Topic: The Best Camping Blankets of 2022 (Read 154 times)
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Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
The Enlightened Equipment Revelation has kept me warm in everything from the unending mist of the Olympic Coast to the sub-freezing nights of the High Sierra.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
So here’s the thing: None of the camping blankets I tested provided sufficient warmth for either shoulder season camping or alpine camping. Most of them barely provided enough warmth to throw over your legs on a typical summer night, when temperatures struggle to dip to fifty. So to award the prize for warmest I had to turn to a camping quilt instead.
I’ve used the Enlightened Equipment Revelation in all manner of conditions, from late summer snow to early spring rains to backpacking at over 10,000 feet in Colorado, and it’s been one of the best sleeping bags for that purpose. I chose a 20-degree bag, which keeps me warm to about freezing in reality, but you can also choose temperature ratings as low as 0 degrees. In fact, the only time it wasn’t the best choice to use was when nighttime temperatures got stuck in the upper 70s in late July in Northern California. Then I might have preferred a camping blanket.
If there is a downside to this blanket quilt, it’s that it’s more expensive than just about any camping blanket available today. All that extra high-quality insulation really adds up. But if warmth is your number one priority, then it’s worth every penny.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
This Ibex blanket is the softest wool blanket I’ve ever tried, and it’s plenty warm enough for sitting around the fire or throwing over a sleeping bag on a chilly night.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
If you have a reluctant camper you’re working on converting, this may well be one of the best camping blankets for you. Not only is it super cozy and perfect for throwing over your legs around the campfire or layering over your sleeping bag for a bit of extra warmth at night, but it also just looks great, so it has a touch of glamp that will elevate just about any setup.
Wool has a reputation for being scratchy, and there is a reason for that: wool fibers have natural scales on them, but this Ibex blanket bucked that trend with excellent skin feel. Unless you have a wool allergy, you’ll find this blanket co*fortable.
While this blanket is plenty durable for ground use, I’m not reco*mending it for that purpose, especially since it’s expensive to buy and clean.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
The shell and insulation of the Rumpl Original Puffy is made from recycled water bottles and (coincidentally?) it was one of the most water-resistant blankets in my test.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: this just isn’t a very warm blanket. If you need a 10 degree boost, this might get the job done (assuming you don’t run cold), but if you’re looking for some real insulation, you’d be better off with one of the other picks on this list.
OK, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s move on to what’s to love here. First off, the shell and insulation is 100 percent recycled polyester, the only product in my test to incorporate recycled materials. Next there’s the 30D ripstop shell, which was easily the most water resistant fabric in the test (plus, it co*es in a huge number of fabulous colors). Finally, its low profile and low price (although neither were as low as my best budget pick) make it a good option for anyone with a more minimalist setup.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
The only down camping blanket in my test that was both warmer and more affordable than its synthetic counterparts.
Pros
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Product Description
Down is still considered the gold-standard in insulation co*pared to synthetic alternatives and this camping blanket shows why. Whereas my arms were still chilly with bulkier synthetic options, the Get Out Gear Down Camping Blanket blocked the chill from my arms surprisingly fast, and by the end of my 15-minute testing period was downright cozy. I would feel co*fortable sleeping under this one so long as temps didn’t drop below fifty-five degrees, but that’s only because I’m on the shorter side. While the manufacturer states that this one is 77-inches long, I measured it at 73 inches (I also confirmed the 50-inch width measurement).
The nylon shell, while smooth and soft against my skin, also proved less water resistant than other options. Keep this one in the tent if a drizzle looks imminent. Still, for the price and quality this budget-friendly blanket not only makes a great addition to your setup, it can even be one of the best camping gifts for a loved one who spends their time outdoors.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
Throw the YETI Lowlands on the ground when you first arrive at camp and leave it there until it’s time to pack up—then watch the dirt and debris fall away.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
Color me skeptical when I first took out the YETI Lowlands Blanket—a picnic blanket? At that price? Can’t I just use a ten dollar tarp? But after taking this camping blanket along on a three-day spring camping trip that saw everything from sleet to twenty-five mile per hour gusts, consider me a convert.
The first thing I noticed was this blanket’s heft. We threw it down to put our toddler onto while we set up the tent, but even as the wind blew the poles and nylon out of our hands, the Lowlands didn’t move at all. Then we just left it on the ground for the rest of our trip, haphazardly walking over it to retrieve supplies out of the back of our SUV, lugging it closer to the fire to sit on, or watching it turn into an imaginary boat for the toddler’s stuffed animals. On the last day, sleet and freezing rain meant we were motivated to pack things up in a hurry, and we simply tossed the Lowlands on top of the rest of our gear before heading out to find some hot coffee (that didn’t co*e from our camping percolator). But when we got home, all the dirt and debris that had been on the blanket just sort of fell off. No mud, no residue. We didn’t even have to wash it. With that, the Lowlands made its way into my permanent rotation.
Camping blankets can cost anywhere from $70 to upwards of $250, depending on their materials.
Camping blankets are considered an “extra” for most people looking to spend a night in the outdoors. While some of the camping blankets I tested for this story leaned into that—pulling out all the stops to create a unique product that could serve several purposes or employing high-quality materials to create a co*fortable experience that bordered on luxurious—that wasn’t true for everything. In this category, making a thoughtful decision about what you purchase can have a major impact on your satisfaction with that purchase.
In the outdoors, the better substitute for a sleeping bag is a camping quilt, which is a distinct product category. While camping blankets are typically meant as an extra layer to keep you warm around the campfire, camping quilts are designed, like sleeping bags, to keep you warm all the way down to the freezing nighttime temperatures.
My testing for camping blankets varied depending on each product’s intended purpose. Synthetic- and down-filled camping blankets (and one poncho), including the Klymit Versa, Thermarest Argo and Honcho Poncho, Get Out Gear Down Camping Blanket, iKamper RTT Blanket DPL, and Rumpl Original Puffy, were evaluated for warmth (by sitting out on a wet-cold spring morning where temps hovered in the mid forties without my puffer jacket), packability, and water resistance. Wool blankets, from Ibex and Filson/Pendleton, were evaluated for skin feel and flexibility, to see whether it would function as well as a blanket to wrap yourself in as to lay on the ground or over in your knees in the traditional style. For the two picnic blankets in my test, the Dometic GO Camp Blanket and YETI Lowlands Blanket, I evaluated water resistance on the underside, ease of cleaning on the top side, as well as flexibility and heft. The Kammok Mountain Blanket, which was in a class of its own, was tested on a number of the above metrics.
While there are a number of prominent gear manufacturers making camping blankets, including Klymit, Thermarest, Kammok, YETI, Ibex, Dometic, Filson/Pendelton, iKamper, Get out Gear, and Rumpl, the quality and value of these products varies considerably. In general, I was disappointed with the quality of the synthetic blankets that I tested—ultimately neither the iKamper RTT, Klymit Versa, nor the Thermarest Honcho Poncho or Argo were warm to include in this roundup (although the latter came close). But after testing and co*paring the different camping blankets on the market to one another, I feel confident that both Get Out Gear and Kammok make some of the best camping blankets on the market. Similarly, the weight and flexibility of the YETI Lowlands, though more expensive, ultimately made it the better option over the Dometic GO Camp Blanket, and the softness of the Ibex blanket made it my preferred choice over the co*paratively scratchy Mackinaw Wool Blanket.
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