Where can I get some extra heavy-duty aluminum foil without having to pay a lot? I can easily find online sources, but these (1) tend to be for restaurants, (2) tend to come in bulk (like a 2,000 mile roll), and (3) tend to cost much more (like $70, $100, $200).

Some people recommend extra heavy-duty aluminum foil for your survival kit. All I can find is heavy-duty in the local supermarket. I don't know how big of a difference it makes. I'm also surprised by how hard it is to find extra heavy-duty. Any ideas?

Costco has a great price on it. Huge roll, natch.

In case anyone is wondering what these descriptors (heavy duty, extra heavy duty) mean, according to this link below:

standard duty aluminum foil is between.0004 thick and .0007 thick
heavy duty is between .0008 thick and .001 thick
extra heavy duty is between .0011 thick and .0016 thick

http://www.uspackagingandwrapping.com/blog/Thickness-of-Aluminum-Foil.html

Thanks. I think that explains why some of the heavy duty doesn't seem all that different from standard (could be all of .0001!)

Depending on what size kit you want to put it in, you could go truly HEAVY. Get a disposable baking pan & cut the size panel you want out of the bottom.

Then there is roof flashing - ULTRA

What problem are you trying to solve?

Curses, foiled again!

I'm trying to solve the problem of "I don't have it." I ran out of aluminum foil in the kitchen, so I thought, why not upgrade to extra heavy duty? But I discovered I'll have to shell out $70+ to have a roll.

There's some heavy duty foil in the Doug Ritter Personal Survival Kit. Click on the big picture of knives on this sites home page. I simply asked at my local Chinese takeaway and they gave me one and a lid.
Don't know if the US Chinese take away give their food in foil containers though.
qjs

AHAHAH!! I put down a shemagh the other ,and said out loud to my husband, "I don't need one just because all my friends have one." LOL! Heavy duty aluminum foil sounds WAY more justifiable to me, especially when aluminum foil is on your shopping list already. The real question is, why wouldn't you upgrade? In all seriousness, is there really a downside?

A roll of extra heavy-duty aluminum foil costs somewhere between $70-$120. That's the downside.

Ouch!! That is a serious downside. I'm glad I asked!

I read it. I swear I did.

Is there a sweet spot between the two? I imagine that one is better at some things, and the other at others, but what about the middle ground? Is it the old story of doing many things and none of them well?

I Don't even carry foil any longer. I take a meatloaf size aluminum pan and fold it in on itself. Makes a nice small and light package, boil water in it, cook in it, does everything I ever did with foil.

How long will one of these last - thinking the folding and unfolding will eventually wear a hole at one of the creases?

Doesn't that happen with all foil, even if you just pack it in a kit and don't unfold it? I was thinking that heavier foil would take longer to develop holes.

That is the point of the question - how long (or how many cycles of folding before a hole wears through.

Don't have any idea for a number. The only times I've had foil develop holes were where it had been packed in a soft side kit. All the holes formed where two creases met. Anytime the kit got flexed or compressed the foil worked a little bit. If the foil is pressed flat & creased, it will shorten the life considerably. Also remember that aluminum work hardens so repeated folding & unfolding will shorten the life.

longitudinal folds to get the width down small enough that you can then roll it into a tube shape. No corners to wear.

Tough to find a way to stow foil without folding at all. I suppose it can be done.

Sometimes I wish the inside of my packs existed in the 4th dimension. They would hold a tremendous amount more then.

I'm trying to get to a less is more zen with my EDC. Unfortunately, I am having quite a difficult time reducing the load my Glock 21 adds with 3 spare magazines. I guess some things you just can't compromise on. I can't leave home without Gladys.

Presumably the foil is to make a cup or pot with. If you just carry a stainless cup with you, then you probably don't need the foil. Granted a cup is bigger, but I carry one even on day hikes.

That is not the purpose of the foil. Search these forums for many uses suggested in past threads.

I must confess that most days I'm only carrying a single spare magazine. I've carried more than two before, but only rarely.

Yeah, one in the gun and one my belt, that's my mag loadout. It's a rare occasion I'll have more than that...in town at least. I'll admit that if I'm on the trail or out camping I'll likely have two sidearms and a few spare mags. For each.

Typically I'll take a new one on each outing. They are so cheap, 3-pack for $.99 at that dollar store, that I find it silly not to.

For a flat-collapsible pan improvisation task I'd recommend the "Ultra heavy duty aluminum foil", which you can procure from the side of a large beer can.

i've been on the look out for the extra duty and just not heavy duty you find in the grocery stores.same deal,big lots and big price.i did hear/read someplace that the people who are into BBQ
contests have a place where they buy foil but so far no luck.
i would want some for fire backing and cooking.

Great tip, Alex! Beer and soda cans are an awesome source of heavy duty aluminum, depending on what size you are looking for.

Is there not a plastic coating on the inside of an aluminum beer can? Is that coating an issue and how is it removed?

I have no idea. LOL! I typically use aluminum foil for an Esbit/Canteen/Alcohol/Hobo stove base/ash plate, windscreen and also for pot/canteen cup lids. I find beer/soda cans much more durable so have mostly switched over. I give everything a good burn-in before using with water or food, but it's probably killing me just like everything else.

I have been known to use soup cans for pots, though, and also do a good burn-in with those. The ones with a white lining are pretty easy to see.

EDITED to correct terrible keyboarding habits that chop sentences in half and scramble them up.

At any rate, it must be food grade, so burning it out should be a sufficient precaution. I'm using the Asahi large beer cans to cut out aluminum sheeting from their sides, used them for wind screen with my pocket-rocket style burner many times (use sheets from two cans, joined by horizontal slits meeting at the edges), but didn't noticed any material burning on the inside anywhere, so, most likely, at least in these cans it's just an Aluminum oxide layer.

Anyone tried stainless steel foil?

A company called Sentry makes stainless steel (309 grade) foil bags (brand VakPak65) for heat treating in various sizes.

Seems like it'd be more durable, welded on 3 sides, and fire isn't going to be a problem.