Taurinor - cool! Thank you for the 18th c. link especially.
Here's what I can compare:
![merf-wool-blanket-comparison.jpg](./download/file.php?id=3124)
- merf-wool-blanket-comparison.jpg (40.82 KiB) Viewed 18852 times
Note: all measurements below are hasty tape-measure-on-the-bedroom-floor measurements, and some of these blankets definitely have some years and wear on them. If you tell me they don’t match what the factory says they should be, I’m not at all surprised. (Excepting for my Stone blanket, which I think I mismeasured in width a couple years ago)
Here they are, left to right. All are folded lengthwise in quarters, then rolled:
“What Price Glory†M1885 “Indian Wars†blanket:
Size: (tbd, nominally 64xâ€x 90â€)
Weight: ~3lb
Thoughts: Purchased as an example of what might have been on the civilian surplus market in the early 1900’s “Golden Age of Camping.†Far lighter weight than I was given to expect from the website. Honestly, feels like trash.
Faribault “Foot Soldier†blanket:
Size: 70†x 92â€
Weight: 3.5 lb
Thoughts: I should have read the description better: I THOUGHT I was getting a new-made blanket to the old army standard. The dimensions are about right, but it is well underweight for a regulation blanket. Soft and comfortable, but inadequate I think for outdoor use.
Early’s of Witney plain white (walnut dyed):
Size: ~70†x 92â€
Weight: 4 lb
Thoughts: Purchased on eBay hoping for an unstriped version of a Point blanket. I should have read better or asked more questions: it’s noticeably thinner and more loosely woven - so not really suited for much cold. BUT it’s very soft and comfy, and a nice lighter weight blanket.
Moreover, I find the extra few inches of width and length over a standard 4 point makes a WORLD of difference, far more than one might think just looking at the numbers. This is one of those “nineteen nineteen and six...†things - a single inch too short means a cold breeze always wanting to find its way under the wool.
“"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen [pounds] nineteen [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
Knockoff “Italian Officer†blanket:
Size: 63.5†x 85:
Weight: 4.2lb
Thoughts: Nice dark color, decent weight, good feel - very sturdy. Feels a little felted, but that’s not bad. As I recall it was sold as all or mostly wool, and was around $40. A very good choice for the money, but you might want to double up in cold weather.
I find it just a bit narrow for comfort - but again, a pair overlapped would serve nicely for less money at the cost of more bulk.
Early’s Witney 4 point:
Size: ~66 x 85â€
Weight: 4.8 lb
Thoughts: Good general purpose size and weight. A bit thinned with age, but still decent. I was very happy with it until I rolled up in it side-by-side with the Stone. Compared to the hand-woven, it’s a bit thin, a bit narrow - but absolutely serviceable. Given its age and wear, I don’t think AS IS this one is worth much of a premium over a good quality army blanket of comparable weight.
Handwoven, Rob Stone (c. 2007)
Size: 74†x 84.5â€
Weight: 5.9 lbs.
Thoughts: still my very favorite “general use†blanket. Near perfect balance of weight to warmth. Perhaps not as fuzzy-soft as it was a decade ago, but still so nice I can’t bear to dunk it in dye to make it more “ranger correct.â€
This blanket strikes me as what the Early’s 4-point *should* be - and maybe what that one was when it was new. The extra width and the extra pound and change of weight make a *huge* difference.
Early’s Witney 6 point:
Size: ~95â€x 95.5â€
Weight: 7.5 lb
Thoughts: Perhaps not quite as thick and fuzzy as it once was, but still warm and comfy. The size makes it very easy to get in a nice solid cocoon. Quite bulky compared to the 4-point. My most comfortable “off the shelf†blanket.
Handwoven, John of Stone Arabie (c. 2018)
Size: 84†x 111â€
Weight: 10.3 lb (!!!)
Thoughts: Woven to order from fleece from our herd. DENSE DENSE and OMG HEAVIER than I expected. A bit scratchy, insanely warm. Not something I’d choose to carry unless expecting a lot of cold - but would WITHOUT QUESTION be my first choice in winter.
The weaver described this as: “twill woven, 30% fulled, bulky weight 3-ply yarnâ€
Summary
In going through all these blankets, I was again reminded of the general qualities that make a good outdoor blanket: it should be tightly woven and densely fulled, to a weight of at least 4.5 and preferably ~6 lb for a blanket of ~ 4point size - then a good nap should be raised up.
I find a 4-point *just* big enough, but a 6 point is far more comfortable. Your body size and sleeping position will have the final say.
Finally, a tip I ran across from an old timer on one board or another : if your blanket’s a bit scratchy, try using hair conditioner on it. It’s not a miracle cure, but seems to help at the margin.
Regarding sheepskins:
I think I’m missing something - when I put down a purchased Icelandic sheepskin as a sleeping mat, then get off and lie on a single thickness of my Rob Stone blanket, there is no comparison. The fur of the sheepskin compresses to almost nothing. The blanket compresses as well, but right away is noticeably better at keeping warmth from seeping into the ground.
Given the mass of fibers woven into the blanket vs the mass of fibers growing from a given section of pelt, this doesn’t really surprise me.
I think pelts make a LOT of sense up top - that’s what nature made all that fur for after all. I don’t see that one gains much with them underneath.
That said, maybe the pelt I have is a poor quality tanning job, or was harvested in the summer when the fleece was at its thinnest, or something else. I’m quite curious to hear from those with more experience using pelts as sleeping mats - what do you use, where did you find it, and how well does it work?
Regarding blanket covers:
I’ve been meaning for ages to try a canvas bedroll cover one of these days. I have no experience with them, but just looking at them it seems they would be fantastic for blocking the weather, keeping blankets in place, and just generally keeping a lot of nice dead air all around the body.
They also look to be quite heavy, so perhaps there’s a reason canvas bedrolls are associated more with mounted cowboys than mountain men or longhunters (or rangers!).
I’m curious to hear from anyone who’s tried them, or tried threading the needle with a lighter weight blanket cover of oilskin or something.
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.