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New Generation Survival Suit |
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Equipment: Back
in our early days of Campfire Girl and Cub Scout camping trips, a
simple sheet of plastic was recommended for an emergency shelter if
you got lost. High-tech, lightweight heat-reflective sheets commonly
known as "space blankets" have long since replaced simple plastic
in the "ten essentials" emergency kits of mos t wilderness travelers.
 Those
of us on the cutting edge may even have upgraded to those newfangled
survival sacks-essentially space blanket material formed in a sleeping
bag shape that the modern-day survivor can snuggle into instead of
just wrapping around.
Get ready for the next step in the evolution of emergency shelters: The Extreme Survivor Thermal Protection from MGI International Marine Safety Solutions is a space blanket you wear. At a mere six ounces, the suit folds down to only slightly larger than a blanket of the same material (7" x 10"), but its heat-sealed seams form a roomy, one-size-fits-all hooded jump suit that is rated to -20 degrees Fahrenheit and is advertised as being Canadian Coast Guard-approved. Baggy is "in" this survival season, and the eye-catching international-orange Extreme Survivor, sporting a reflective strip across the forehead, is the garment to be seen in for this year's well-dressed survivor. Overall, we found the Extreme Survivor was a fine piece of safety gear with one obvious advantage over emergency blankets or sacks: you can walk around in it-build a fire, pick berries, signal to a search plane, what have you. But don't walk very far. The Achilles heel, perhaps, is the sealed foot area (somewhat like those one-piece pajamas you wore as a kid); even a short stroll outside our house quickly wore holes in the thin material. This problem can easily be avoided, however, since the material is thin enough that your feet should slip easily into even the snuggest booties while wearing the suit, assuming of course that in your rush to dive into shelter in a real-life emergency, you have the presence of mind to remove your footwear first. Otherwise you'll have to take the suit completely off to get out of your shoes. It should be noted, however, that holes in the feet would probably have little effect on the suit's efficiency in most situations where frostbite of the feet isn't a danger. Although intended to be large enough to fit over a PFD, the survival suit comes in a size that could be a problem for any big and tall paddlers. Our larger reviewer (a muscular and strapping 6'2" and 185 pounds) had enough room, but if you have difficulty, say, fitting into a typical kayak, you'd be wise to try on the suit ahead of time. One other potential problem we noted was the closure system. Well-designed to be easy to don, the suit has a large, easy-entry opening, running from the navel to the throat that has several Velcro tabs to seal out the elements. Gaps between these "buttons" would be more likely to let in rain and cold than a gapless strip or "zipper" of Velcro. Kayakers should also be warned that this is not a suit to wear while paddling. Rather than keep out the cold in a capsize, the suit would flood with water, making swimming or rescue nearly impossible. But on land, in a wilderness emergency, this is a superior piece of survival gear. Sure, you may pony up several times the price of a typical space blanket, but how much would you willing to pay to be the best-dressed survivor in camp?
Price: CDN $ 29.99, US $25 |
