REFLECTIVE FOIL BLANKET

Another form of emergency shelter is the reflective foil blanket, also referred to as a space blanket. It is simply a plastic sheet laminated with reflective silver foil on one side. This blanket works by reflecting any heat lost through your clothes back to you. For this reason, it is important to remember that the blanket does not insulate if it is directly touching your body. You need space between the blanket and yourself, which can be created with bulky clothing, a sleeping bag or even debris. If none of these are available, you can try crinkling the blanket as much as possible and loosely draping it over your body. Much like the emergency shelter bag, the materials of the blanket are not breathable, so condensation can form.

This shelter is truly a last-resort emergency shelter and is often used by emergency services when dealing with hypothermia and shock. The advantage are that it packs incredibly small—small enough even to fit in a first aid kit, and is truly marvelous at reflecting heat passed through radiation.

On its own, the reflective foil blanket barely functions as a shelter, and then only in a true emergency. Using it in combination with the debris shelters from the previous chapters, however, will make it a truly formidable piece of gear. You can drape the blanket over the ridgepole of the debris hut on page 24 before adding the rest of the frame to drastically increase heat retention (and cut down on debris falling on top of you). You can also use the blanket to drape the interior of a natural shelter, such as the stacked debris wall (page 34), or use it as a fire reflector, either behind the fire and/or behind your back. The possibilities are truly endless. I heartily recommend carrying a few of these blankets in your equipment.

BASHA/TARP SHELTERS

Basha is a term which seems to have spread from Australia to the rest of the world. It is a rectangular, waterproof sheet of rubber or plastic, specialized for camping. Bashas have grommets and tying loops in strategic locations, such as along the edges and center. These sheets are usually about 5 by 8 feet. Many of them also come with pop buttons, allowing you to fix two or more together. They are comparable to the pup tents the US Army used to issue to the infantry. Bashas are incredibly useful for creating quick shelters. I always keep a few in my jeep. Even when I’m using a different type of shelter, I will often string a basha up between a few trees to store my gear or provide me with a small “out-of-the-shelter” work area, allowing me to cook or work on projects outside while sheltered from rain or sun.

Setting Up the Basha

1.Find two to four trees or other improvised uprights to serve as the frame of your shelter. Using cord, tie the basha so that one edge is higher than the other by about 2 feet. Just be sure you don’t string it up level, which will cause rainwater to pool.

2.If you want a space for working under, tie it up as high as you can in order to have enough space to stand. If it’s only for sleeping under, the lower edge can be pegged to the ground and the higher edge 4 feet off the ground. If the basha has a tying loop, this can be used to pull the sheet up in the center, allowing for less of a pitch or more space underneath. There are really no limits as to how you want to string up your basha to shelter from rain.

Using a Basha to Collect Water

You can also string up the basha in a way that it collects rainwater for you while keeping you dry.

1.Hang the basha so one corner is lower than the other three.

2.Place a small rock in the center of the sheet, causing a dip. This will gather water toward the center before allowing it to run off to the lower corner.

3.Place a container like a bottle or pan below the drain to capture the water.

Using a Basha as Shelter from Sunlight

If you would like to create a shelter to protect you from direct sunlight, a basha can serve the purpose, giving you ample shade. Stringing up two bashas one above the other with a couple of inches in between the two also cuts down on the heat being radiated through the material and offers a much cooler experience. Similarly, when using a tent or vehicle as shelter under a hot sun, stringing a basha above it will cut down on the intense heat being generated inside the tent or car. This effect was used very effectively on old “Safari” model Land Rovers, where the manufacturer installed a second roof above the normal roof with a clear gap between the two.

1.Suspend one basha. Find two to four trees or other improvised uprights to be the frame of your shelter. Using cord, tie the basha up so that one edge is higher than the other by about 2 feet if you expect rain. Otherwise string it up so it provides the most possible shade.

2.Suspend a second basha about 2 inches above the first basha.

When protecting a car roof, tie the basha over the roof bars or use branches as spacers to keep the basha off the roof if your vehicle doesn’t have roof bars.

Using a Basha to Deflect Wind

It is also handy to keep a few tent pegs with your basha, as this will allow you to peg one side of the basha into the ground.

1.Tie one side of the basha to two trees, about 4 to 5 feet above the ground.

2.Stretching the lower edge taut, insert sticks or tent pegs into the ground through the provided holes or loops.

Using a Basha as a Tent

Alternatively, you can use a length of cord between two trees and peg the basha down on both sides so it resembles a tent.

1.Suspend the ridgeline. Either run a length of cord through loops provided and tie it between two trees, or tie the cord between two trees and drape the basha over it.

2.Insert twigs or pegs into the ground through the holes or loops provided at both of the long sides of the basha, forming a tent. Be sure to keep the basha taut without too many wrinkles.

MAKE YOUR OWN GROMMETS

If you only have access to a sheet of plastic or a basha where the grommets are threatening to tear loose, wrap the ends of the basha around a small stone and tie a piece of cord tightly around where the material comes together (a bit like a candy wrapper or drawstring pouch) to lock the stone in place. This cord can then be used to tie the basha onto trees or pegs.