Bushwalk Australia

I am pretty much setup with hiking gear - except when I go car camping I like to sit in a chair and read my ebook, covered with a nice blanket to keep warm. I am thinking to get something similar for hiking, but a 'normal' blanket is simply too bulky and heavy. I have the ultralight camping chair that Aldi was selling recently, and that fits the chair part pretty well. It is perhaps not as stable as I would like, but it will do for now. I currently have a cheap $5 fleece blanket from K-Mart what is small and light, but pretty thin. It will do until I find something better, I am thinking.

I was looking at the sleeping bags that unzip and fold out flat. Some even say they can be used as blankets. I can see a few for around $30 on ebay that seem small enough.

There are also quilts - which seem a good idea, especially as a sleeping bag replacement for summer. This might be a better idea, even though it is a lot more expensive up front. I think just a lightweight one would be good enough for the Queensland summer, and for winter I could just use it as a blanket.

Any thoughts?

I think you should rethink your gear a bit. Try and avoid single-purpose items. A sleeping bag for sleeping, a quilt for when you're reading a book, a chair for sitting. You'll soon realise that each item accounts for a lot of weight on your back and will probably start leaving items at home.

For what you're wanting to do use your sleeping bag. If it's wet, stay in your tent. I don't own any lightweight quilts, but use my sleeping bags as quilts all the time. I cycled the Great Victorian Rail Trail back in February with a too-warm sleeping bag. First night was chilly and I welcomed the extra warmth, but the next 5 nights didn't dip below 25 degrees. I used it as a quilt, despite my back not zipping right out like one, and it performed perfectly.

I wouldn't risk buying a cheap blanket/quilt and using it as your primary sleeping item. Sure, look into quilts, but a lightweight down quilt will set you back a few dollars. I think, in another thread, you said you have a sleeping bag you intend to use?

Yes, I currently have a +7 degree down sleeping bag. Very small. If I compressed it I could probably get it down to the size of a water bottle (almost). Also a liner if it gets too cold, which is also tiny. You make a good point about multi-use items and I take it to heart. Even the chair I might dump if it is too uncomfortable. I am doing a few shorter overnighters, starting this weekend, so will see.

I was thinking of a cheap sleeping bag/envelope as the "blanket". But only if I can get it small enough. Volume is more the issue with me than weight, so if I can get something very small I might go for it. Even something like a light picnic blanket/ground cover sort of soft tarp might do. Just to keep insects off you and add a little bit of comfort around the camp fire. Could also be good for sitting on when cooking and whatnot. There are items that fold up and fit in your pocket, but they are more suited to the beach than hiking.

My emergency blanket comes in handy for a lot of that 'around the campsite' type stuff. Most keep theirs in the wrapper for that emergency. Mind earns it's keep.

We've been trying to get in the Matador Pocket Blanket - we've had a few customers ask for it. But it's proven tricky - no Aussie importer, huge minimum order quantities required from overseas, etc. Something like that might be useful. You could also consider a larger fleece liner.

paul_gee wrote:My emergency blanket comes in handy for a lot of that 'around the campsite' type stuff. Most keep theirs in the wrapper for that emergency. Mind earns it's keep.

We've been trying to get in the Matador Pocket Blanket - we've had a few customers ask for it. But it's proven tricky - no Aussie importer, huge minimum order quantities required from overseas, etc. Something like that might be useful. You could also consider a larger fleece liner.

Yeah, that is the kind of thing I think I am looking for. The Matador has mixed reviews - most users seemed rather negative, the big problems being the weighted corners and the fact it is very hard to get it back into the bag.

From your first post it sounds like you're after something with insulation, in which case you'd want to be using something from your sleep system or else it's a pretty big extra to take. If you look at a quilt get something that's going to be useable as your sleep insulation on a decent number of your trips and could also be used as an overquilt over your sleeping bag in colder conditions.

That Matador blanket looks like just a piece of lightweight fabric with some fancy trim for use as a groundsheet. It says water resistant but from the pictures it looks like it might be PU coated, as you'd want for sitting on wet ground. If it appeals I'd say just buy 1m of the Xenon sil 5300 fabric from Tier Gear and you'd be pretty much done, fabric doesn't fray badly so you could just use it as is. If you have sewing machine you could hem the edge and add some loops to the corner for tie-outs or weights if desired. Go with 2m and you could have a little tarp to sit under in the rain as well.

Google "Woobie"
These insulated army blankets may be similar to what you are after, if so they are a very easy DIY project and can be used as part of a sleep system to boost the warmth of any sleep system.
The S2S Traveller range can also be used like this
http://www.seatosummit.com.au/sleepingb ... =traveller
as can the Western Mountaineering Everlite
http://www.westernmountaineering.com/sl ... /everlite/