Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWorked great to allow tent camping in dead of winter
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019
I hoped that these would allow tent camping in sub freezing temperatures. That prospect was previously pretty dicey (especially if my wife was along) even with a propane heater. The heat just dissipates too quickly and doesn't filter down to the ground where you are sleeping no matter how long/high you run it. So I ordered 3 to give it a try and waited for a cold night in the low 20's. I set up the tent, clamped the blankets to it, threw in a heater and an air mattress and jumped in. As soon as I turned on the heater I knew that this was going to work well. It immediately started reflecting heat onto my face and didn't just gather at the top before exiting. After getting the chill out from having the door open I had to turn the heat down to medium and then low because I was starting to sweat. Before this experiment, anything at or colder than 35 usually required running the heater all night on high just to stay comfortable. The 20's were not really doable or would at the very least not allow you to be outside of the sleeping bag in the tent. Now it will definitely be possible and seemingly pretty easy to stay warm. On top of reflecting the heat extraordinarily well, they also work as a wind break to keep any breeze from tearing through the thin tent wall and chilling you to the bone. Unfortunately, going outside will still be a nightmare, but there's not much I can do about that. In terms of longevity, who knows. I unpacked, clamped, left on tent all night and into the next afternoon.. tore down, tried to fold back up and put them away without any ill effects. They seem pretty thick and durable but even if they don't last that long they're only 11 bucks and some change. 3 was not enough to properly cover the 8x8 dome tent so I'm going to grab 2 more and be set. I will probably have to pick up at least 1 more for my emergency kit as well. These would be extremely handy as I can't see a normal mylar blanket lasting more than a night or two in a "bug out" situation. And you absolutely need that ability to reflect heat from a fire when it's brutally cold.
Edit - The only problem with these is that it makes tent camping a little inconvenient in terms of keeping the environment at a steady temp. If you have these surrounding your tent and run a heater. it'll be toasty and warm in there no matter the outside temperature in a matter of minutes.. soon after it will probably be unbearably hot.. However, turn them off and it will be back to the ambient temperature in 15-20 minutes. It is far more wasteful but it makes for a much better night of sleep if you don't use them and just run the heater all night. I'm not really calling this a negative. it just is what it is. This has been my experience in slightly below freezing temperatures (and above). I'm not sure they make purely propane powered (indoor safe) heaters with a thermostat that doesn't require electricity (other than a battery) but if such a thing exists that would be ideal.