Experimenting with a VBL

**cmoulder** · 11-22-2022, 07:12

Originally Posted by BillyBob58

.........Yep, post #134! We have had some lengthy previous discussions on this subject, no?

Lol, we got a lot of miles out of that horse!

But it remains a very important topic for people who are outdoors a lot in cold, and even cool/wet weather... to say it could save your life is really not an exaggeration. To this day I carry a large plastic leaf bag (not the heavy construction debris bag) just in case I need an emergency VBL. I used it once in the Catskills more than 20 years ago, making a vest out of it by poking holes for head and arms. Absolutely effective, and why I prefer this bag over a mylar emergency blanket although in a real emergency I could make that work as well. There are other items that could be used as well such as pack liner bags and food bags, and maybe the pack itself, but by that point many people start losing their wits to hypothermia, after which obvious solutions evade them. I was once with a fellow who didn't have enough cognitive sense remaining to simply zip up his jacket and pull his hood over his head.

**TxAggie** · 11-22-2022, 17:01

Originally Posted by cmoulder

Lol, we got a lot of miles out of that horse!

But it remains a very important topic for people who are outdoors a lot in cold, and even cool/wet weather... to say it could save your life is really not an exaggeration. To this day I carry a large plastic leaf bag (not the heavy construction debris bag) just in case I need an emergency VBL. I used it once in the Catskills more than 20 years ago, making a vest out of it by poking holes for head and arms. Absolutely effective, and why I prefer this bag over a mylar emergency blanket although in a real emergency I could make that work as well. There are other items that could be used as well such as pack liner bags and food bags, and maybe the pack itself, but by that point many people start losing their wits to hypothermia, after which obvious solutions evade them. I was once with a fellow who didn't have enough cognitive sense remaining to simply zip up his jacket and pull his hood over his head.

I learned a lot out of those discussion, and glad to see its coming up again. I’m going to upgrade my VB for this winter and debating between Warmlite or the Liteheart Gear rain suit. Warmlite would be slightly cheaper, but less less adaptable, where Liteheart would be dual use but more expensive. I should’ve ordered Warmlite when they were much less expensive.