Sudbury contractor creates reflective insulation kits that may reduce frostbite risk

A Sudbury contractor adapted reflective insulation into tent bases and boot/hat liners and, with local partners, has produced and distributed more than fifty kits to people living in tents; she is in talks with a Canadian manufacturer to explore wider availability.

A Sudbury contractor has adapted building materials to address cold inside downtown tent encampments. She identified trapped cold and moisture inside tents and a lack of insulation from the ground as problems after a visit to the site. Using rolls of reflective insulation, she cut and assembled kits intended for tent bases and liners and worked with community partners to distribute them. Key details: - Stephanie Rees and her fiancé bought eight rolls of reflective insulation and turned them into about thirty kits; other organizations have helped and the project has produced more than fifty kits so far. - The material is reflective insulation composed of an insulating layer sandwiched between foil sheets and was cut into shapes for tent bases and boot and hat liners. - The community engagement officer with the Go-Give project reported that the kits help retain body heat, reduce heat loss from the ground, and offer an alternative to improvised heating methods that can raise fire or carbon monoxide risks. - Rees is reported to be in talks with the Canadian manufacturer of the insulation to explore a partnership so the material could be more widely available; a timeline for that effort is undetermined. Summary: The kits are intended to lower heat loss inside tents and to provide a lower-risk option for warmth, according to project representatives. The initiative has reached dozens of recipients so far, and organizers are discussing a manufacturer partnership to expand access. Undetermined at this time.