  I've had a few vanish off into the high distance! Even a medium wind gust gets them flapping enough to take off, up, up and way!
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| Edited: 28/01/09 13:47 |
 why do you think they're called 'space' blankets, Trev?
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US SPACE PONCHO BLANKET. Ahem!!! As I said, the US equivalent type stronger products with a face fabric providing tear resistance and waterproofness have been around since the mid to late 198o's!
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| Edited: 28/01/09 14:05 |
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Hi Chaps, Come on guys let's get real, this product has been developed beacuse it allows you complete mobility and with your arms free, it also offers you full movement and it will keep you warm and dry doing it. It is specifically to use where a space blanket cannot be used because of all the reasons you have quite rightly put forward. Not everyone wants to spend UKPD 13-14 on an emergency item. It folds down into the palm of your hand, so is easy to stow away and it costs upwards of UKPD 1. It really is for emergencies only!
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We're already quite real thanks very much. Your product is very niche market right now till you more clearly define its role as being something extra special that no competing product can do better. As such you've not shown us anything to suggest this such up till now. I still think you're trying to replace one very cheap not robust enough item with a slightly different cheap and not robust enough item here, and I just think well what's the point of that! It needs to be an emergency item that is reusable not single emergency use throwaway. We need to get away from this throwaway disposable society we've had since the seventies really!
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| Edited: 28/01/09 14:53 |
 If it's only a pound, i'll try one now.
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 I would suggest that the open bottomed poncho style wrap around would do something else whilst allowing said ease of arm mobility, which is to make two great big areas where heat loss will be very definitely experienced. Come up with a solution to that big drawback and then you might well have something to interest the hiker, the military, the survivalist etc!
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| Edited: 28/01/09 14:44 |
Alex, I quite agree. Having a palm-sized backup option does have its uses and I'd rather that the occasional outdoors goer who isn't prepared to spend much on their kit, or the rescue/emergency sector, had access to something more suitable than the standard blankets on the market. They cost between 1-3 GBP but have absolutely no added value (beyond some efficient packing) over the same BOPP straight off the roll for a few pence. You can't turn them into a poncho without liberal use of duct tape (I've tried) because they tear too easily once you start to cut them. Don't worry too much about the banter, though. It's just the way this forum goes...
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Hi John, Once again thanks for your input. It valuable information and it gives me an extra perspective. I can see that you have to have rather large shoulders in this rare atmosphere but everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. After all it's what makes the world go round! I signed up for it so bring it on!!
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Do you have a link to the poncho Alex?
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I'm not attempting to be negative just purely for negativities sakes here guys; it is actual constructive critiscism I was giving there! The idea needs to be better I just think, so one is not just simply replacing one basic throwaway cheap item with another of equal limited usefulness and life. A reusable item I'm sure is the better way to go there, not a throwaway one use emergency cheapo item. It is just one step up from a basic cheap space blanket you are thinking of there, and I think you should consider going two steps up instead to something a whole lot better maybe.
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| Edited: 28/01/09 14:59 |
Trev, I see your point.... but such things exist already (as we've both pointed out). Though I think the Blizzard & AMK products are very good; I wouldn't pack either in a windshirt pocket for trail running. And no matter how good a survival device is in the field; it's utterly useless left at home! If the price point at which Alex is hoping to launch this product is competitive with the current single layer space blankets, then we have 'gained something for nothing' - even if that something isn't trying to compete with the more specialist products that you or I might be familiar with. I've got plenty of French friends who like to go hiking. All of them are familiar with the space blanket and most of them carry them. None of them had heard of the AMK options or the Blizzard products when I asked them. None of them had heard of a bothy bag either; though most had some notion of bivvy bags & the like. And very few of them would fork out £20-30 for a backup option... people are just not very 'safety conscious' here by comparison to the UK. I think Alex might be on to a good thing; I think we've done what we can to warn him of the pitfalls associated with a product like this in the UK market but I for one like to see people trying to improve on or expand the options available to us and would rather not try to put him off! John
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I would better still like to see something that is cheapish, lightweight and pocketsized, idealy rather more robust than a space blanket - or else I see no point in the replacement of a space blanket - and re-usable, and of the design suggested.
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| Edited: 28/01/09 15:14 |
 Obviously, my profession lends itself well to dealing with "hypothermic" patients, but my biggest experience of them comes from my Cave Rescue connections, where the treatment of them is very protracted. I see these as ideal for the running market precisely for the reasons exchanged between myself and John, for a gradual warm down, and not a dangerous "explosive" heat loss. (and trail RUNNING would fall into this category) Where I see negative impact on the RESCUE side of things is that they are almost useless in remote areas for the treatment of hypothermic patients because they do nothing to encourage a gradual warming of the patient and in fact could be counter productive in keeping already low core temperature low by insulating in the cold! (THey MIGHT be useful as a final layer, but that would defeat the object really) Admittedly, this would probably come about by misuse of the product and a basic ignorance of the dynamics involved and the false sense of security of those relying totally on such an item with such limited properties. I am even more convinced that the emphasis is wrong now that I realise that you are in SA! Whatever, I wish you luck, but I still see more potential leaning toward the sports market, at least in the initial stage!
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| Edited: 28/01/09 15:30 |
Funnily enough, I make sure of carrying a space blanket when I am in hot dry places! Two reasons 1) with care (when there isn't much wind) they can be rigged as a sun shelter. And 2) the rapid night time cool-off is usually associated with radiation to clear night skies... precisely when a space blanket could be useful.
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Yes, I must say I could not immediately get Tonn's point there of them not being as useful outdoors in SA! Maybe he could clarify why he stated that, Tony please? I would immediately have thought that for nightime use in mountains or desert/savannah/veldt they would be ok as long as there is no real wind/rain.
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| Edited: 28/01/09 18:41 |
Silver-sided space blankets also a rather excellent light-weight air to ground signalling item in fact.
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