Love fall and winter camping but starting to notice the cold more than you used to? A heated camping blanket may be the solution. These are travel and outdoor specific versions of the electric blankets folks have used for decades to warm up their favorite armchair or nightly blankets. Today we’re covering the best heated blankets available to figure out which ones work best for car and RV camping.
Best Heated Blankets for Camping
- Sojoy 12V Heated Smart Electric Travel Blanket
- Stalwart Electric Heated 12 Volt Fleece Blanket
- Roadpro 12 V Polar Fleece Heated Travel Blanket
- Car Cozy 2 12 V Heated Blanket
- Maxsa Innovations Comfy Cruise Heated Blanket
- Camco Polar Fleece Heated Blanket
- Schumacher 12V Heated Travel Blanket
- Zone Tech Car Heated Travel Blanket
- Electrowarmth Twin Heated Pad
When you’re comparing heated blankets it really comes down to just a few features. You need to know how you intend to use your blanket and what kind of performance you’re looking for.
We picked out some of the best heated camping blankets that cover a range of features, price points, and styles. Check them out and let us know what you think.
Sojoy 12V Heated Smart Multifunctional Travel Electric Blanket
The Sojoy 12 V Travel Electric Blanket is a multi-purpose heated banket. It’s designed to work for home, travel, and camping use.
It’s 60” x 40”, just right for one adult or two kids, and has a rapid 3-minute heat up. The blanket itself is made from lightweight polyester fleece. This is a popular material for regular blankets and provides a good amount of insulation for its weight.
There are three settings that control the temperature of the blanket, low, medium, and high. There’s also either a 30, 45, or 60-minute safety shut off switch.
It’s powered via a 12 V DC cigarette lighter style plug that works in car outlets or a portable generator. If you’re using it in your car the auto shut off feature is a great way to make sure you don’t accidentally drain your battery.
The Sojoy 12 V Heated Electric Blanket is a good option for long road trips or winter camping. It offers a fast initial heat up, is made from quality materials, and is affordably priced.
Stalwart Electric Heated 12 Volt Fleece Blanket
The Stalwart Electric Blanket is a 12 V DC heated camping blanket made from durable polyester fleece. It measures 59” x 43” and has a 96” long cord.
That’s just about right for one adult or two kids with a long enough cord to get in a comfortable position in relation to the outlet. It uses a standard DC cigarette lighter style plug that works with car outlets and most portable or solar generators.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Stalwart is a very basic electric blanket. It doesn’t offer an auto shut off feature or allow you to adjust the temperature. Once you plug it in the Stalwart warms up to operating temperature and stays there until you unplug it.
Because of this, it isn’t a great option for overnight use. It could easily drain your car or generator battery before you noticed it. While you’re awake or on the drive out to your campsite though it’s an excellent and low-cost choice.
Roadpro 12 V Polar Fleece Heated Travel Blanket
The Roadpro 12 V Heated Travel Blanket is a compact and easy to use heated blanket. It’s made from 100% Polar Fleece and uses a standard 12 V DC cigarette outlet style plug.
It measures 58” x 42.5”, perfect for one to two people to use comfortably. Because it’s made from polar fleece it does a good job keeping your comfortable even when turned off.
Like many other lower priced camping heated blankets the Roadpro lacks an auto shut off or temperature control. It warms up when you plug it in and keeps you fairly comfortable even in really cold weather.
We like how easy it is to use but wouldn’t be comfortable sleeping with it. As long as you’re okay with a regular fleece blanket for the night the Roadpro makes for a great daytime use blanket to keep you warm and toasty.
Car Cozy 2 12 V Heated Blanket
The Car Cozy 2 is a feature-packed heated camping blanket. It’s made from ultra-soft polyester fleece and is powered by a standard 12 V DC cigarette outlet style plug.
It gives you 58” x 42” of cover, plenty for one to two people willing to snuggle up close. The fleece construction makes it a pretty good option if you need it to do double duty as a regular blanket.
It only has a single temperature setting but it used an intuitive auto shut off timer system. You can choose from either 30 or 45 minutes when you set it up. If you want to keep it going after that time period there’s a reset button you can hit to start the timer over again.
The Car Cozy 2 has a 7-foot long cord with independent fusing. This helps give it an excellent safety track record overall.
If you’re looking for a good heated blanket for the drive up all the way into the coldest nights the Car Cozy 2 is a good option.
Maxsa Innovations Comfy Cruise Heated Blanket
The Maxsa Innovations Comfy Cruise is a heated travel and camping blanket. It’s made from polyester fleece and powered by 12 V DC.
It gives you 57” x 41” of coverage, just about perfect for one to two people. It heats up rapidly as soon as you plug it into an outlet.
It includes an auto shut off timer that gives you either 30 or 45 minutes of warmth before needing to be restarted. There’s a reset button right on the control disk that allows you to do this at any time.
The only real downside to the Comfy Cruise blanket is its single temperature setting. It’s quite warm, to the point where you can overheat if it’s not cold enough outside.
All in all though the Maxsa Innovation Comfy Cruise is a well made heated blanket perfect for daytime use or getting to sleep.
Camco Polar Fleece Heated Blanket
The Camco heated outdoor blanket is a polar fleece electric blanket. It uses a 12 V DC cigarette outlet style plug and measures 59” x 43”.
That’s large enough for one to two adults or several smaller kids. It has an 8 foot long power cord that gives you significant flexibility in where and how you use the blanket.
Because it’s made from polar fleece you can stay warm even after you unplug the blanket. It doesn’t offer any temperature control and lacks an auto shut off.
It’s great for use during the drive to your campsite or while sitting out by the fire but shouldn’t be used for sleeping unless you remember to unplug it before you actually fall asleep.
