Written by Holly Walton on 12th May 2026
A camping blanket sounds simple enough. Then you start looking and there's fleece, wool, insulated puffy quilts, waterproof-backed picnic rugs, and £160 packable blankets made from recycled bottles. Most of the guides out there list ten products and tell you nothing about why one material suits your trip better than another.
We make camping blankets. We also know we don't make the right blanket for every situation, and we're going to be honest about that as we go. This guide breaks down what each material actually does, where it works and where it doesn't, and which type makes sense for how you camp.
The Quick Answer
For most UK campers, an insulated Sherpa-lined blanket with a water-resistant shell is the right buy.
It handles damp grass, cold evenings, kids, dogs, and being thrown in the washing machine when one of those things goes wrong. Two exceptions worth knowing:
- Sitting around a campfire? Buy wool. Synthetic blankets melt when sparks land on them.
- Backpacking or wild camping? Buy a synthetic puffy blanket that packs down small. Weight and pack size beat everything else.
What Makes a Good Camping Blanket?
Before materials, the criteria. A camping blanket needs to handle five things, and UK conditions push every one of them.
- Warmth in imperfect conditions -- damp air, cold ground, wind cutting through a campsite at 9pm
- Weight and packability -- critical for backpackers, less so if you're driving to the site
- Durability -- mud, dogs, kids wiping hands on it, being sat on, dragged across grass
- Drying time -- morning dew, condensation, surprise showers. This is the UK.
- Fire safety -- the one most people forget. Synthetic blankets near campfire sparks melt and can catch. It matters.
A blanket that does three of these well and the other two badly is fine if you've matched it to your camping style. A blanket that does five of these moderately is the best general-purpose buy for most people.
Camping Blanket Materials Compared
Fleece (Polyester)
The entry point. Fleece blankets are soft, lightweight, dry quickly and cost very little. A basic fleece throw from your local outdoor store starts around £7-£15 and works perfectly as an extra layer inside a tent or draped over a camping chair.
The downsides are real, though. Fleece loses warmth quickly when wet, not a small problem in the UK. It pills after repeated washing, especially the cheap variants. And it's a genuine hazard near open flames. Keep fleece well away from campfire sparks: it doesn't catch fire dramatically, but it melts on contact, leaves holes, and the molten polyester can stick to skin.
Most fleece is virgin polyester. Some brands now use recycled fleece (made from plastic bottles) which performs identically. If sustainability matters, look for that.
Best for: Budget camping, kids who'll lose or ruin it, indoor/outdoor crossover use, an extra warmth layer rather than a primary blanket.
Sherpa Fleece + Insulated Fill
This is where camping blankets get properly useful for UK conditions. A Sherpa-fleece lining provides soft-touch warmth against the skin, a microfibre or synthetic fill layer adds genuine insulation, and a water-resistant ripstop polyester shell on the outside handles damp grass, light rain and wind.
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We went with Sherpa fleece over plain fleece because the warmth difference is noticeable. The 250gsm microfibre fill adds insulation without making it too heavy to carry around a campsite.
Lisa -- OLPRO Design Team
Our Blanko range sits in this category. The Original Insulated Reversible Blanko uses a 30D ripstop polyester shell on both sides, with insulating fill between, 190cm x 140cm, 1.1kg, machine washable at 30°C. The standard Insulated Blanko (in Cosy Camper, Vivid Spruce, Tonal Treetops and Seaside Sundown patterns) swaps one of those sides for Sherpa fleece, adding more warmth at the cost of slightly more weight (1.79kg).
Both are wearable. Loops and clips let you fasten them as a cape or poncho, which sounds gimmicky until you're standing around a campsite at dusk and need both hands free to carry a drink and feed the fire.
The shell on both Blankos is made from recycled OLTECH REPRO fabri, our recycled-bottle polyester. We're a B Corp certified business and our materials reflect that.
Heavier than plain fleece, but genuinely warm. Currently £49 (RRP £69).
Best for: Evening warmth at campsites, campervan throws, all-round family camping blanket, festival use, beach evenings.
Wool (Including Merino)
Wool does two things no synthetic can match: it insulates when wet, and it's naturally flame-resistant. That second point is why wool is the only sensible choice if you're sitting around an open campfire. Stray sparks land on fleece, you get a melted hole. Stray sparks land on wool, they self-extinguish.
Wool is also breathable, odour-resistant and biodegradable. A good wool blanket lasts decades, there are army surplus wool blankets in active use that were issued in the 1980s. Try saying that about a £160 puffy.
The trade-offs are real. Wool is heavy (typically 1.5-3kg for a full-size blanket), bulky to pack, slow to dry, and needs careful washing, no hot cycles, no tumble dryer. Cheaper wool can be scratchy unless you go merino, which softens the feel but pushes the price up. British wool blankets from a heritage mill like Foxford or Otterburn cost £80-£150. Army surplus wool blankets, around £20-£40, are the practical budget option for fireside use.
Best for: Campfire evenings, car campers who don't mind the weight, anyone who values longevity and natural materials, and anyone serious about reducing the synthetic footprint of their camping kit.
Fire Safety
Synthetic blankets and open flames don't mix.
Fleece, sherpa and synthetic puffy blankets melt on contact with sparks. The molten polyester sticks to skin and clothing. If you regularly sit around a campfire, buy wool. We'd rather you stayed safe than bought one of ours for the wrong job.
Synthetic Insulated (Puffy Blankets)
The backpacker's choice. Brands like Rumpl (NanoLoft, around £130) and Kelty (Bestie, around £40) make quilted blankets using synthetic down-alternative fill that packs down tiny and offers excellent warmth-to-weight ratio. Many now use recycled polyester for both the shell and the fill.
