UST Survival Reflect Tent
I've seen these "survival" tube tents for years and never had much faith in them. I was recently at our local Walmart and found one in the camping section that I wanted to test out. I had a planned camping trip with fellow staff member Watcher so I figured it was a good opportunity .
This particular one is a UST model (ultimate survival technologies) a company that makes a few items I actually like and use, but also known for being on the cheap side. This tube tent was $8.98 at my local Walmart.
When we arrived at our pack in destination I decided to set it up per the directions. It did come with about a 15 foot piece of cord. Unfortunately the cord would not be long enough to reach around two trees that were only 11 feet apart. Since I always carry paracord in my pack, this was only a minor problem.
Unfortunately for most that might grab this and toss it into a bag they would have to find two trees the right distance and less than 6 inches in diameter to make it work. I set it up per directions and it looked just like the picture on the box.
First thing I noticed was the material was no heavier or stronger than the cheap one dollar Walmart space blankets. Now I have used those before and find some small benefit in them like wrapping your body in them in windy or cold conditions but they are typically too fragile to really make a shelter from, so I was already concerned, seeing as I didn't bring a sleeping bag, only the clothes on my back(current weather appropriate) and a mylar pleated sports blanket (a heavy duty version of the space blanket that’s laminated to a tough cloth.) After all this was a test under realistic conditions of a potential disaster scenario and I couldn't bring my nice winter comfort camping gear with me. The expected low temperature for the night was 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
The second thing I noticed was well..... It was a tube, open on both ends. I couldn't figure out how that design could trap heat, a breeze would blow right threw. So I decided I was going to modify the set up a little.
I basically set it up with a 3 pole tripod, one long 8 foot pole propped up by two shorter sticks. The far end was folded and closed off, similar to a bivy. We placed the open end about 5 feet from the fire so I could easily toss 2 foot sticks and small logs on the fire for warmth.
Well when it was time for bed I got down and climbed into the bivy with a thin blue sleeping pad and my sport blanket just in case. Immediately before I was completely inside I heard a crackling sound and a tear. Apparently I had snagged the side with my boot or ground pad and it tore put a 10 inch tear at the peak right behind the top point of the tube. It wasn't too bad and with just a little tying I was able to close it up. I got settled and after a few minutes I started testing the air temp with my hand. It was much warmer toward my waste than at the entrance and the radiant heat from the fire was reflecting nicely into the structure. I felt quite warm. I toss and turn when I sleep so at some point in the first hour I had rolled a time or two. Pretty soon I felt a cold draft by my leg. I changed position and still felt it so I reached down to grab my sport blanket, that’s when I felt cold air blowing in. I turned on my headlamp and to my surprise the entire side of the structure was gone.
Had it been raining I would have been soaked. I knew I couldn't stay warm that way so I repositioned my structure sideways to the fire and built a reflective lean too with my sport blanket.
Experience has taught me how to build a simple shelter by a fire to stay warm and I ended up fairly comfortable the rest of the night.
Now I’m sure the majority of people that would buy one of these probably don't have extensive experience in the outdoors and might not be able to improvise a shelter in an emergency and a failure of product like this could leave them in a very dangerous position.
In my opinion this product isn't durable enough to bother paying for or carrying. It could give someone a false sense of security that could leave them in peril. You should probably pass on this product unless you can find a stronger heavier duty version. I will keep my eyes open and if I find one, do another field test. Most people would be better served learning to build a decent tarp shelter with nylon or lightweight canvas.
Razor
