Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Alright, here are the essential answers I was hoping for when I was looking for outdoor bedding. My needs were for extended weekend camping with my car near by...I would call it Base Camp needs. Weight is heavy and not what I would want for trekking.The blanket was the largest I could find at a reasonable price. When you open the sealed plastic packaging the retardant smell is subtle but after an hour will fill the room and is annoying. That smell reminds me of musty wool however the blanket is NOT wet, dirty or otherwise anything but brand new. Like another reviewer I washed the blanket twice on cold, gentle cycle. Taking the blanket outside I shook out the "pilling" between washes and then again after the 2nd wash. The dryer was never used as I simply hung the blanket over a radiator when finished. By adding fabric softener the smell was 99% gone and my wife (who is not particularly sensitive) didn't find it offensive. After the blanket dried overnight the finished dimensions were 65-1/4" x 91-1/4". The final weight on a kitchen scale is 3lb 5.3oz. In other words it held its sizing and weight just fine. The blanket is bound on all 4 sides with what appears to be heavy stitching. I see no need spending time at a sewing machine to strengthen these seams. In addition, the wool takes on less water than you might expect. Removing the blanket after the spin cycle I felt mild dampness but nothing like a shirt or jeans coming out...this was a pleasant surprise and indicates high wool content. Some folks have asked what the remaining 20% of the content is and my understanding it's a mix of recycled wool content (think shop floor if you really get down to it) and man made material for strength. It's clearly a heavy duty blanket. To say it's warm is an understatement. We use it as a thermal break under our sleeping bags with 2 of us in our Kelty 3 person 4-Season and it covers the floor entirely. If I were camping solo there would be no problem, at all, with using this under me and folded over for a cover. I'm M-L overall and that feature was important to me. My opinion is using it in this manner would allow a sleeper an extra 10-15 degrees of lower temps vs. going with a sleeping bag alone. By adding a Mylar blanket, this wool blanket and a bag rated to zero virtually anyone would be comfortable to 10 degrees or slightly lower (no telling exactly without considering wind and shadow). Final thought, now that I've handled the product I'll purchase 2 more (one for each car). Although the blanket looks good and feels soft it's still a military appearance (which might be cool for your needs) and that might not fly in the guest bdrm. EDIT: Update to 10-21-16. I ended up ordering and receiving 2 more of these. One for the camper and the other for the car trunk. In the Ohio River Valley the wind can build quickly and weather is notorious for changing without warning. More like a mountain environment than the pleasant sounding "Valley" would have you believe. Like my earlier comments suggested, the blanket is virtually bulletproof. I had to change 2 of our Honda 4-Wheeler tires out and the ground was soggy/muddy with temp in the 40's and a wet wind. By folding over and laying on the ground I could kneel in relative comfort to get the job done. More importantly, using some Woolite Cleaner with a mild scrub brush the darn blanket came 100% clean despite being ground into the soil. I'd guess there was some grease involved as well but regardless it all came out with hardly any effort. It is true that the other 2 blankets needed the same "prep" as the first. A double washing, a thorough shake thru outside and then a couple hours over the radiator. Also, the smell varies with each blanket received...the 2nd of these was considerable stronger than the 1st. Maybe it depends on the storage conditions. Either way, the blanket is still bound on all 4 sides, still tough as nails and generous (to say the least) with sizing. I didn't bother to measure but the amount it shrank through the Washer is negligible. Definitely a cold-weather god send IMHO. Pair it up with a Mylar blanket and it's the perfect base cloth inside the tent. Having camped in the same conditions year after year (after year...) and knowing the expected temperature range at night I did just as I've suggested. No doubt in my mind the comfort zone was extended another 10-15 degrees colder versus just a sleeping pad. Best to you...!