They're brilliant for wild camping and hiking where every gram counts. They're less brilliant near campfires (same melt risk as fleece) and can feel a bit "sleeping bag-like" against the skin unless they have a soft liner.
Pack size is the headline benefit. A full-size synthetic puffy packs down to roughly the volume of a 1L water bottle. A wool blanket of equivalent warmth packs to roughly the volume of a small backpack.
Best for: Backpackers, wild campers, motorcycle campers, anyone who prioritises packability over everything else.
Down
The ultimate warmth-to-weight ratio -- but with a serious weakness for UK camping. Down loses its insulation when it gets wet, and in a country where tent condensation, morning dew and drizzle are standard features, that's a problem. Down blankets also need specialist washing and cost significantly more (£100-£200+).
Some manufacturers now use hydrophobic-treated down (DWR coating on the down clusters) which improves wet performance, but it doesn't fully solve the issue. And ethical sourcing matters: look for Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certification if you go down.
Best for: Experienced backpackers in reliably dry conditions, alpine or expedition use. Not ideal for general UK family car camping.
Recycled and Sustainable Materials
Worth a mention as its own category. Several brands, including us, now use recycled polyester (from plastic bottles) for shell fabrics and synthetic fill. Rumpl, Kelty, OLPRO and a handful of smaller UK brands all offer recycled-content options that perform identically to virgin polyester at a similar price point.
If sustainability matters, three things to look for:
- Recycled content percentage -- ideally 50%+ for shell and fill
- Certifications -- GRS (Global Recycled Standard), bluesign, or B Corp status of the brand itself
- Repairability -- a blanket designed to be repaired (replaceable shells, repair kits available) beats a "sustainable" blanket that gets binned in three years
OLPRO is B Corp certified and our Blanko range uses recycled OLTECH REPRO fabric across the shell. We also offer a lifetime warranty on all products and run a pre-loved scheme for blankets and other kit that's no longer needed.
Materials at a Glance
Highlighted row: Sherpa + insulated -- our recommendation for most UK campers.
Which Blanket for Which Camper?
The material guide above gives you the theory. Here's the practical version.
Car camping
Insulated Sherpa blanket
Weight doesn't matter, warmth and durability do. Machine washable is non-negotiable with kids and dogs.
Campervan / Motorhome
Reversible insulated blanket
Permanent sofa throw that doubles as cold-night bedding. Ripstop on both sides, lighter than Sherpa-lined.
Around the campfire
Wool only
Synthetic blankets melt with sparks. A surplus wool blanket or merino throw is the only honest recommendation here.
Not an OLPRO product
Festivals
Water-resistant Sherpa
Wet grass, mud, spilled drinks. Machine washable on hot return home. Don't bring anything you'd be sad to bin.
Backpacking
Synthetic puffy blanket
Pack size and weight matter more than anything else. Rumpl NanoLoft or Kelty Bestie are the standards.
Not an OLPRO product
Kids
Sherpa-lined kids' blanket
Machine washable is the priority. Wearable as a cape, which they will use constantly until the novelty wears off.
Do You Need a Blanket If You Have a Sleeping Bag?
Depends on the temperature.
In summer, glamping, or inside a campervan with heating,a blanket alone can be enough. Above roughly 12°C overnight, a good insulated blanket will keep you comfortable without a sleeping bag.
Below that, you need a proper sleeping bag. A blanket becomes a supplement, not a replacement. The best cold-night setup is a sleeping bag with a blanket layered on top for extra warmth, it adds several degrees and stops draughts around the shoulders.
A blanket layered under your sleeping bag also helps with ground insulation, though a proper sleeping mat with an R-value of 3+ does the same job more effectively.
For a deeper look at sleep systems and how to pick the right setup for the temperature, see our sleeping bag guide: togs, types and how to choose and how to stay warm camping. Both cover the layering principles that make blankets useful as part of a wider setup.
Waterproof vs Water-Resistant Explained
The labels get used interchangeably. They aren't the same.
Water-Resistant
Handles dew, drizzle, damp grass.
A DWR coating beads water off the fabric surface. It will not handle sitting on saturated ground or being caught in a heavy shower.
Most camping blankets (including OLPRO Blankos) are water-resistant.
Waterproof
Has a hydrostatic head (HH) rating.
Usually PU-coated nylon or foil-backed. A waterproof blanket base rates 1,500-2,000mm HH. UK tents rate 3,000-5,000mm HH.
Look for separate groundsheets or beach-specific blankets with PU coatings.
If you need a fully waterproof base, look for a separate groundsheet or picnic rug with a PU coating, and use it under your camping blanket. Some specialist beach and festival blankets combine a waterproof base with a soft top layer.
How to Care for Your Camping Blanket
Fleece, synthetic and insulated blankets (including Blankos): Machine wash at 30°C with a small amount of non-bio detergent. No fabric softener, it damages water-resistant coatings. Air dry only. No tumble dryer.
Wool: Hand wash or 30°C gentle cycle with wool-specific detergent. Lay flat to dry. Never wring, never tumble dry.
Down: Follow the manufacturer's instructions. Use down-specific wash. Tumble dry on low heat with clean tennis balls to restore loft after washing.
Storage: Don't leave any blanket compressed in a stuff sack for months. Store loosely, hung up, folded in a cupboard, or laid flat. Prolonged compression kills insulation over time, particularly for synthetic puffy fills.
Repair: A blanket with a small tear isn't a write-off. Self-adhesive ripstop patches (Tenacious Tape) fix most damage to synthetic shells in two minutes. For larger tears or zip damage, our customer service team handles repairs and replacements under the lifetime warranty on all OLPRO products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shop the OLPRO Blanko Range
Sherpa-lined, water-resistant, wearable. Made from recycled OLTECH REPRO fabric. B Corp certified, lifetime warranty.