Warm shelter is obviously still very much at the forefront of my mind. Something I'd been looking for in addition to an enclosed shelter is a more compact blanket than the usgi poncho liner. Well, I was at Gander Mountain before work today, and I found exactly what I'm looking for. Sleeping bag liners.http://www.seatosummit.com/products/cat/1
The liners I saw packed down into a very compact 3"x5" package, and gave varying degrees of added warmth and weight depending on the type and style selected of each type.
The silk liner, 73" x 36" rectangular, adds 10*F
The silk liner, 82" x 36" with a hood, also weighs in at 4.8 oz, and adds 10*F
The Reactor Extreme Thermolite® Liner weighs in at 14 oz. adds 25* F. It may be larger than 3"x5" stuffed though, I didn't see it in person.
I think the rectangular silk liner would be a better choice for my EDC kit than the poncho liner because it packs down so much smaller and (iirc) is also a bit lighter. I was immediately struck by something I had just read in Backwoodsman magazine as well though: an article on bedrolls.
I liked the concept quite a bit, but again, cotton canvas and wool are heavy, so I don't want to carry a traditional roll. But a few of these liners... Now there's an option. Smaller and lighter than the USGI MSS, and I wouldn't be enclosed in a mummy sack, so I'd be able to react to trouble much quicker.
That still left me missing an appropriate outer layer. Then I found this:
http://wardsci.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_IG0017039
A nomex and kevlar fire protection blanket. If my estimations are correct, it weighs in at 8.7 ounces per square yard, compared to 11.5-32 ounces per square yard of cotton canvas. This blanket should weigh in at no more than 2.5 pounds. Total weight with 2 rectangular silk liners, one hooded silk liner, and a reactor liner would be < 5 pounds, even after adding a backpacking tarp for overhead cover and some sort of ground sheet.
I'd add those last two items as part of the package because, like the canvas, nomex will absorb some water. However, it is lightweight, abrasion and chemical resistant, and extremely fire retardant. What concerns me with it does involve the fire though. I read that nomex will carbonize at roughly 800*F, so any sparks or embers coming into contact with it would become brittle and eventually open up into pinholes. I realize this happens with canvas as well, but I'm not sure yet how I'd make repairs.
I'm also not sure how close I could lay to a fire and keep from degrading or damaging it, so I'll be doing some more research unless someone here has any idea.
I do like the idea of a bedroll though. For many of the reasons stated and also because I could more easily adjust the level of bedding to the temperature outside. The coldest recorded temp in my area is -20* F, so if I'm looking at this correctly I'd still be able to raise my sleeping temperature above 0 with the layers I've outlined. Please correct me if I'm missing something here.
Anyway, that's my take on it, I'm intrigued with the idea of setting up such a versatile and lightweight shelter system.
What do you think, and how would you do it?
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