So…. I have found the absolute best item to have in the RV for keeping warm while winter camping! Surprisingly, it is NOT an electric blanket lol. I’ve never been a fan of electric blankets because I can feel the wires, not to mention that darn electric chord is always in the way and getting tangled up somehow. Also, I’m totally afraid of them catching on fire! I know that’s probably a silly fear but all that combined makes for a not so restful night of “sleep”… (sigh).
Having Conestoga Chuck and/or lil bit (our service dogs) co-sleep with us is super helpful in the warmth department (and did I mention they have a pet kitty who also likes to join us in the bed?). Honestly that is enough of an electric blanket right there to keep anyone warm lol but that’s not the wonderful product I found…
I’m talking about weighted blankets! Yay for whoever invented those! We purchased two. Mainly because they are very helpful if you have issues with restless leg syndrome or chronic pain etc. I can attest that they are fabulous for helping to relieve those types of aches and pains and allowing one to get a good nights sleep. I had held off buying a weighted blanket for years because of the cost, but this year they started popping up in the local Walmart and other stores at an affordable price… so I purchased not only one but two, because I liked them so much! We purchased a 6lb blanket to use on the couch as a throw while watching TV (which I have to admit is now lil bits favorite snuggle blanket and sometimes I have to wrestle it from her so I can have a turn with it! We even refer to that one as the dog blanket because honestly it’s a struggle for me to take it away from her and I have been relegated to the old throw blanket that she used to snuggle under lol … yep I got the old dog blanket and she got the new weighted blanket lol). The 6lb blanket is a perfect size and weight for couch use being the size of a normal lap blanket.
I also got a 12lb blanket for the bed which is about the size of a twin blanket and is honestly my favorite but a bit too heavy for the tiny 20lb lil bit to want to snuggle under for long. It is however, the perfect weight for my nightly aches and pains and really is a blessing just for relieving that issue in and of itself. I haven’t slept so well in years!
Ok, so now you are asking “why are we talking about weighted blankets and not winter camping?” Right? I learned that there is this really neat side effect to having a weighted blanket. After being under it for only a few minutes that sucker warms up and whatever they use in those little pouches to make the weights inside the blanket retains body heat fabulously. It retains body heat so nicely that it’s as warm to the touch as an electric blanket! Seriously!!!! I can get up in the morning and go fix a cup of coffee and come back to make the bed and that weighted blanket is still radiating heat like an electric blanket left turned on! It’s amazing really! So amazing that lil bit, who for many years has always slept under the blankets with me even in summer because she is always cold, has taken to stealing the weighted blanket at night (making a nest and then curling up in the center of it using just the heat of myself and herself to stay toasty all night long).
I’m completely amazed at how nice and toasty warm this thing stays!!!! Totally not a blanket I will be using in summer I’m guessing lol. So why is a weighted blanket perfect for camping? In an RV, space is tight and dangling electric chords are not my friend (especially if I need to get up in the middle of the night). When boondocking: electric is precious and not a thing to waste or your batteries will die quickly! Not that we do much boondocking in the winter, but you never know when there is going to be a power outage (even tho we do have a generator we could use, who wants to let the generator rumble and grumble all night just to have an electric blanket?). Our main heater is propane. However, in order to NOT run out of propane we tend to be as conservative as possible on its use and have a portable Dyson electric heater to supplement when on shore power. Some places you have to drive “fur-ev-uh!!!!!” Just to go get some propane …. and you DO NOT want to run out by accident in the middle of the night lol. So turning down the thermostat at night and having that weighted blanket (and the pups and their pet kitty) is an excellent way to conserve the propane and stay warm!
Now ….I’m not talking about winter camping in sunny Florida (a weighted blanket might be too hot for that actually) but I am talking about winter camping in 22 degree nights in the north east US! I wouldn’t try it in Montana lol but it’s perfect for light snow and cold areas that you plan on staying for a while. It’s worth using some of that weight allowance that we all worry about when living in an RV for a 12lb blanket (and I’m sure I can find something I can do without that weights 12 lbs to compensate for the extra weight lol).
So if you plan on doing some winter camping then do yourself a favor and totally get a weighted blanket (or two lol). You will be pleasantly surprised (like I was) with the extra benefits besides it helping with chronic pain issues “as advertised”. I recommend if you have pets getting two, because you are probably gonna loose at least one to the pup…. just saying lol. Weighted blankets are now dog and “hoooman” approved and Conestoga Chuck puts his personal paw stamp of approval on getting one. Lil bit says don’t touch HER weighted blanket tho. It’s hers and “go get your own! ” (I just type what they tell me to type and I swear that’s what she said! Lol)
Conestoga Chuck 