Sunday, February 27, 2011

How to Make a Survival Blanket Sleeping Bag

Now that you have read the Survival Topic on How to Make a Firebed, I will show you how to maximize the warmth of a single wool blanket, tarp, or survival blanket. If you have more than one layer, all the better and we will discuss how to best combine them.

For the rest of the article I will refer to any sheet(s) of flexible material you are using for warmth as the “survival blanket”.

In the video below I show you one method of wrapping yourself up in a survival blanket while laying on the firebed. Forming a survival blanket into a sleeping bag in this way efficiently eliminates cold spots and drafts while maximizing the amount of body warmth retained.

This method doubles up much of the survival blanket on top of your body, but keeps only one layer beneath. Much of a blanket beneath you will be compressed by your body and loose much of its insulation (that is why thick padding underneath you is important), so it is better to put most of it on top. Doubling up the survival blanket also creates a layer of dead air between them, meaning that two blankets together are more than twice as warm as a single layer of the same material.

What would be the one "survival blanket" you would take with you on back country?

Q: What would be the one "survival blanket" you would take with you on back country, backpacking/hiking adventure? Since you are carrying the load on your back, weight is a factor.

A: When you’re heading into the mountains on a backpacking adventure, you should always bring either a bivouac sack or tent and a sleeping bag appropriate for whatever seasonal temperature fluctuations you might encounter. On multi-day trips into the mountains, you don’t really need to bring a survival blanket. It’s tough to imagine a situation in which you would lose your sleeping bag, but not your survival blanket or car mats.

For a day of backcountry touring or ice climbing, you should always pack at least one Adventure Medical Kit Thermo-Lite Outdoor Bivy Sack. If your friend breaks a leg and can’t make it out, you’ll need to keep him or her warm while you ski out to get help. In this situation the Themo-Lite emergency bivy could save your friend's life if they need to stay outside overnight. I like Adventure Medical’s Thermo-Lite Bivy because it’s cheap, small, and I don’t even notice it in my pack.

How Space Blankets Work



Have you ever been at the finish line of a marathon? Did you wonder why, as the runners cross the line, they wrap themselves in what looks like thin blankets of aluminum foil? These blankets help the athletes regulate their body temperatures, which tend to drop drastically once they stop running.

These sheets aren't made of the typical foil you pick up at the grocery store, though. Derived from NASA technology, the common name for these sheets of foil is space blankets. Also known as solar blankets, mylar blankets or emergency blankets, they help people stay warm. Everyone from mountaineers to astronauts to surgeons use them.

Even though space blankets are mass produced and cheaply available today, they had their start in the space program in the 1970s. In 1973, the Skylab space station began overheating while in orbit. Because of a broken heat shield, the temperature inside the station approached temperatures of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). As temperatures continued to rise, NASA personnel worried about the decay of equipment and food inside the station. The possibility of toxic gases was also a threat.
Engineers contacted a New Jersey company called National Metallizing to assist them in the creation of an emergency sunshield for Skylab. Up until this point, manufacturers used the metallizing process mostly for the toy industry and the making of tinsel for Christmas trees. But NASA realized the potential of these shiny, thin metallic sheets to deflect heat. Working together, the two organizations created a reflective parasol that a space crew placed on top of Skylab. It worked, deflecting the heat and allowing the spacecraft to remain at a normal temperature.

As they work to keep heat out, space blankets also work to keep heat in. Because they could reflect the wearer's body heat back toward the wearer, these blankets had potential for a multitude of uses. They/ve become invaluable to marathon runners to help stay warm at the end of a race. Hospitals find them useful to keep patients warm during surgery, as anesthesia tends to make people shiver. Campers, climbers and mountaineers -- anyone who may find themselves stranded in cold weather -- discover space blankets are an extremely lightweight and cheap addition to their first-aid kits. In 2005, after an earthquake devastated parts of Pakistan, charitable organizations delivered space blankets to the victims. People used them as both ground cover and warming blankets.

So, how exactly can a paper-thin sheet help hold in heat? How could you use a space blanket in a survival or emergency situation? Keep reading to find out.

Emergency Survival Blankets - A Must for Enduring

There are several very important items that you need in a survival situation. Emergency survival blankets are one of them. The areas you have to consider for survival supplies fall into these main categories. Shelter, fire, first aid, water and food are survival necessities, and blankets certainly fall into the shelter and fire, or warmth category. Usually well known as a Mylar, or a space blanket, newer emergency blankets are made from polyethylene material instead of Mylar. These are more durable than Mylar. Other variations include fleece blankets, thermal emergency blankets, polar shield blankets, weather blankets, or first aid blankets.

Most emergency blankets are thin and lightweight. Their purpose is to reflect body heat back to the person, so it will not escape out into the surrounding air. A must for every survival kit, they can also be used on a tent floor, for a simple shelter, or covering other gear. They are flexible even in freezing temperatures, and are wind and waterproof. Emergency survival blankets provide protection in all weather conditions. They should not mildew, crack, or shrink. Make sure to have one blanket for each person in your party. They will reflect 90% of body heat back to the user.

Cheap survival blankets the tear easily, so make sure you purchase quality. Your survival is too important to risk. Some can be folded down as small as a pack of cigarettes, and can also be used for signaling. They are great for stranded motorists. Two person emergency blankets are also available. All have a compact lightweight design, and are small and light as you want to carry the least amount of weight as possible. They also can be stored in the glove compartment of car. Thermal blankets are heavy duty emergency survival blankets. They are very durable, and thicker than ordinary survival blankets.

