Travel Blanket?

[crazyme5kids]

I am hoping someone here can help me find a travel blanket that packs very, very small, but keeps you warm. I want to send one to my son who is currently deployed, hence the need for it to pack as small as possible.

 

If you can, please tell me where you purchased it from. Thanks in advance,

[ducklite]

Brookstone has several. I use a large pashmina as a blanket, but I do have a Brookstone travel pillow that is super comfy and has been very durable, and think their merchandise is pretty high quality. Good luck!

 

 

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[Shorex]

Have a look at heat reflective mylar blankets. Amazon has them:

Personal protection from rain, size of a deck of cards. Extremely lightweight and reusable - 52" x 84". Uses: Warmth - retains up to 90% of your body heat to prevent hypothermic reaction even in sub-freezing temps Protection - limits your solar exposure and deflects heat from the sun.

 

Bear Grylls lent his name to a survival blanket or for more functional choices try a hooded all weather blanket. These blankets do much more than keep you comfy on a plane --

[ducklite]

Mylar is very noisy. Great for emergencies, but not something I'd want to use in a regular basis.

 

 

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[slidergirl]

Regular "travel" blankets used on airplanes may not be warm enough for your son. They basically just keep the chill off.

 

Look at some of the backpacking sites for blankets. One to look at is the Therm-a-Rest Tech blanket. It stuffs down to 11 x 9 x 4 inches in a stuff sack, weighs about a pound, and is 48x76 inches unfolded. Therm-a-Rest has a few others, and there are a couple other companies with lightweight down/fiber blankets.

 

Thank you for your son's service.

[FlyerTalker]

I guess the thing you need to know is....what will it be used for. If you think it's for flights, that's one thing. For comfort when deployed, that's another different tack.

 

Is the size issue because of the shipping or because of storage/carrying at the other end?

 

Lots of details to fill in.

[SadieN]

Regular "travel" blankets used on airplanes may not be warm enough for your son. They basically just keep the chill off.

 

Look at some of the backpacking sites for blankets. One to look at is the Therm-a-Rest Tech blanket. It stuffs down to 11 x 9 x 4 inches in a stuff sack, weighs about a pound, and is 48x76 inches unfolded. Therm-a-Rest has a few others, and there are a couple other companies with lightweight down/fiber blankets.

 

Thank you for your son's service.

 

In the same area look for silk sheets. DD uses them in hostels. They pack small (fit in the palm) and are lightweight and warm, especially when used inside of the other coverings.

At REI (rei.com) they run about $70.

Sea to Summit is the brand.

 

As a bonus they are cool enough to use in hot weather.

Edited November 18, 2013 by SadieN

[crazyme5kids]

Sorry, I Was rushing to get out the door this morning, and left out important details. The blanket would be for use on the plane. On his way over to Afghanistan he said he couldn't really sleep much or get comfortable because it was cold. It was a military plane, not commercial.

 

He is supposedly getting to go on leave to come home in Jan. the first leg will be on the military plane, and I think the second leg, the flight back to the states, will be commercial. I might be wrong about that, but from what he said that seems to be how it will go.

 

Anyway, obviously the commercial flight will have blankets and will be more comfortable. The military flight, not so much....

 

I'm not sure what type of flights he will be on going back to Afghanistan, hopefully commercial and military.

 

Now after my long winded tale of his travel, the blanket needs to be small for packing purpose, think a large fist size one. I went out today, had no luck at all. At this point he won't be getting it for Christmas because I need to send the package out tomorrow. I will keep looking and maybe I'll find something that will work to give him when we see him in Jan.

 

Thanks again for the suggestions, and keep them coming. I did see some really nice blanket/pillow sets that I think my husband might get for two women he

works with :D!

[ducklite]

Give your requirements, disposable solar blankets would be the best bet. They are the size of a cigarette pack, warm, and cheap. Any sports goods place will have them, as will,places like Wal-Mrt and Target.

 

 

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Edited November 19, 2013 by ducklite

[PennyAgain]

Silk is very warm and packs small. A trip to a fabric store should yield some choices of real silk and man-made variations. Measure something at home for a reference (sheet, blanket etc).

 

My late Dad was an expert in arctic survival and insisted that everyone have a large piece of silk fabric in a handy pocket of jacket or pants.

 

I am a small woman. I travel with a 70 inch long x 60 inch wide piece of real silk fabric in a paisley pattern. It can be a scarf or shawl as well as a blanket.

 

For a military person you could buy a silk fabric in appropriate colors.

 

The mylar and solar blankets are noisy and also reflect flight which may a hazard for a military person.

 

Best of luck to your son!

Edited November 19, 2013 by PennyAgain

[crazyme5kids]

I found one that might work! It supposedly packs about the size of a water bottle, and got very good reviews.

 

Thanks again for the suggestions :).