I was wondering if any of you have experimented with or used personal protective wrap furnaces and what works(ed) the best for you.

On various sites, I have seen recommendations of lighting a candle or small fire inside the tent you make for your body with a poncho or space blanket. Ranger Rick is an advocate of small alcohol fueled containers for various uses and other individuals recommend candles.

One of the things I have not seen or heard about is the use of food cans to contain the fire and hopefully give out more radiant heat in more directions than the straight up path of a candle or fire. Have any of you actually used the personal furnace method of keeping warm, and have any of you contained the fire in a can within your personal body shelter? Is the can system more efficient in providing warmth than a plain candle or fire within your personal shelter?

I am aware of the fact that your head should be out of the shelter so as not to asphyixiate yourself from the smoke.

For those of us with uncooperative knee joints, what alternative could you suggest from squating on the ground while still using the personal furnace (This could also apply to relieving ones self during bowel movements)?

Bountyhunter

The Norwegian Army is currently teaching its Border Guard (that being the Russian border, way up in the subarctic north) to drop a tea candle into the bottom of an empty food or drink can, to use to heat up the multi-use "Mountain Tarp" poncho/tarp/bivvi bag/ski-sail/tent they are issued. Without the can, it would be rather dangerous to light a candle inside the flammable bag. With the can, the tarp material won't get close enough to the flame to catch fire, and if you accidentally tip the can over the flame will usually drown immediately.