Expert Review: Rumpl Original Blanket
Published on 09/29/2022 · 5 min readThis review is my honest opinion of the blanket, which I purchased with my own money in January of 2020.
All photos courtesy of Hunter Reed
About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the blanket, which I purchased with my own money in January of 2020.
My take
The Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket is a must-have accessory to keep in any camp kit. It is super warm and puffy, fairly durable, easy to clean, and comes in a lot of fun colors and designs.
About the blanket I own
- Model: Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket
- Size: 1 person (52in x 75in)
- Material: Down
About me
- Height: 5’3”
- Weight: 115lbs
- Experience: 25+ years of camping
Test conditions
- When I bought these: January 2020
- Days tested: 300
- Used for: Car camping, tent camping, hanging out around camp, any outdoor fall/summer activities such as barbecues or soccer games
- Where I’ve used it: All over Utah and California, campsites near Las Vegas, NV
- Seasons I’ve used it in: Summer, spring, fall, winter
How it performs
What I was looking for
I am always pretty cold when camping in all but the hottest conditions, so I was looking for something to keep myself warm that was not my sleeping bag. I am always nervous that if I use my sleeping bag as a blanket around the fire, a spark might come up and put a hole in it, or I might get it really dirty.
Why I chose this gear
I had a few friends who had Rumpls and really liked them. Plus they come in a lot of fun colors and have their own stuff sack. I had used a friend’s around a campsite before and it seemed to be a good size. Not too big where I felt like I was dragging it on the ground and not too small that I felt like I couldn’t use it to cover my whole body.
Covered in ash after camping in Oregon during a huge fire season! Washed it and the fire smell came right out
What I love about it
- Weight: This blanket is super lightweight, which makes it a great option for backpacking or day hiking to hang in a hammock. The one-person size weighs 2lbs.
- Packability: This blanket comes with a stuff sack. It is easy to get the blanket in and out of the stuff sack, and, when compressed, it packs down to slightly larger than a Nalgene water bottle.
- Warmth: As far as blankets go, this is the warmest one I own. It is down insulation and works well in really cold conditions. I have used it on top of my 15℉ sleeping bag on really cold nights and stayed warm and toasty.
- Comfort: This blanket is super comfortable because it is so puffy. The face fabric is a recycled polyester that has a little bit of that loud sound that sleeping bags and puffy jackets sometimes have, but it isn’t unbearable.
- Shape: The Rumpl Original Puffy blanket is a rectangle shape. The one-person size is 52in by 75in and covers me well as a 5’3” individual.
- Features: The corners of this blanket have loops to make it easy to stake it to the ground for a picnic blanket or attach it to something, if need be.
- Versatility: It is pretty versatile given that it can be used in a lot of different situations and packs down into a stuff sack. I have brought it backpacking as an extra layer, used it as a blanket for a nap in a hammock, and know people who use it as a sleeping pad while backpacking on warm nights.
- Backpacking: This would be a good blanket to bring backpacking for extra warmth. The fact that it’s insulated with down makes it easy to pack it down.
- Car Camping: On car camping trips, I usually just keep this in the car in case. It packs up so small that it’s easy to have on hand if I need it.
Issues I’ve encountered
- Durability: The face fabric on this blanket is really thin. It can tear easily if it comes in contact with a sharp rock, and I have put a few holes in it from sparks flying out of the fire. I don’t care too much if it gets dirty, but I do try to be careful because the fabric is more delicate.
- Weather Resistance: The Rumpl Original Puffy blanket is a down blanket, so it is not water resistant and it will not retain any insulation if it gets wet. When it is wet, the down just packs down and takes a long time to dry.
In it's stuff sack!
Favorite moment with this gear
My favorite moment with this blanket was during a really cold camping trip to Flaming Gorge, UT. The first 18 hours we were there, it was too windy to really even get out of the car. Finally by three on the second day, the wind died down and we could hang out outside and build a fire. It was still super cold, so I sat with my wine and Rumpl in my chair. One of my friend’s dogs must have thought I looked comfortable because he crawled up on my lap despite being about the same size as me. It really added to the warmth factor to have a 100lb German shepherd on my lap, but I attribute it to him thinking my blanket looked comfortable!
Value for the money vs. other options
I picked this blanket up for around $99. I’m not sure if there are cheaper options on the market. It seems a bit pricey for a blanket at first, but considering it is light enough to be used on backpacking trips and that it packs up really small to make for easy storage in the car as a backup, I think it is worth the price.
Final verdict
The Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket is a really lightweight blanket to bring along on all my camping adventures. It is super warm, packs down into an included stuff sack, and has held up pretty well despite a few easy-to-repair holes from campfires. There are a ton of fun color options to choose from, and it’s always good to have a backup blanket when doing outdoor things just in case I find myself shivering around the campfire.
