“The only thing I can’t stand is discomfort” (Gloria Steinem)
The key to enjoying yourself in the wilderness is to get comfortable there and that can mean different things in different parts of the world. If you’re up at the North pole then keeping warm is the main factor, if you’re in the desert it’s about staying cool and finding shade, but in the tropical jungles there are a number of factors that will determine whether you can stay comfortable of not.
Most of the discomforts in the jungle are not going to kill you directly (whereas at the North pole hypothermia can, as can dehydration in the desert) but over the last decade or so I’ve come across a number of people who have simply become so overwhelmingly uncomfortable on a jungle trek that they stop thinking straight and effectively start to panic…and that can kill you.
A key factor that influences whether you get this sort of ‘jungle-overload’ or not is your own attitude towards the discomforts that are there – by that I don’t mean being ridiculously positive about everything but rather accepting the odd period of discomfort with good humour. Nor do I mean being stubbornly stoic about discomfort and doing nothing about it – whenever possible you should do what you can to reduce that discomfort as everyone has a breaking point and if you get too hot, or too cold or get one too many insect bites or too tired then it’ll happen to you too. This just doesn’t only apply to camping but also emergency situations too.
Endurance isn’t a skill, survival is.
On bad days in the jungle when the going has been a bit rough the thing that helps me to shrug it off is the thought that by late afternoon I’ll have my hammock and tarp up and I will be dry and comfortable. In other words the discomfort is only temporary.
Which brings me to the the topic of this post which was to develop a hyper-light blanket / emergency blanket for use in the jungle. You might think it is unnecessary to have a blanket in the jungle but people are often surprised by how chilly it can get at night and it’s hard to sleep well when you’re feeling cold. Also our bodies don’t react well to the sudden drop in temperature from the heat of the day to the chill of the night and we can fall ill as a result.
But that’s not the only benefit of a blanket. It also functions as a cover between you and the insects that may have decided to irritate you to the point of distraction or who are intent on sucking your blood.
Space blankets aren’t ideal for this purpose: they’re made from Mylar and it doesn’t breathe which means that if you start sweating that sweat has nowhere to go. It’s also difficult to keep yourself fully covered by one of these blankets if you’re in a hammock as it keeps riding up or shifting out of position…and if you do manage to fully wrap yourself up it in then you’re going to sweat.
You might think that that you could simply use leaves and certainly if there are large leaves around (like banana leaves) you could use them and you could also weave yourself a blanket with palm fronds. But it’s more likely than the leaves you’ll find are the ones on the forest floor – normal sized tree leaves – and how do you get those to form a blanket?
The emergency blanket I’ve made for jungle use tries to get round some of these issues – for hot nights the parachute material will be enough to keep me warm on it’s own, if it’s a bit cooler I can insert the squares of Mylar into a quilt like section that covers my upper body (your legs are fine without extra warmth) and if it’s really chilly I can fill the entire upper section of the blanket with leaves to make it really warm. It’s also small and light (just 150 grams).
So this design of emergency blanket has the benefit of being flexible and adjustable depending on the conditions, and being flexible is another key factor in the jungle as it’s such a variable place both in terms of climate and terrain. Another example is the hammock vs tent debate, in the jungle at least the hammock is the more flexible of the two allowing you to camp anywhere where there are two trees (and there are plenty of trees in the jungle) whereas tents need flat ground, preferably without uncomfortable roots beneath and require you to clear the area where you’re going to pitch it.
Being flexible in the wilderness also applies to planning your trip – do you really need to cover 30 km in three days? That’s going to mean you’re really pushing it and any unforeseen obstacles are going to mess up your timings and force you to rush…and being in a rush in never a good idea in the jungle. Why not just cover half the distance instead? Or take a day to two extra to do the full distance? Either way you’re be less rushed and you’ll be able to be more flexible about when and where you camp.
Another example is pack weight – do you really need to take in a 25 kg pack for a two night trip when others can manage just as well with a 10 kg pack? Flexibility can mean making do with less and allow you to travel lighter.
Being flexible, putting up with periods of discomfort with good humour and doing everything you can to make yourself as comfortable as possible are key to enjoying your trip into the jungle.
Hi Paul,
Good point you made here, a large piece of material is one of the first thing I want to have in the tropical forests.
As I told you by email, I made myself one that is quite effective to keep mozzies away.
I did it in silk, starting from a silk liner bag, to which I cut the sewing thread to make it flat (except for the hood) and then sew the foot box horizontal (whereas yours is vertical) and sew to about 40 -50cm up the calves.
Now I can lie on the ground (almost)full covered from insects!
On your blanket, the pockets that you can fill are an excellent idea! you can adapt it depending on how you feel without carrying more bulk/weight (as you’ll find dead leaves when needed).
Once we know how to avoid to get infected (malaria, ticks, dengue, flies or water-borne disease), we don’t need much to thrive in the tropical rainforest, all we need is to size up what kind of comfort we want. Given that we can retain the right mindset to avoid other kind of risks (widow makers, twisted ankles, wounds)
Thank you!
Hi Wawa,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for sow reply but I’ve had huge computer problems here which took a while to resolve (I hate wasting time with computers!)
Anyway, interesting to hear about your silk version of the blanket for the tropics and, as you say, you don’t need much but you do need a little bit of cover to keep you warm in the middle of the night. I like the pocket idea too as it just gives you that flexibility when needed to add a bit of bit warmth to your blanket and I agree that (apart from the insects) the tropics is quite an easy environment compared to others.
Cheers!
Paul
Really great idea on the quilting! Love the little footbox and looks like the stuff sack might double up as a tiny pillow as well.
On a related note, I’ve been thinking about ponchos and it’s applicability in the jungle. It could pull double duty as a blanket as well. Do you have any thoughts/experiences with ponchos?
Oh and I’ve been reading and watching your blog for the past month, and I really appreciate the sharing and insights. You’re providing an invaluable service for jungle plebeians like me! Keep it up!
Hi Moses,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for my slow reply but my computer died on me a few weeks back and it’s taken me a while to get up and running again. Anyway, glad you like the blanket idea and you’re right that the stuff sack can be used as a pillow as well.
As for your question on ponchos – I used to use one and they certainly have their uses. The problem I found with ponchos are that they are bit heavy (although I suppose you could make a lightweight one) and I didn’t find them that useful for their main purpose (i.e. to cover you from the rain) as it’s not really worth it (better to just get wet). Also with ponchos the rain runs down and soaks your trousers just above the knee which can be bit uncomfortable (I prefer to be uniformly wet!). But saying all that a lot of people do use them so, as always, a lot ids down to personal preference.
Thanks again for the comment and support.
Cheers!
Paul