After action report - emergency space blanket

Got a chance to use a Mylar emergency blanket for real. It was quite an experience. I learned several important lessons.

Got caught in pouring rain in a state of utter exhaustion. Had been up at that point for 40 hours, 26 of which had been spent hiking in very rugged country with a 45# pack. I was totally spent. There was no shelter of any sort available, and I needed sleep right away. In addition to my Mylar blanket I had a fleece pullover, a rain jacket, a poncho liner (woobie), and a warm hat. Temp was in the high 40?s or low 50?s.

When I first laid down in the mud I put the poncho liner over me and then the Mylar blanket over the top to keep the rain off me. That worked surprisingly well until the wind came up. Once that occurred, I was well and truly screwed. The wind blew the Mylar all over the place and I struggled to keep it in place. In my state of utter exhaustion I could not figure out any way to keep any of my gear in place. I jackhammer shivered for 5 hours getting an estimated 30 minutes of actual sleep.

I just ordered a dozen of the Mylar sleeping bags. Had I had one of those instead of the useless blanket, I would have been 100 times better off. I also learned that you?d better have some way to improvise a shelter to keep rain or snow off your head.

Finally, I learned that you should think through your plan of how you intend to bivy in a situation like that in advance. Wouldn?t hurt to practice. In my state of total physical and mental exhaustion I was not thinking very clearly. Not sure I could have done much better than I did, but I could feel that my brain was working slowly. Don?t overestimate your ability to think rationally when you?re spent. Better to have a canned procedure that you can implement and modify on the fly.

That's a good report with great advice. When I train people to inspections, I train them to do them the same way, every time. That way, when you show up on no sleep, hung over, whatever, you can zombie your way through without missing stuff.

My wife used her mylar blanket during a camping trip this spring. She went and slept in the car and said it kept her surprisingly warm.

I've heard all kinds of things about having them next to your skin, or not, and haven't ever used one to know what is the proper procedure.

Kinda pricy, but seems worth it in a emergency...

https://www.backcountry.com/adventur...l-escape-bivvy

I always keep one in my GHB and one in my day pack when covering any sort of real distance on trail.

While kayaking or boating in cool wet weather I have found a large garbage bag used like a Kilt or poncho kept me comfortable. I premade duct tape reinforced holes and straps. My last Mylar experience was a ripped up mess trying to make a poncho for a kid.

We conducted so many casualty control drills in the Navy, that your actions became muscle memory.

So yes, training could save your life.

In that situation eat a power bar first. Hunger compounded with cold and tired will make you stupid.
A small tarp and some cord might have helped but this is based on my readings and not first hand. REI had some fantastic looking 1 man tents.

Curious what you were doing? Care to share?

Competition Dynamics SAC. 10yr anniversary. How was it?!

I had a chicken salad sandwich I ate as soon as I got to the bivy site. It got soggy, but it was delicious!

I and my teammate were competing in a two man team sniper competition. 48 hours of land nav (map and compass) with shooting, problem solving, and all sorts of other games. It’s called the Sniper Adventure Challenge or, the SAC.

http://competition-dynamics.com/snip...hallenge-2021/

Xa, the switch from the 36hr format to 48 was quite a challenge. The weather this year was much cooler than last year, so that was very nice. As usual, the course was very long over some damn rugged terrain. My feet got destroyed. I’d planned to doctor them before I slept, but that didn’t work out for obvious reasons. I ended up with them soaked completely through and numb with the cold. Waited to treat them till the sun came up and I could dry them out. By the time I got to them, they were an absolute mess.

Aside from the physical discomfort we crushed the land nav. By our standards, at least. It was our best performance yet. Unfortunately, the poor timing of our planned bivy and the weather wrecked our plan to play the shooting games and we didn’t score nearly enough points to finish well in spite of out good performance in the nav. Some year we will put it all together and put in a non-embarrassing performance. Maybe.

I wish I had the physicality to do something like that.

For curiosity, any chance I could see the equipment list?

I read a couple posts about this past weekend but there hasn't been much said really. Maybe everyone is still recovering.

I don?t have a list, but here?s a pic.

https://imgur.com/a/mEOofIl

https://i.imgur.com/pbDsZ4J.jpg



The required gear list is on the SAC site.

That'll do. Thanks.

So the extra duffle was for... soil?

Yep. Dig a hole big enough for a five gallon bucket. Then fill your duffle with 100# of dirt and rocks. Carry 3 miles.

I think im going to volunteer next year & make sure my schedule is open unlike this year. Closest I think I'll get to knowing the fun.

Sounds like you had a rewarding adventure.

Too cool. Did you shoot that with a AR pistol?

Tim, that's awesome. I'll suggest a GI Poncho and some bungees. (I like to have 5x3' bungees). With a few trees you can setup a quick tarp very quick, and bringing it low to the ground can help manage wind. A metal stake or 2 doesn't hurt either.
What did you bring for food? And how plentiful was water sources like creeks, or do they have water buffalos along the course?

