand all weather conditions
- Comes with useful emergency equipment
- Doubles up as a bivvy
- Pricey for one blanket
- Isn’t the warmest blanket
Features:
- Includes 6 survival blankets
- Each comes sealed in its own packet
- Weatherproof design
A very reasonably priced 6-pack of Mylar thermal blankets, this offering from ANMEILU is worth considering.
Each blanket is conveniently sealed in its own packet, meaning you can use the 6 blankets on separate occasions to make them last longer, or take several with you as a safety precaution.
The blankets are weatherproof, making them a great choice for harsh weather conditions.
They are also reusable, which makes them excellent value for money should you keep hold of them after a single use.
Retaining up to 90% of the user’s body heat, you will be protected from the elements and stay nice and warm in the process.
Check price of the ANMEILU Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets
- Incredibly cheap, and good value for money
- Compact design
- Reusable
- Can tear easily
- Not the most warm blankets
Features:
- Available in 4 unique color patterns
- Mylar material
- Compact design
This product from Titan includes 5 individual Mylar survival blankets. These blankets come in unique color patterns which can help you up your survival game, and blend in with your surroundings should you opt for camo.
The Mylar material is used for NASA space blankets, so these blankets are both reusable and weatherproof.
Perfect for emergency situations, the blankets are compact, and individually wrapped to make your life easier.
A great option for camping or hiking, just one of these blankets could literally be a lifesaver.
Check price of the Titan Two-Sided Emergency Mylar Survival Blankets
- Reasonably priced for 5 blankets
- Fun color patterns to choose from
- Lightweight design for ease of use
- Thin material
- Can tear easily
Features:
- 12 82” x 51” survival blankets
- Includes nylon bag
- Individually wrapped blankets
This 12-pack of emergency blankets from ANCwear is an absolute bargain at the price, and gives you a lot for your money.
The blankets are made from quality Mylar material, the same which is used for NASA space blankets.
Each blanket is individually wrapped and the product comes with a nylon, waterproof bag to carry them all around in.
The product is also rip-proof, so you won’t have to worry about accidentally tearing it when trying to take it out of the packet.
Check price of the ANCwear Emergency Blanket 12 Pack
- Fantastic value for money
- Rip-proof design
- Convenient packaging to carry them around
- Not as high quality as more premium products
- Single purpose product
Features:
- Made of polyester mesh, aluminized mylar, and non-woven fabric
- Includes 4 grommets
- Available in 2 colors
- 83” x 59” in size
The last survival blanket offering on this list comes from UTOOL. A heavy-duty blanket, this one is designed to last, making it ideal for outdoor activities.
Made from 3 layers of non-woven fabric, you can expect a highly resistant product which won’t fall apart easily.
This emergency blanket is weatherproof and can give you various options when conditions begin to deteriorate. Serving as an emergency shelter, wind blocker or even a water collector, you will get plenty of use out of this blanket.
Reflects up to 93% of the user’s body heat, making it a warm option which will keep you toasty even on the coldest of nights.
Check price of the UTOOL Heavy Duty Emergency Blanket
- Highly resistant to both weather and wear and tear
- Durable blanket that will endure the night
- Multi-functionality
- Pricey for a single blanket
- The grommets are low quality
- Bulkier design
Best Survival Blanket Buyer’s Guide
Hopefully it’s very clear to you why you need an emergency survival blanket. Let’s turn our attention to what factors you should be considering when you look at getting your hands on picking the best survival blanket for your specific needs:
Quality:
Something that may be dependent on the type of outdoor activity you’re engaging in, the quality of the survival blanket can be crucial.
Say you’re mountaineering and you need a little extra warmth to make your ascent easier. If you have a survival blanket made of high quality, resistant material, then you won’t have to worry about it catching on a rock and tearing apart.
This is a big deal, since you never know when you might need to throw the blanket on, so you want to ensure that it can withstand a bit of punishment.
Affordability:
Like with any equipment you take with you on an outdoor adventure, you will probably be looking for great value for money when you invest.
Survival blankets shouldn’t be too expensive, so maybe this is should be a cheap purchase to free up money for more expensive equipment like rucksacks and outdoor gear.
At the end of the day, these blankets can be dispensable, so you probably don’t want to splash too much cash on this survival item.
Weather resistance:
Depending on the type of expedition you plan on embarking on, you might encounter rough patches of wind or rain, in fact it’s something you should probably bank on happening anyway.
As a result, it’s worth picking out a survival blanket that’ll keep you warm even in the face of harsh winds and rainfall.
In fact, some survival blankets are highly resistant to heat. This means that you could use it as a makeshift way of boiling water or heating foot, should it come to that.
Again, it all comes down to the type of activity you’ll be doing, but as a general rule of thumb it’s worth seeking out a windproof or waterproof survival blanket to avoid dampening of the spirits should the elements wreak havoc on your trip.
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