Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket Review

Tim’s been testing out the Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket this winter. Despite initial skepticism, he’s now a total convert: couch or camp, you won’t find him without his blankie.

Ever read the story of Rumpelstiltskin? It’s pretty cooked. A little girl is imprisoned by the king and forced to spin straw into gold. Obviously, she can’t, and ends up in debt to this creepy imp thing, who can. Then the imp thing ruins his whole racket by letting the girl know that she can break the deal if she can guess his name. Then he walks around the forest literally saying his name and the girl hears, breaks the deal and ol’ mate Rumpel literally rips himself in two.

Why’s this relevant at all? Because the filling they’re putting in Rumpl’s Original Puffy Blanket may as well be woven by a magical imp. It’s stupid warm. But it’s also impressively light and made from post-consumer recycled materials.

How have Rumpl pulled this off? The magic of science, specifically, 3D Hollow Fibre synthetic insulation, mmm catchy. Let’s break it down.

Warmth

I was pretty skeptical at first. I’d never heard of the brand, the range of prints seemed too large for a practical brand and it just didn’t seem very thick when I unpacked it.

My mate Dom thought the same when I gave it to him to sleep on my couch in my unheated apartment, but come morning, he had to admit that he’d almost been too warm.

I loved sitting here with a coffee on cold mornings with the Rumpl blanket.

It’s clear that the blanket isn’t enough on its own for mid-winter camping in the southern half of Aus (negative temps) but it still came with me on every trip. I’ve used it over the top of my sleeping bag as a booster, under my sleeping bag to give me an extra layer of insulation when snow camping and wrapped around myself when sitting out at the fire. It’s warm for its weight (about 1.5kg) but it’s definitely a car camping accessory.

This test site wasn’t taking any prisoners.

Durability

One of my favourite things about Rumpl’s Puffy Blanket is its toughness. In the quest for lightness most camping gear becomes wimpy and flacid all to shave a few grams. The polyester ripstop that Rumpl has chosen on the other hand is imbued with a shit-ton of magic (science) that allows you to wear it like you stole it.

The Rumpl puffy worked well as a mattress topper in the swag.

There’s a DWR treatment that’s helped resist all of my spills thus far and if you really mess up, it’s machine washable. This is a good thing, ‘cause you’ll be dragging it with you wherever you go.

Aesthetics

It’s funny how when a brand has fun prints I instantly think that they’re not taking things seriously. Why should good outdoor gear have to come in a range of three neutral tones? Aren’t we supposed to all be tree-hugging hippies anyway?

The Rumpl Puffy Blanket I received had a wavy blue pattern that reminded me of an Andres Serrano artwork, it was pretty cool. I really like how the actual stitching on the blanket goes in this big wave, instead of a consistent pattern. All the trimmings are nice too, I didn’t notice any problems with the quality. I guess it would be nicer if the blanket was fluffy or fleecy, instead of smooth and sheeny, but that would probably affect the durability.

Psychedelic snow sessions

Final Word

Camping quilts are pretty sweet. They’re more versatile than a sleeping bag, but in my opinion, this means they have to be a bit tougher. Rumpl’s quilt combines outdoor tech with a pretty standard item to make a piece of gear that I’ve come to love. Even if I can’t avoid thinking about Mr Stiltskin every time I crawl under it.

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