If you're looking for a durable, warm blanket to bring camping or throw in the back of your vehicle, look no further. This thing gets the job done. Although if you're looking for something more soft/plush for indoor use, you may want to look elsewhere. This blanket is great for what it does, but they market it as 'Military-Style' because it's moreso a tool than a luxury/comfort item. I took this blanket out for a camping trip around late-spring in the NE United States. As always, I ended up forgetting at least one important item: this time it was the sleeping bag. To make things even more interesting, the beautifully sunny forecast turned out to be not entirely accurate, and we were treated to a Severe Thunderstorm / Tornado Warning for most of the evening into the night; and apparently, this downpour was slightly beyond the water-resistance of my tent, treating me to a night of a continuous light sprinkling of water. Despite this, I stayed warm and dry throughout the night due to this blanket. The blanket was large enough for me to fold it--putting two layers below myself and one above to protect from the wet tent-floor and the sprinkling from above--and I was still covered from head to toe. None of the water managed to soak up through the layers below me, and while I could feel the force of the water drops hitting the blanket above me, none of the wet seeped through to me underneath. This blanket serves all the purposes it claims to, is rugged and durable enough to take a beating, andto top it all off it's only $25.Pros:- Lightweight (Insofar as can be expected of Wool)- Water Resistant- Flame Cinder resistant- Large size relative to weightCons:- Sleight fuel-smell on Blanket straight out of packaging (Almost didn't include this, see why below)- Somewhat more difficult to fold/compress down for a backpack than lighter blankets might be. So a lot of reviewers here have made commentary regarding the smell this blanket has when you first take it out of its packaging. While there is definitely a scent of something resembling fuel/gasoline. I believe the smell is a combination of some of the natural odors of the oils in the wool, so potentially the strength of the smell will vary from blanket to blanket. Personally I didn't really notice it unless I was intentionally getting up close and sniffing the blanket. Obviously, everyone has different tolerances and sensitivities for scent so your mileage may vary; but IMO, it's a negligible issue. Additionally, after taking the Blanket out for a single camping trip--without even washing the blanket beforehand--whatever strong chemical smell it had initially is gone.
Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]