When it comes to camp bedding, the sleeping bag reigns supreme. It makes sense — a sleeping bag’s mummy-style construction renders it adept at providing and maintaining warmth, even in sub-zero temperatures. But technical sleeping bags were designed with high alpine pursuits and extended backcountry jaunts in mind, and while they now come in a variety of shapes and temperature ratings, sleeping bags tend to be techy.
Enter the camping blanket. Often made using the same functional materials as sleeping bags — materials like water-repellent down insulation and ripstop nylon shells — camping blankets fulfill a similar function. They provide warmth away from the comforts of home, but beyond that, they offer more flexibility, and they do it with more style.
What to Look for in a Camping Blanket
When you're choosing a camping blanket, you'll want to consider a few factors: size, location, price and intended activity. If you're planning a family camp trip and can already imagine the kids fighting over who gets to use the blanket first, you may want to opt for multiple smaller blankets made with nylon shells that can withstand the abuse of camping and inevitable spills and stains from kids. If you're planning a trip for you and your partner and the weather is going to be chilly, nothing sets the mood like a classic wool option (and it doesn't hurt that wool is naturally water-repellent as well). If you're going to be in wet conditions, a blanket with a waterproof treatment may be the call. As you're shopping, take these factors into consideration.
Why You Should Buy a Camping Blanket
Without the restriction of a zipper, camping blankets are ideal for casual camping. And in true contemporary outdoor lifestyle fashion, technical camping blankets easily transition from the tent to the living room sofa, to the cabin, to the van without much fuss. They aren’t specialized for a single environment like a zero-degree down sleeping bag might be; they’re versatile and practical, which is ideal for outdoors folk and weekend warriors alike.
Our definitive guide to the best camping blankets available provides information on the 10 top camping blankets available and details their core features such as materials, size, weight, price and more.
No company has bolstered the outdoor lifestyle trend of the technical blanket more than — and quite as successfully as — Rumpl has. It constructs its Original Puffy Blanket with many of the same materials found in premium backpacking sleeping bags too, including a water-repellent 30-denier ripstop polyester face fabric and warm synthetic insulation. The blanket packs down small enough to fit inside a backpack and comes in a variety of playful patterns and prints, making it suitable for cabins and cars too. It's also available in a larger, two-person size.
Kammok may be best known for its hang-anywhere hammocks, but the Austin, Texas-based outdoor brand hit a homer in expanding into camp bedding. The down-filled Bobcat is a lightweight, zipperless cover that's fit to fill in for any sleeping bag in warmer weather. Hidden in the side of the blanket's hems are tiny pockets that conceal button snaps and loops that allow you to connect one side to the other. That feature, paired with cinching top and bottom hems, enables the Bobcat to close up almost entirely and become a stand-in for a sleeping bag. Pro tip: use these features to create an enclosed foot box and sling it over the bottom of a sleeping pad so you, and the Bobcat, won't slide off in the night. (For a slightly warmer blanket with all the same features, check out Kammok's $260 Firebelly.)
If you're an over-worrier or want the latest tech in all your camping equipment, this blanket checks both those boxes. Snow Peak and Rumpl's latest collaboration blanket is insulated, recycled and fire-resistant. The shell top is made with naturally fire-resistant, post-consumer recycled fibers, while the bottom and insulation are both made with 100-percent recycled materials as well. The Nanoloft Takibi Blanket also comes with a two-buckle closure system, as well as a carry strap; wear it as a cape or carry it alongside you, and you're good to go.
When Matador set out to make a blanket, it focused first on packability. And it succeeded there because when it's folded up into its little stuff sack, the Pocket Blanket is about the size of a deck of cards. That's only possible because it's made of nylon instead of wool or down insulation like the other camping blankets on this list, which means it isn't a sub for your sleeping bag. It is, however, an excellent barrier between your bum and the ground, and it's light enough to keep in your backpack or car for any last-minute picnics or outdoor naps.
Kammok has mastered the art of making a blanket more than a blanket — the brand designates them as trail quilts actually — so it's no surprise that its newest is its most feature-packed yet. The Arctos is stuffed with enough 850-fill down to provide warmth down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit while maintaining an ultralight classification (it weighs in at 26.25 ounces). It has all the same features of the Bobcat, too, including the ability to turn into a poncho. However, an important distinction is that its lower portion zippers together, so it's even more sleeping bag-like when you want it to be. If you want the ultimate camping blanket trail quilt, this is it.
Weight: 26 ounces
Materials: Aura UL 10D ripstop nylon (recycled, bluesign approved)
Have you ever sat down on a picnic blanket only to feel, like a slow-rising dread, the moisture of the ground you thought was dry soak into your pants? In a word, it’s uncomfortable. But it’s no surprise that Yeti, which makes all of its products impervious, made its Lowlands camping blanket waterproof on its bottom to prevent such unfortunate circumstances. The top is soft and lightly insulated, though, so the Lowlands is still plenty comfy. Plus, it’s pet-friendly and, should you spill food on it (or if a rude “friend” forgets to remove his or her shoes before sitting), it’s machine washable.
Ahh, the double blanket. Much like its cousin the double sleeping bag, the double blanket promotes closeness, heat retention, and a more homey camping experience. This option from Big Agnes is made using 650-fill DownTek down insulation, which is water-repellant and PFC-free. The built-in pad coupler accommodates two 20-inch pads, so you won't be messing with your pad placement all night. The quilted construction, paired with the detachable comforter, means you'll be comfortable in cool temps as well as warm. And since it's all one system with attachment points, no one can hog the blanket all night. Win, win.
Weight: 2.15 pounds
Materials: Polyester taffeta shell, 650-fill-power DownTek down insulation
For nearly a century, Pendleton has paid homage to United States National Parks with wool dyed in stripe, block and chevron. Its National Park Collection blankets, made of 100 percent pure virgin wool and made in the USA, have become rightfully iconic. These blankets are thick, heavy and warm — perfect for those more concerned with appearances than keeping to the latest tech. While the collection has grown, the Glacier National Park Blanket is still the most recognizable.
Camping next to a car is one thing, but bedding down inside of it is something else altogether. Depending on how dedicated you are to #vanlife, a night in the car might mean sleeping on a platform in a truck bed or laying down the seats and making do in a wagon. In either case, cars offer ample shelter but little warmth. Many of these blankets will do in a car, but since you have the extra space, it can be worth it to go big. Filson’s heavy Mackinaw Blanket is 100 percent USA-sourced virgin Mackinaw wool, so it’ll provide plenty of warmth, even when damp. Like most Filson products it’s super durable, in this case thanks to a serged hem that won’t fray over time, which is handy because the Mackinaw Blanket will last for years.
While you technically could use many of the blankets on this list to hang at the beach, you shouldn’t. Sand is more invasive than dirt and dust, it gets on anything and once it does, it will stay there until the end of time. If you’re a dedicated beach-goer, it’s smart to have a dedicated beach blanket. Nomadix has nailed beach style with its line of printed blankets that feature a soft chamois-style top and a hardier water-repellent bottom. As its name implies, Nomadix imagined this for festivals, but its sand-proof properties make it ideal for the seaside too.
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