In hot temperatures, do not use your emergency survival blankets as body wraps. Use them for shade, as a shelter, or to reflect sun from your car. If you are using your blanket in the cold, don't wrap it too tightly around you. Leave a little room for the warm air circulation around your body. It is powered by your body heat. These blankets will discourage hypothermia as they provide a moisture barrier, and blocks against the damp wind and cold. It can also be hung close to a campfire to reflect the heat back around all those present.

Monday, February 14, 2011

High Fashion Ladies Wedding Shoes

The average bride-to-be tries on about dozen dresses before she finds the right one. But that’s nothing compared to the number of Ladies Shoes she slips into and out of before her big day. Why is the right bridal Ladies Ladies Shoes so hard to find? For one thing, the Ladies Shoes must match the dress, the venue, the season and more. In this article, we will review a few basic tips that will hopefully help you avoid heel blisters and find the perfect pair a little sooner.

When to Buy?

Contrary to popular belief, bridal Ladies Shoes need not be purchased on the same day as the dress. In fact, it is probably a good idea to choose the dress first and then set aside an afternoon to focus on the Ladies Shoes. When you do go Ladies Shoes shopping, make sure that you bring a swatch from your gown to assure the best color match. As a general rule, it is always a good idea to have your Ladies Shoes with you when you have the first fitting. This will cut down on the alteration costs and ensure that your dress will be ready on time. The first fitting typically takes place about a month before the wedding.

Fabric

It is important to note that none of these tips are etched in stone. There are no rules when it comes to the wedding day. After all, it is your day. But according to the experts, the fabric and texture of your Ladies Shoes should match as closely as possible with the fabric and texture of your dress. Which means that if you are wearing a satin gown, your Ladies Shoes should contain a similar type of satin that will complement it.

High Fashion Wedding Shoes For Glamorous Brides

Sometimes the shoes are the last thing your guests will notice, but they are no less important for setting your wedding-day style. Yes, your dress, your veil and your face will be the first thing people see when you first walk down the aisle. But later in the day, in some candid moments, your shoes will stand out, front and center.

Perhaps as you gather your hem to go up the steps of the sanctuary? Or maybe as you climb the steps into your reception area? And certainly as you hit the dance floor, your shoes will come clearly into focus. Read some articles about chloe handbags.

There are several things to think about when selecting your shoes. After all, you have put a lot of thought into finding just the right dress. You want your shoes to reflect your style:

If your dress is glamorous, your shoes match or complement that look. For instance, if your dress is high fashion, you don't want to wear a basic pump. You probably want something a little edgier. On the other hand, if your dress is voluminous and has a great deal of detail, a simpler shoe may be best.
You want to make sure you are no more than eye-to-eye with your groom. If you and your groom are close in height, do not get a pair of 5-inch heels that will have you bending down to meet his lips for the official kiss. And keep in mind how the wedding photos will look with you towering over the wedding party. You want people noticing you and not your height.
The choice of wedding shoes is almost as vast as the selection of gowns. The following are some styles to consider:

Fashion Statements.

These are not your mother's pumps. They are often strappy sandals with elegant embellishments and feature a 3- to 4-inch heel - or higher.

One style features chiffon petals anchored to the ankle strap that fall gracefully down over the top of your foot.
Another style has a rhinestone ankle strap with more rhinestones hanging off of the strap. If you like a high heel, but you're not sure you can carry it off all day, look for a glamorous 4-inch wedge heel, which offers more stability than a shoe with regular heels.
You can even find a fashion shoe based on today's popular Roman sandal look. One model has an adjustable buckle around the ankle and four horizontal straps going down to the toes. Its 1-inch platform sole makes it a little easier to get around on the 4½-inch heels.
For a classically elegant look, look for the shoe with about 10 strands of cascading rhinestones anchored at the top of the ankle strap and at the strap that crosses your toes. Your feet with be covered in sparkling rhinestones.

Choosing Laptop Bags for Women

Are you looking to purchase a women’s laptop computer bag?

Women unsurprisingly take on a liking for the beautiful and elegant. More often than not they will not be fond of carrying around a bag that might throw their overall look off. This fact typically prevents them from travelling with regular laptop bags that men often make use of. Makers have though become aware of this situation and they have as a result furnished these kinds of bag.

There exists now a considerable market to deal with the requirements of a woman in looking for the most appropriate bags to match their dress codes.

With laptop computers currently available in many different shapes, women are now able to choose from them in order to compliment their complete look. No more are the times when they could just protect their laptop computers, now they can do it and still obtain a wonderful style to match their appearance.

Taking the structure of the laptop bag into consideration is extremely important. Considering the padding and also the overall protection level that the bag is able to offer can turn out to be the difference in protecting the laptop, that can be a huge expense, not only because of its cost but also the files, media and important information that may be kept on the hard drive. The structure will be able to pad the laptop should it fall.

You can go ahead to search for a bag which meets your individual requirements when you have considered the materials of manufacture. You can do this by browsing at the local shop but It can alteratively be done by using the net. It could be undertaken by initially searching for a manufacturer’s name that suits you and then selecting form the brand the best bag for your laptop.

Laptop bags for women now may be purchased in many colors so one may look around for an attractive color which will meet your needs. Now that laptop computers are even made in stripes and spotted patterns, you are sure to find one for your particular requirements.
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