Plastic Blanket

[Atif Khan]

On summer nights that don’t go below 60 F (~15 C), and are mostly at 80 F (~25 C), have you tried using a plastic sheet as a blanket?

These are nights where most of the time the blanket is off but in the coldest few hours of the night some extra warmth is welcome. Silk is possible, but for less weight I figured plastic could work. I’ve used mylar in the past but durability was an issue.

Just wanted to see if someone has actually used plastic as an occasional summer blanket and what your experience was.

[Monte Masterson]

The problem with mylar and plastic is of course the fact that both don’t breathe and will leave you wet and clammy underneath. Why not just buy 3 yards of breathable Argon 90 (58″ X 108″) and cut off some of the length and end up with a 58″ X 84″ blanket? As its name indicates the Argon 90 (15D) weighs 0.9 oz per sq yd. If you wanted something lighter you could also choose Argon 67 (10D) or even Argon 49 (7D), however the lighter ones don’t provide as much warmth and being lighter they don’t lay on top of you as well either. https://dutchwaregear.com/product/argon-90/

A budget friendly option would be the Ion at $4.50 per linear yard, but it’s a 20D and heavier at 1.1 oz per sq yd. A 58″ X 84″ piece would weigh about 4.1 oz. https://dutchwaregear.com/product/ion/

 

[Atif Khan]

That comes to about 3 oz for the Argon, but I was hoping to multi-use a plastic sheet I was bringing anyway for sitting on wet ground (one side for the ground, one side for the body side of the blanket). I figured that since people are using VBLs at night in cold weather against the skin (or over a thin merino wool liner) relatively unventilated, a flat blanket in plastic would vent out presumed clamminess. I think I’ll just try it out and see how it goes.

[Brad W]

How about a Tyvek blanket?

[PaulW]

VBLs are designed to be used in pretty cold temps, not at 60-80 degrees F. I’ve tried plastic, mylar, Tyvek, and rain jackets as warm weather blankets and they’re all way too clammy for my taste and I live in a very dry climate. How about bringing a small sit pad for wet ground? An old piece of ensolite doesn’t weigh much. Also, at 60-80 F, why not just use clothes instead of any blanket at all?

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