I'm sure you've heard or read stories about lost skiers, hikers, and stranded motorists freezing to death due to prolong exposure to severe cold weather conditions. And or if they did survive their ordeal, they either had to have their fingers, hands, feet or toes amputated due to severe frostbite.

With all these high-speed commercial products on the market today, especially the easy-to-carry-in-your-pocket kind of stuff, it's hard to believe why some outdoor "winter enthusiasts" don't better prepare themselves before venturing out in the cold. I mean… Hello! Don't ya know it can get pretty darn cold outside?

And whether you're only going away for a few hours or for the entire day. If you're gonna be off the main roads, trails and or away from civilization, you should at least carry in your pants or jacket pocket or in a small pouch a few basic "winter survival items. Such as a small signaling mirror. a small compass, a small florescent orange cloth, etc. And if nothing else, at least some matches a candle and a compact pocketsize emergency space blanket. (See photos/drawings on how to use.)

And a modification you should immediately make to a thermal pocket blanket (when you purchase it), is to place some pieces of "duct tape" on the corners and also along the sides. Then take a "hole puncher" and make some nice clean holes where you placed these pieces of tape so it won't tear when you attach some nylon string (which you'll also need) to the corners and sides for use as an emergency shelter.

Another modification you should make to it, is to place two (2) 12-15 inch long pieces of duct tape "one-over-the-other" directly in the center of the thermal blanket and repeat this same procedure on the reverse side.

Then if you should ever need to use it as a rain or cold weather poncho. All ya gotta do is remove one layer of duct tape from both sides, take your knife and make a slit down the center of the "second layer" of tape (but not the entire length) and then try it on for size. When you're finished using it, reattach the two layers of duct tape that you removed to close up this slit/hole so you can use it again as an emergency shelter or blanket.