CONSUMERS : Blanket Coverage in Case of Emergency
The start of a new year is a good time to check out your cache of home emergency supplies. A must on your product list should be the Space Brand Emergency Blanket. Lightweight (2 ounces) and easily stored (folded, it’s about the size of a cigarette pack), the reusable blanket unfolds to 56 by 84 inches.
Manufactured in the United States since 1964, it isn’t new, but it’s definitely is useful. A byproduct of insulation materials developed for the U.S. space program, the blanket looks like lightweight aluminum foil, reflects light and retains up to 80% of a person’s radiated body heat.
It is available in two different colors: Silver on both sides or silver on one side and orange on the other. The orange is more visible in snow or on water.
The Space Brand Emergency Blanket ($2.49 to $2.99) would be handy in a disaster preparedness kit at home or in your car, boat or camper.
MPI Outdoor Safety Products, which manufactures the blanket, also makes a Space Brand Emergency Bag ($10). The thermal-reflective sleeping bag weighs about 4 ounces and unfolds from 4-by-2 1/2 inches to 7 feet long and 3 feet wide. Because the sleeping bag is packaged under pressure, it cannot be refolded after use, says Patrick McHugh, MPI vice president.
Both items are sold nationwide, mainly in sporting goods and camping stores. In Southern California, you can find them at Big 5 Sporting Goods, Fedco, Adventure 16 and R.E.I. If they’re not available in your area, contact MPI in Winchester, Mass.: (800) 343-5827.
Renting a Maple Tree Is a Sweet Touch
An unusual product is available from the catalogue and retail stores of the Orvis company in Manchester, Vt. Rent a Maple Tree is a creative way to give someone--or yourself--a jug of pure maple syrup.
With Rent a Maple Tree ($39.95, plus $4.90 shipping and handling), you will receive a lease certificate for a maple tree in northern Vermont and a card that explains you’re guaranteed to get at least a quart of pure syrup, “more if the season’s sap flow is stronger than usual.”
Orvis representatives say sugaring season begins about Valentine’s Day and that shortly after that, you will get three progress reports about your tree. Then, in early to mid-May, you’ll receive a quart (or more) of pure maple syrup.
Rent a Maple Tree (Item 2846) can be ordered through Orvis’ toll free number (800) 541-3541, or at its retail stores in Boston, Houston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Manhattan, Roanoke, Va.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; St. Paul and Wayzata, Minn., and Manchester, Vt.
Lynn Simross welcomes readers’ comments and suggestions for columns. Because of their volume, she cannot respond individually to calls and letters. Write to Lynn Simross, Consumer Column, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053.
