Beware of wool "disaster blankets"

If you are in a real disaster and a aid worker hands you a wool disaster blanket,I guarantee you will take it.

Wool is best for keeping you warm.

They serve the purpose for which they were created.

Just an after thought, natural fibers are actually renewable too. "No sheep were killed in the manufacture of this wool blanket, just trimmed"

For survivial you want a decent sleeping bag for the most severe weather to be expected in your part of the country. Forget any idea about blankets. They are several times the bulk of a correct sleeping bag.

Simply buy a suitable bag and use it as a comforter on your daily bed. It works for me quite nicely and weights about four pounds. Again, buy one to fit your worst weather.

reply to post by Aliensun


Good idea, my daughter uses her sleeping bag that way, but my family tends to prepare for long term disasters, and, you can use them to make coats if needed. We have wool blankets stashed in water tight containers in places outside the house "just in case of course".

reply to post by Oneolddude


It looks like you didn't read the description. 30% recycled wool 70% man made material. It was kind of like like lint particle board. They literally say "Do not wash or dry clean" because they will fall to pieces. These are NOT wool blankets and I have no intention of being at a shelter to be given one.

Do not knock laundry lint. I used to save all mine and buy fabric and sew pretty pillows and use it for the stuffing

do not wash or dry clean

Some don't even say that. I know as i got one at a thrift shop.
Looked and felt like a wool blanket.
A while back i tried to wash it and it took a while to get the clumps of green fiber out of my washer and dryer.
This blanket had no tags or labels on it to give any washing directions.
The one i had was green with 5 inch black bands 6 inches in from each end.
I suspect that many are being re-marketed after the labels have been removed.
I also suspect that they are made in China.

100% wool army blankets(or navy) are marked US or USN in the center.
These can be found in surplus stores and thrift shops and many left the service in the bags of service people when they got out of the military. Keep your eyes open in towns around any military base.

Well, the ones they hand out at my cold weathr shelter are terrible. They say on the label they are made from 305 WOOL AND 705 man made fiber. Of course, they do not tel you what the fiber are, but it sure looks like recycled plastic and dryer lint to me. I cannot even lay on them, or I itch and the fibers get into my skin. I can't put them near my face, or I cannot breathe the next day, and I am constantly picking out these litle skinny platic things out my clothing. Many people are complaining of the same thing, so it is not just me. And several are getting sick and really feel it has something to do with the blankets.

Like someone posted earlier, disaster blankets are made for one use, not several. Not to mention, it does say right on the lablem that they are not to be dry cleaned or laundered.

But, in the situation I am in, I guess I have no choice but to continue using them.

Thanks for listening.

NutyNat

Depends if the dryer lint is spun into a yarn or not. As a spinner, I have to say, you can spin dryer lint into yarn and you can wash them, carefully as you do with most handspun, handwoven or woolen things in general.

I have two Patagonia fleece blankets (not wool) which I have slept with and on for years. They have survived repeated washing and dryings in great shape, are warm and comfortable. They kept me warm while camping in Minnesota in VERY early spring, as my sleeping bag had lost its loft. Moths have no interest in them. They're altogether better than wool.

You bought a proper disaster blanket, one of the type that gets handed out when there's some pretty major catastrophe like an earthquake. They're meant to provide cheap, quick warmth.

I can't believe you are pretty much complaining about consumer rights when you've clearly made a mistake in your purchase.

Dont mean to appear condescending. Perhaps a little less ats and a bit more google?

Id check the rest of your gear is fit for purpose.

the best way to stay warm with dryer lint is to use it to start a fire

carefull that stuff and the like can be very flammable

I would imagine if they're cheap they are not designed for long time use. More just for emergencies like being stuck in snow in your car for the night, and then discarded. I doubt they expect people in a real long term disaster to use them.

The sticker on the blanket reads:
Made in USA
70% man made fiber/ 30% wool
This blanket co rains no DDT
Do not dry clean or launder
I own one. Something traumatic happened that caused me to live in my vehicle and a community resource had given it to me. It’s very warm. It does in a way seem “linty” but more likes bunch of different strings smushed together. You know those little balls of string and lint you find in the inside corner of your pockets? It’s very similar to that! reply to: this_is_who_we_are