# Help! Need gift ideas for my backpacking cousin. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078 "2009-04-23T08:11:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078/21 "2009-04-24T14:43:49Z")
I’ve long wanted to get one of these, but I’ve never seen them in the stores I go to. [Ear light](http://www.tesco-shopping.com/Earlight.htm). [Another linky](http://www.planetheadset.com/book-reading-light.php?gclid=CJSruofgiZoCFQgNDQodGFp_GQ)[this too](http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/garrity_earlight.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078/22 "2009-04-24T15:40:42Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > If you are talking about an aluminized Mylar “emergency blanket”, it’s only real use is in reflecting radiated heat. It is somewhat useful in an emergency to wrap up a person going into shock (reflecting their own heat) but it provides no insulation to conduction of heat to the ground. A good foam pad provides much better insulation. Plus, they don’t generally last too long; a few dozen uses at best. All this and more. If you leave it packed up for a long time before use it may dissolve when you open it. I view them as single use items since you can’t fold them back up after use. 🙂 They flap in the breeze like mad and can fly off. Most heat isn’t lost in a way that these things can help. A 4mil sheet of plastic is better at preventing heat loss due to convection, an insulated pad is much better for heat loss from conduction, and you really don’t lose much from radiation if you have clothes on. As a backpacker, I don’t carry one although I think there’s one stashed in my car. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078/23 "2009-04-24T15:46:51Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > All this and more. If you leave it packed up for a long time before use it may dissolve when you open it. I view them as single use items since you can’t fold them back up after use. 🙂 They flap in the breeze like mad and can fly off. Most heat isn’t lost in a way that these things can help. A 4mil sheet of plastic is better at preventing heat loss due to convection, an insulated pad is much better for heat loss from conduction, and you really don’t lose much from radiation if you have clothes on. As a backpacker, I don’t carry one although I think there’s one stashed in my car. They can be useful in an emergency, especially if used to line a sleeping bag or insulated blanket, but in general they’re not especially worthwhile or durable, and in general I’d much rather use a silk liner in a bag to give additional insulative capability. I don’t know what the “crazy dude show” is but as with nearly anything on television you should probably take any factoids you see with a cellar of salt. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078/24 "2009-04-24T16:17:45Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > They can be useful in an emergency, especially if used to line a sleeping bag or insulated blanket, but in general they’re not especially worthwhile or durable, and in general I’d much rather use a silk liner in a bag to give additional insulative capability. I don’t know what the “crazy dude show” is but as with nearly anything on television you should probably take any factoids you see with a cellar of salt. > > Stranger One guy is Bear something and one is Survivorman, I think. Both of them go into the most rugged terrain, usually armed with just a McGuyver knife and a couple bare necessities. These guys created careers out of going into the most inhospitable terrains I’ve ever seen. It’s fascinating. But they’re still crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078/25 "2009-04-24T16:30:53Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > One guy is Bear something and one is Survivorman, I think. Both of them go into the most rugged terrain, usually armed with just a McGuyver knife and a couple bare necessities. These guys created careers out of going into the most inhospitable terrains I’ve ever seen. It’s fascinating. But they’re still crazy. And in their situations it might be useful, but I see no reason to go out into the woods with one when I have much better options. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078/26 "2009-04-24T18:23:53Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > One guy is Bear something and one is Survivorman, I think. Both of them go into the most rugged terrain, usually armed with just a McGuyver knife and a couple bare necessities. These guys created careers out of going into the most inhospitable terrains I’ve ever seen. It’s fascinating. But they’re still crazy. “Man vs Wild” is actually a _anti_-survival show, Bear does stunts that would kill almost any lesser mortals. Survivorman is much better. In both cases (“Man vs Wild” is worse in this, however) the stars leave great “hunkerdown” spots to move on. Once you find a spot with decent shelter, water and the ability to be seen, stay there. Bear always "walks out’ but in his case it might be called “stunts out” as he jumps down cliff, climbs downwaterfalls and the like. All of which will get you killed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-need-gift-ideas-for-my-backpacking-cousin/494078.md?page=1)