I didn't mean to derail the thread topic... its just such an admirable challenge that I could pick your brain & listen to details about it for hours. Heard one of the check points was in a hidden cave & the terrain was new too thanks to use of the adjoining property. Thought I read it covered over forty miles this year as well.

If I remember correctly, finishing the course & completing all the tasks is unusual for most folk. I don't think many if any did this year save maybe one team? Knowing a few of the guys who do this every year & hearing about all the work/training/prep that goes into being competitive at that level - its pretty inspiring.

No one has finished for several years, including this year. We finished with a handful of other teams 3-4 years ago. That was the last time anyone completed the race. We did not make it to the cave checkpoint. It was two away from where we finished. Sounded cool as heck.

Didn’t take much food. Experience tells us we barely eat. I ate three pieces of beef jerky, several hands full of potato chips, six or so honey zingers, and probably 20 Liquid IVs. It’s a powdered electrolyte formula. Oh, and two chicken salad sandwiches my wife made me. Good solid rucking food! We were wearing heart rate monitors. Estimated calorie deficit was on the order of 35,000-40,000.

Water was all streams, ponds or stock tanks unless you got back to hq where well water was available. Our water filter got a workout.

How do you like the Liquid IV? I've been meaning to check it out.

Good real feedback.

After a few bad space blanket experiences on different occasions, my wife and I both carry mini bivy bags in our day packs. They are 84g but actually useable.

I have yet to find a flavor of the liquid IV I like, but it seems legit. Unlike Gatorade which I can just chug for hours, I have to be strategic about making myself drink the liquid IV. It seems to work noticeably better at keeping me hydrated for day long activities.

Edit: Its not that I feel more hydrated with liquid IV. It just seems to take less for the same effect. Which means fewer stops and less water to carry.

Liquid IV is magic. We discovered it last year and fell in love with it. I wouldn’t want to train or compete without it. Pro tip, don’t drink more than two consecutively or it may cause diarrhea.

That's a VERY important tip.

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Originally Posted by Tim K

Liquid IV is magic. We discovered it last year and fell in love with it. I wouldn?t want to train or compete without it. Pro tip, don?t drink more than two consecutively or it may cause diarrhea.

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What did you use before Liquid IV?

Zac and Hunter had just got back to the Meadow when the rain started to come. They got under their tarps. Hunter had a 5.11 lightweight jacket. Zac woke up with his teeth chattering and hands and feet numb. Hunter got 2.5 hours of sleep in. FTR, Tim, it got down to 42 right after the rain stopped. Humidity was high, but dropped fast when the wind kicked up. I was tracking weather as much as I could when I woke up here and there. I think an emergency bag might be a better option than a blanket. A team that was at HG wrapped in their Mylar blankets then clipped their tarp to their packs and slept under that. They looked okay when they woke up.

Hunter has a team-mate for 2022 BTW. He just finished Basic too, at AIT now. They will be 18 and 19. Hunter is going to map out a practice plan for them this weekend. :)

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Originally Posted by ChickNorris

Competition Dynamics SAC. 10yr anniversary. How was it?!

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I worked it and it was very interesting, and fun. Knowing a few of the guys that shot the match, I saw a definite decline in function from the 14 to 20 hour window when they came through my challenge and the 38 to 47 hour window when they came through my 2nd challenge some were running on fumes for sure.

I stressed to my son that land nav and foot care are huge components and that bore out. I saw some feet that would have been stars in horror films.

It was impressive, both in the running and the competitors. I will work it again in 2022.

First off Tim, I'm glad the hypothermia didn't take you out. Sounds like you were pretty close there.

Second, great advice. I tried to use one of those cheap, pocket sized space blankets for shelter years ago while hunting. I got caught in a serious cold rain/snow downpour and it was my only choice. It didn't work for the same reason as you. Way too lightweight, it blew all over the place. I figure wind comes with cold so I have upgraded my packs with a much heavier variety. As well as a GOOD poncho with eyelets to string up an improvised shelter.

I've never needed to test this, but I was taught to eat as much food as you can when you need to take emergency shelter in that sort of situation. Force it down if you're not hungry because the digestion will increase your body temp. Also, and this one came contrary to my instincts, if you don't have dry clothes to change into, don't take off your wet ones. If you takeoff your wet clothes, they will just get colder and any progress you made warming up will be lost when you put your cold wet clothes back on. Keep your wet clothes on when you shelter and let your body warm them up too. Might be the only chance you have to get them dry. Make sense to me, but I hope I never have to try that one out.

Also, another plus one for liquid IV. That stuff is legit. I like the 'energy' variety that has matcha green tea in it. Matcha has decent caffeine content and releases slower, so no shakes (if that's an issue). Kept me going during a two day, hot shooting class in July. I don't like the taste of the energy one, but like all the others. Have a headache? Liquid IV works great for that too. Costco has them on sale about every other month or so.

