What makes a good picnic blanket? We have the answers you were looking for!

Are you taking the family out for a picnic? Or are you just planning a warm-weather outing? Don’t forget your picnic blanket. But, what if you don’t have one? What better way to start your preparation than picking out your perfect picnic blanket? We prepared the most important facts on What makes a good picnic blanket to help you choose the right one. 

Picnics have been around for quite a long time, but today’s picnics are much easier than back then. Today, we have waterproof blankets, picnic sets, and picnic baskets, all to make our outing more enjoyable. A good multi-purpose picnic blanket can make your picnic more enjoyable and successful. In the end, your picnic blanket needs to withhold wind, rain, condensation, and sand, when planning a meal outside.

What makes a good picnic blanket? 

Picnics are there to enjoy nature, tasty food, and refreshing drinks, most importantly, they are undertaken with the ones you love. But, before you pack your blanket, there is now a crucial item that can make or break your outdoor activity, and that is the picnic blanket.

The perfect picnic blanket should have a few qualities. These qualities depend on the style in which you intend to partake in them and some criteria not depending on you, like the size and quality of your blanket. The anatomy of a picnic blanket is simple, it mostly depends on how you plan on using it, and that is why what makes a good picnic blanket is important to have in mind. 

A good picnic blanket can be used as: 

• Festival blanket
• Tent floor
• Picnic blanket for traditional picnics
• Car blanket
• Beach blanket

And many other uses for a tarp, almost anything you can think of. But, it’s not the multiple purposes in question, instead, it’s how you intend on using your blanket. Is it going to be only a beach blanket, or are you going to take it to national parks too? In the end, your perfect picnic blanket is the one that fits your needs, and not the one size fits all, which most articles nowadays recommend. 

Next up, we will discuss what makes a good picnic blanket, its characteristics and what to look for when choosing the right fit for your next park field trip. 

Size of the blanket

The size of your seating space plays a crucial role in what makes a good picnic blanket. Your outdoor picnic blanket should offer you enough space to sit on it comfortably, while all of your food, drinks, and accessories are laying on top of it too. You shouldn’t feel cramped.

If you’re trying to cram as many accessories as possible onto your picnic blanket while on your picnic, and the space is as minimal as possible for you to sit, it’s no good. Imagine doing this on a too-small blanket, where you’re pulling the blanket to get more seating space, while the person sitting across from you is doing so too. 

If you’re searching for some more information on picnic blanket size, we have a great article with a size chat. How Big Should a Picnic Blanket Be: What Size Should I Choose for My Family? will tell you what to look out for when it comes to size and how big of a blanket you need, by the number of people you’re planning on seating. 

As you can see, a big picnic blanket is a must if you’re trying to seat a lot of people on it. If not, opt for something small and lightweight, perfect as a loveseat.

Material of the blanket

The upper material of the blanket or top layer also makes a difference when it comes to both the use and quality of the blanket. There are numerous materials in use today, from fleece to nylon. And however minimal this factor may sound, it really does make a difference. 

Nylon and other withstanding materials are used for long endurance and hot weather, as beach blankets.

Cotton blends are for classic picnic parties for adults, which offer fast drying and easy use.

A wool outdoor blanket is a luxury picnic blanket, it breathes well and offers heat retention, but is not machine washable and is on the expensive side. 

Last but not least is the fleece blanket, with the most followers. People love it because it’s cushioning, fluffy, and offers insulation. 

Since there are so many versions of the camping blanket today, you can choose the fabric according to your needs. First, you will have to have in mind what your intended use is, and then how much you’re willing to pay for your blanket.

Waterproofness of the blanket

Some picnic blankets have a water-resistant or waterproof layer on their lower side. A light shower can come by on any sunny day, and the wet grass in your park of choice can try and ruin your outing. That is why blanket manufacturers started making a waterproof bottom layer on their blankets. 

A waterproof blanket will keep you and your friends dry by keeping the moisture and the cold away from your clothes and skin in any condition. Think of what you will use your blanket for, and how the weather is currently where you’re at. After that, choose whether it’s best to purchase a blanket with or without waterproof backing. 

If you’re facing colder and wetter climates, it would be good to have one. But, if you live in the tropics with minimal rain, and if you’re trying to find a blanket for the beach, you might not need a waterproof blanket.

Machine-washable blanket

This might not seem like an eliminatory characteristic of what makes a good picnic blanket. Once you go out for a fall picnic and all of the little leaves start to stick onto your blanket, and your pet’s hair sticks to it too, you will realize why this is on our list. 

Having a machine-washable blanket is a pro for those of us with pets and any other kind of messy hobby. Some people even like to wash their outdoor blanket in the washing machine after every use, just to keep it germ-free. 

You can check out more information on why wash your picnic blanket every season and a guide on how to do this, in our article on How To Wash a Blanket and Maintain it Afterward. There, you will find a washing guide and a how-to on maintaining it.

Portability of the blanket

How portable your blanket is, is one of the key motives when it comes to what makes a good picnic blanket. How you can transport your blanket is important for ease of use and the probability of your foldable blanket. It’s mandatory in deciding if you’re taking it with you on a camping trip, fishing, or anywhere else, for that matter. 

If your blanket takes up a lot of space, the chances of you bringing it with you on every outing are very small. One just can’t afford to buy a separate favorite picnic basket to transport a picnic blanket. This is why portability together with a stuff sack is key to making your perfect blanket transportable and bringing it with you to every outdoor function.

Lightweight blanket

Just like the portability, the weight of your blanket might play a crucial role in making or breaking it. Weight is a factor of what makes a good picnic blanket, and you can imagine how hard it might be to carry around a 10 pound heavy and extra-large blanket. 

This goes especially if your picnicking place isn’t so close to the car, your hand might feel like it’s going to fall off. That’s why we recommend choosing your blanket also by weight, as one of the many factors in your choice.

Our Choice: The KAMUI Outdoor Blanket

One blanket that fits all of these factors is the KAMUI outdoor blanket. But let us not talk, here are the most important facts that will prove so:

• Size: Fits four people on it
• Material: Fleece top layer
• Waterproof: Yes, it has a waterproof backing
• Machine washable: Yes, you can wash it in the washing machine
• Portable: Yes, it comes with a stuff sack
• Lightweight: Yes, this item is light to carry

Conclusion

In the end, all that matters is that you are happy with your waterproof picnic blanket and that it offered you protection against the cold and wet ground. What other way to do it than to satisfy all your needs, from size, material to waterproofness? Our shortlist of criteria was exactly about this, helping those who need a hand with choosing the right gear for their next trip to the park. 

We hope our article on What makes a good picnic blanket helped you with choosing the right model of blanket for your next outing, and that it served you perfectly when outside.