Schumacher 12V Heated Travel Blanket
The Schumacher 12 V polar fleece camping heated blanket offers quality warmth and comfort during camping trips and car rides. It measures 58” x 42” and is powered by an 8 foot long 12 V DC power cord.
That lets you use it comfortably just about anywhere and gives you a lot of flexibility in where you sit or lay down. It can be powered from your car’s cigarette lighter outlet or by a portable generator.
Its polar fleece design makes it a pretty good blanket even when not turned on. This allows you to quickly warm it up then sit comfortably under the blanket without power.
One thing to keep in mind though is that there is no temperature control. Once you plug it in the blanket heats up rapidly and stays that way till you unplug it.
Because it lacks an auto shut off it shouldn’t be used for sleeping with while plugged in. Overall though the Schumacher 12 V heated camping blanket is a good option for cold days spent relaxing around camp.
Zone Tech Car Heated Travel Blanket
The Zone Tech Heated Travel Blanket is a feature-packed option for travelers and campers in cold weather climates. It’s made from lightweight polyester fleece and measures 56” x 40”.
The Zone Tech is perfect for one person to wrap around themselves or two to lay underneath. It has a really nice temperature control device that lets you truly customize the warmth to your needs.
You can adjust the temperature pretty much endlessly. It also has a 45 minute auto shut off device to prevent the blanket from accidentally draining your battery.
It’s a great option if you’re looking for a way to get to sleep on a cold winter’s night without worrying about it running all night long.
Electrowarmth Twin Heated Pad
For those in really cold climates, you should also consider heated sleep pads. The Electrowarmth Heated Pad is a twin bed size heating pad perfect for car or RV camping.
It gives you a gentle radiant heat that helps keep you warm and toasty all night long. Because it works as a pad rather than a blanket you can lay your sleeping bag on top of it or use blankets.
It doubles as a padded place to sleep while preventing the cold ground from taking all your warmth. The Electrowarmth offers 7 different levels of heat with a simple to use dial control.
One thing to keep in mind is that it takes a while to warm up. Make sure you turn it on at least 15 minutes or so before you’re ready for bed.
Heated sleep pads are definitely heavier and bulkier than heated blankets but they can be a really good option nonetheless. We accidentally found a great way to use them for the whole family.
Lay the sleep pad out horizontally at everyone’s feet. It keeps your feet and lower legs nice and warm without heating your upper body too much.
Buyers Guide to Buying the Best Heated Blanket
Heated blankets are pretty simple as far as outdoor products go. There are a few basic features you need to look out for, but other than that it really comes down to your preference for price, appearance, and size.
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Price
Heated blankets are very affordably priced. You can pick one up for under $20, with only a few priced above $50.
If you want an absolutely top of the line heated camp blanket you are going to have to spend some serious money. A few big-name hiking and camping brands have gotten in on the game and while their products can be excellent, they’re definitely pricey.
Power Supply
One of the biggest misconceptions with heated camping blankets comes down to power. Currently, there aren’t any camping blankets that have their own power supply.
At first, this can seem like a downside, but we definitely think it’s a good thing. Instead of having to charge up a blanket itself you can plug it into a variety of different power sources.
The majority of heated blankets rely on 12 V DC power connectors. These work perfectly with a car cigarette lighter outlet plus a ton of great power banks and solar generators.
You can use your blanket on the drive up to a campsite then switch over to a solar-powered generator with a DC port for in-tent or in-hammock use. You can also use a portable generator. This lets you use both AC and DC powered heated blankets.
Auto Shut-off
An auto shut-off device is one of the most important things to look for in a heated camping blanket. This works using a timer and automatically turns off your blanket once the time limit is reached.
Most of the time they have increments running up to two hours. This is plenty of time to warm up for bedtime. It also makes it way less likely anything can happen while you’re sleeping peacefully.
Temperature Control & Heat Levels
In the past, heated blankets had one setting: On. Nowadays you have way more flexibility in the temperature and intensity of your heated blanket.
Many blankets will have a dial system that allows you to choose between low, medium, and high. The best and most expensive heated blankets now use digital temperature controls that let you set a specific temperature you want to be warmed to.
Speed of Heating
While this may seem counterintuitive you actually don’t want your camping blanket to heat up too fast. That can indicate that the heating element within is overpowered or even malfunctioning.
The best heated blankets warm-up to working temperatures within about 3 to 5 minutes. This is plenty fast enough to warm you through.
Blanket Insulation When Off
One thing a lot of people overlook when picking out heated blankets is how warm the blanket itself is. You really shouldn’t run your blanket all night long, so you need it to have a basic level of insulation to keep your cozy after it shuts off.
Most heated blankets are made using two layers of polar fleece or a similarly lightweight and flame retardant material. This allows you to enjoy a gentle warmth when the blankets on or off.
Length of Power Cord
The length of your blanket’s power cord is a lot more important than you might think. The last thing you want is to be tethered to an uncomfortable position because your blanket ran out of slack.
We recommend at least 5 feet, with 7 to 10 even better.
Battery Life
The battery life of your heated blanket depends entirely on how you choose to power it. If you’re running it off your car’s cigarette lighter you need to be careful not to run down your car battery.
Portable generators, battery banks, and solar generators all provide different capacities. Which one you use will affect how long you can operate your blanket.
One important caveat to battery life involves safety. Heated blankets are extremely well-made and safe, but it’s still a good idea to shut them off when you go to sleep.
During a cold winter’s day though you’re good to go as long as your battery will last.
Final Thoughts
Picking out the best heated blanket really comes down to where and how you intend to use it.
If you just want something to keep yourself warm during the day pretty much any blanket works. Even ones that just plug right in and warm up are fine when you can monitor battery and temperature levels.
If you really want a heated blanket to sleep with make sure it has safety features like adjustable temperature settings and especially an auto shut off device.