Portable Electric Blanket for Camping?

Question

I often go snow camping and it gets pretty dang cold. I was snuggling under my electric blanket last night and thought it would be awesome to have one of these for camping. Do they have anything like this? I've found ones that plug into the cigarette lighter in the car however I would need a portable 12-volt deal to use that one. If I did that I don't know how long it would last.

Does anyone know if the 12 volt thing would work or if they make a portable electric blankets of sorts with either battery operated or with a power supply you can take with you?

Answer 1

These people must live under a rock or something. Go to www.sportsmansguide.com. Type in "blanket" on the search box, if that doesn't work just experiment with the name because they sell an average sized electric blanket that comes with its own supplied battery pack. People in sports games use this all the time.
I've tried your idea with the 12v thing. It lasts at least 10 hrs with an emergency jump starter with a 12v plug that I got from Sears.

Answer 2

Electric Blanket Target

Answer 3

It won't happen in the near future, because electric heat of any type consumes too much energy. Batteries cannot store sufficient energy to run an electric blanket for a practical length of time. Maybe in th distant future they'll come up with an electric blanket powered by fuel cells?

Answer 4

I am surprised that there are battery powered electric blankets, but it is important to realize that if you could on it to keep you warm and it fails, due to it breaking or the batteries dying quicker than you expect, then you will have a serious problem. I would also have to wonder how much warmth it could really provide over a long period of time.

You need to get a better sleeping bag. The way most bags are rated is bogus and in fact have less loft that what the military is needed to just survive in the lowest temperature listed.

One way to make you bag warmer is to use a vapor barrier, but there is a bit of learning needed so you don't get too sweaty. It forces you to learn how to properly vent your bad instead of getting the insulation wet as most people do.

A company which makes good bags, although has been know to have poor customer service is www.warmlite.com (beware of some of the pictures if you don't care for such things as they are naturalists). Their bags are rated for what they say and are really comfortable.

Answer 5

i've never used an electric blanket, but when i snow camp i always take my portable butane powered heater...it's probably a little heavier than a blanket, but i would guess it's under 5 lbs (gas tank included). mine was made by coleman; i think it's called a SNO-CAT. it's totally safe to keep lit inside your tent and is great for preheating the tent at night and warming it up in the morning...although if you had enough butane with you, you could probably crank it all night. good luck!

Answer 6

Not sure about electric blanket, but the following site lists the top retailers that specialize in all camping gear.
http://sportsmans-shopping-guide.com/camping.htm

Answer 7

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Answer 8

You do not want an electric blanket to carry with you. It would operate on batteries, which are very heavy if you are counting packweight. You would probably need several C or D cells, and they would get zapped fast, necessitating that you carry about 5 lb worth in your gear for only a few days.

Your best bet, especially if you sleep really cold is to choose a sleeping bag that is at least 15 degrees warmer than the temp rating for your conditions. Temp ratings on bags, as you may know, is usually a survival rating, not a comfort rating.

Synthetic vs down is such a tired debate.

The pros and cons of down: lightweight, compressible, very warm but it can't get wet at ALL (including sweating), it is also expensive and hard to keep clean.

The pros and cons of synth: heavier, bulkier, equally warm and it can get wet, usually cheaper, and is usually machine washable. Synth is my choice.

Sleeping clothes are another tired debate:

Naked: my preference. This lets the sleeping bag do what it was meant to do, which is trapping my body heat in its insulation with tiny air pockets between particles of feather or fluff. The most I ever wear to bed is underwear and long johns. This is IF you carry a sleeping bag that will keep you warm on its own. That means you need a separate sleeping bag and clothing for day and night.

Layered up: a common thought. More clothes, more insulation. True but then you actually insulate yourself FROM the action of the sleeping bag. The upside of this is that you can carry a cheaper, less effective, higher temp rating bag, and still be warm. This makes less overall packing but your clothes from the day should be relatively clean and dry.

I think at some point during the night, no matter what you wear to bed you will get warm if you have enough protection. I personally like to shuck down because I only wear ONE outfit usually on camping trips (with backup layers) and it gets pretty gnarly to sleep in. So I can carry a warmer sleeping bag plus minimal but separate clothing. I also like shucking down to nothing because I tend to get warmer faster than waiting for my body to heat up everything around me.

One thing I can suggest instead of an elec blanket...is a down throw blanket that you would use for home. I have one and used it year round. It was a sleeping bag booster and a jacket stuffer in winter, and my main summer sleeping system, along with a fleece jacket and raingear. If not needed in spring and fall, I balled it up for a pillow. I also have a pair of down booties. Each item was only about 15 dollars, the blankets are available in all the discount stores like Target, etc.

Another thing you can do is buy disposable warmers activated by the air. There are two kinds and various sizes. One place to find them is in the hunting section. The other place to find them is the feminine hygiene section, in the form of menstrual relief heat patches...these have an adhesive backing that you can stick to your sleeping bag near your midsection, or at your feet, or put it right on your skin as intended. The others can be used stuffed into socks or pockets, and let the heat radiate where you need it.

The last thing, is to heat water, and put it in your very tightly sealed water bottle, throw it into the bag to warm it. Shift it around wherever it is needed. A hydration bladder might be more comfortable.

OH yeah, one more thing, sorry so long...is to eat plenty of high calorie food on your trip, esp before bed. This isn't diet friendly but you aren't indoors and you metabolize every calorie to stay warm so it doesn't affect your weight loss plan. Try hot chocolate with 1 stick of butter per quart. Other good choices, hot jello, hot creamed soup or chowder, hot cider, full sugar hot koolaid, hot juice, hot coffee.

Don't try to wait out the night if you have to pee just because you don't want to get out of bed. If you are holding pee, your body has to warm it, wasting energy that could otherwise be used to keep your organs warm.

OR

Answer 9

Here are some battery operated electric blankets: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_22?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=battery%20heated%20blanket&sprefix=Battery+Heated+Blanket%2Caps%2C237&tag=yahans2o13-20

In order to make it portable for camping, you need to be some sort of power source with you in order to give power to the blanket via battery source.