Sunday, January 20, 2008

Blankets - A Survival Necessity

This is going to seem like a silly post but blankets really are a very serious survival item.

There is nothing better than waking up at the crack of dawn, bundled under a pile of blankets not caring that the fire had gone out an hour earlier. You are snug and content in your warm bed without a care in the world.

I prefer old quilts and comforters, it does not matter what they look like as long as they are thick, heavy and warm. Used blankets can be picked up at Good Will or garage sales for next to nothing. Also try getting some nice fleece blankets on clearance at Target or Wal-Mart. Fleece is a great insulating material and keeps heat from escaping. I hang them over the windows at the cabin at night, it really helps retain heat. Throw a couple of fleece blankets in you car just in case.

On the practical side, your house can be kept much cooler at night if your bodies heat is retained under a pile of blankets. This will greatly reduce your wood and fuel consumption. Blankets can also be hung over large windows reducing heat loss during power outages or on extremely cold nights.

Last week my boiler went out here at the house. I was able to stay warm and comfortable by placing blankets over the big windows and doorways, isolating the fireplace heat in the living room.

The added bonus is that in a crisis situation the blankets hung over the windows will offer a blackout blind while retaining heat. This keeps you warm in a house that appears dark, cold and empty from the road.

Keep your eyes open and stock up. You cannot have enough blankets.

3 comments:

Ryan said...

I have not gotten dozens of wool blankets from www.cheaperthandirt.com because I have a lot of blankets lying around anyway. Nanny makes you one, your mom makes you one, etc, etc. I can honestly way that I have atleast 2x as many blankets as I need just lying in my bedroom. I do plan to eventually get a good sleeping bag for each member of my family. Do not ignore the blankets currently you have in your preps. Most functional adult households have significantly more bedding then they really need. If the house temp drops then more blankets will be important.

Anonymous said...

....unless, of course, you live in the deep south, where blankets are virtually unnecessary.

Mosquito netting, on the other hand....

Anonymous said...

Hi, great post:). My husband and I rent an older home up here in Ontario, that someone had "updated" in the 70's by removing all the interior doors downstairs. We heat with a Adeco Furnace (Sun Twin) and 2 other small oil filled heaters so it is important to compartmentalize our space for efficient heating/lower hydro bills. We found some old thick blankets/comforters at the thrift stoor and pinned them up over the doorframes and it worked perfectly. Our hydro bill (power bill) is around $65/month and we have electric everything here.