Aluminium Foil Tents

What an aluminium foil tent is

These are shelters and mats made from, or lined with, a thin reflective film. Most are mylar, which one maker here describes as "PET film with silver coating, around 26 microns thick"; others are PE film with an aluminium coating. The shiny side reflects the warmth your body gives off back towards you. They are made for an emergency or a stop on a cold day: light and small enough to live in a rucksack, a car or a first aid kit.

The kinds in this range

• Emergency tube tents for two: a tube of mylar about 150 by 250cm, held up by a ridge line tied between two trees. One is 28 micron mylar with a bright orange outside to be seen by rescuers. See emergency shelters.
• Emergency sleeping bags and bivvy sacks: the lightest weighs 110g and folds to 6 by 6 by 8cm. See survival bivvy bags.
• Foil ground mats and footprints that reflect heat and stop damp rising, from 75 by 200cm to 200 by 200cm. See groundsheets and footprints.
• Pet tents with a foil lining, 98 by 98 by 100cm, folding flat. See dog tents.

What foil does and does not do

Foil reflects heat; it does not make any. The makers here say up to 90% of body heat. It also keeps off wind and rain, which matters as much in an emergency. What it does not do is stop the cold of the ground drawing heat out of you, so lie on a mat, a rucksack or a foil footprint, not straight on the ground. And it does not breathe: the moisture you give off condenses on the inside, so expect it to be wet by morning and keep a dry layer between you and the foil.

An emergency shelter, not a tent

A mylar shelter is there for the night something goes wrong: a long wait for help, a turned ankle, weather that comes in fast. It is not a replacement for a tent and a sleeping bag on a planned trip. The makers sell several as reusable, so after use check it for tears, dry it and fold it back into its bag.

Questions people ask about foil shelters

Will a foil blanket keep me warm on its own?

It slows heat loss, but only from the warmth you already have. Put on dry layers, get off the ground and use it over them.

Where should I keep one?

In every rucksack and every car. They weigh a few hundred grams at most.

Why are the pet tents here?

Their lining is aluminium foil, which reflects the pet's own warmth back, as the emergency shelters do for people.

More to look at

• Emergency shelters
• Survival bivvy bags
• Groundsheets and footprints
• Tarps and tarp shelters
• Pet tents
• Winter and snow tents
• Guide: Emergency shelters and survival bivvies
• Guide: Tent fabrics: polyester, nylon, Oxford and canvas