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Originally Posted by hollohas

First off Tim, I'm glad the hypothermia didn't take you out. Sounds like you were pretty close there.

Second, great advice. I tried to use one of those cheap, pocket sized space blankets for shelter years ago while hunting. I got caught in a serious cold rain/snow downpour and it was my only choice. It didn't work for the same reason as you. Way too lightweight, it blew all over the place. I figure wind comes with cold so I have upgraded my packs with a much heavier variety. As well as a GOOD poncho with eyelets to string up an improvised shelter.

I've never needed to test this, but I was taught to eat as much food as you can when you need to take emergency shelter in that sort of situation. Force it down if you're not hungry because the digestion will increase your body temp. Also, and this one came contrary to my instincts, if you don't have dry clothes to change into, don't take off your wet ones. If you takeoff your wet clothes, they will just get colder and any progress you made warming up will be lost when you put your cold wet clothes back on. Keep your wet clothes on when you shelter and let your body warm them up too. Might be the only chance you have to get them dry. Make sense to me, but I hope I never have to try that one out.

Also, another plus one for liquid IV. That stuff is legit. I like the 'energy' variety that has matcha green tea in it. Matcha has decent caffeine content and releases slower, so no shakes (if that's an issue). Kept me going during a two day, hot shooting class in July. I don't like the taste of the energy one, but like all the others. Have a headache? Liquid IV works great for that too. Costco has them on sale about every other month or so.

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Agreed! Plus one for Tim's feedback and your additional info. Lots of time spent screwing around with testing emergency camping/survival/prep backs up your comments about food and keeping cold/wet clothes on, especially if you are wearing good quality items that still insulate when wet.

Mylar blankets work, when kept in place, as you have both mentioned. They seem chinsy but they work. I keep two in each location, and they are all modified with small lead weights duct taped to the edges and corners. Makes it easier to position and have it stay.

Wet clothing has minimal insulation. That's why you strip wet clothing off a cold wet involuntary swimmer.

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Originally Posted by earplug

Wet clothing has minimal insulation. That's why you strip wet clothing off a cold wet involuntary swimmer.

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Agreed. Minimal, but good quality (wool and some other options) still maintain some insulation when wet.

However, what Hollohas said is also true.

If you don't have dry/warm to change into, and have to put the cold/wet back on, it's better to leave them on.

Wool is supposed to retain something like 80% of the heart when wet. Amazing stuff. When we did the 14'er this year my sleeping bag was still wet when we got there. I have the cheapest, crappiest, wool blanket in my truck that is so thin when you unfold it, you can see through it. I used that as a liner inside my bag and it saved me from having a rough night.

I did vacuum pack an Army bath towel and an Army Waffle top shirt for Hunter. Knowing he had a dry towel and a dry thermal top in his gear was comforting to me. I just bought a Waffle top and one of those thickened 4 ounce Mylar lined sleeping bags for my own hunting/hiking kit.

Anyone know of any other events like this? Love to try it, seems like a "lite" version would go over well and be a nice intro to get people involved.

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Originally Posted by D_F

Anyone know of any other events like this? Love to try it, seems like a "lite" version would go over well and be a nice intro to get people involved.

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They tried a "sprint class" a few times. It would be difficult to manage at the same event.

There really is no civilian available event like it. Mammoth Sniper Challenge is a bit more taxing in the shooting, but lacks the land nav and challenges.

There are survival classes, but that is more of a week or weekend camping trip.

Most hikers carry bivy sacks.

It's part of the 10 essentials.

https://www.amazon.com/camping-bivy-...b?node=3401921

https://cmc.org/Members/MyMembership...ssentials.aspx

We've been looking for something similar for a while now. The only problem with this event is the amount of training required and the fact that there is just this one event a year in which to use it.

They had a "lite" version in 2013, the first year I did it. There was not a lot of participation, so they dropped it. My suggestion to people who are interested is to simply try it and modify your own plan. It's generally set up in a mission format. A mission consists of 8-10 nav checkpoints. Set a goal of completing one mission and then play as many games as you have energy for. I intend to do exactly this with my son when he's old enough to participate. We'll stomp out one mission and then run around doing all the shooting and all the other silly games. It's a huge adventure and the best two days of my year. Participation at any level you're prepared for will be a ton of fun.

I wonder if CD would be open to running a Sprint in the Spring and the full SAC in the fall. :)

Thank you folks, we do a bit of this while camping, and even did a "milsim" airsoft type event last year that had lot's of little challenges and missions. It was fun for what it was, but of course lacked any semblance of reality. I wore two youngsters (and myself) out running around in the woods, but a sprint type event like this would be a hit I think. I can see a huge manpower requirement to set up and host.