emergency blanket (ground cloth) + pool float (sleeping pad) ?

> in theory shouldn't the heat that passes through the pool float be reflected off the emergency blanket and back onto the person?

Hi Nick,

The plastic in the pool float actually blocks most of the radiant energy coming from the emergency blanket. Here is a simple test to see this effect – hold up the pool float between you and a campfire then move it away. Feel how much of the radiant heat is blocked.

Your system should be fine in summer, but when the ground is cold you will loose a significant amount of heat through convection in the float(the reason vendors put down in inflatable sleep pads) and conduction (through the blanket).

Don't get too hung up about the most of the radiated body heat being reflected. As it turns out, the radiated body heat is only around 10% of your total heat loss, depending on some positional factors.
–B.G.–

I have seen several scientific studies reporting that radiative heat loss can account for ~50% of human heat loss (I've come across reports as high as ~60%). I do not have references at hand, unfortunately. But the results seemed widely supported.

In particular response to OP, I'm guessing most pool floats aren't particularly light… FWIW, when I got too cold on my NeoAir this fall, I wrapped myself in an emergency blanket ala VBL and was then fine. Controlled evaporative and radiative heat loss. If you completely wrapped the float in an emergency blanket, it would be warmer. After all, that's the basic premise of the insulating ability of the NeoAir…

Also Not only are pool floats not light but they won't hold air well enough at all and they are really poorly made causing the probability of puncture to be pretty high. I've used the pool float as air mattress on mission trips, I'm 135lbs and they didn't really hold air at all through the night for me. Anyone heavier will not fare any better.

would it be possible to make an emergency blanket into a sleeping bag liner to go around the outside of your bag? (since I'm guessing it wont be comfortable like a silk or fleece liner haha)

I appreciate all of the feedback so far. Thank you :-)

James, is this what you had in mind?
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/falk-sleepbag/index.html

Nick

Yes thats what I was thinking, but for an actual bag, like a mummy bag for really cold temperatures/wind to use it as a liner. Thanks for the link, thats a pretty good base towards that project, I might end up doing it :D

The fact that it doesn't breath at all though is kind of worry'some. Perhaps I'll just sew my own out of a synthetic.

Now I'm getting off topic, sorry mate :D

In particular response to OP, I’m guessing most pool floats aren’t particularly light… FWIW, when I got too cold on my NeoAir this fall,ccsp I wrapped myself in an emergency blanket ala VBL and was then fine.

A few years ago I messed around with pool airmatresses and windsheild screens and mylar. see this thread: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=28712&skip_to_post=240387#240387