Something that is really useful is a tightly woven polyester sheet. It's not much more volume or weight, but you can throw it on over the wool (especially your loosely woven or knitted wool), and it will act as a wind breaker type barrier, and really goes a long way as an added layer. If you know you're going to be in crazy cold north, or antarctica, etc.. You can even sew the sheet to the wool blanket. The combination is much better than either piece by itself. I typically don't sew them on, so you can layer as needed, or remove it as needed, ect. Just like you do with layers of clothing. Always take a sheet with you.
@@gregzeigler3850 Right on.. I have a few of those triple sleeper systems. Like a military bivy and two sleeping bags inside; one heavy and one a little thinner.. You can climb in all three at once and zip it up over you and it's like you're inside a tent.. a coffin shaped tent. ;) It's good for down to -20 F when sleeping right on the ground. It has to be super cold to even use it really.
I just stumbled across this while researching 100% wool blankets. The amazon label states it was triple washed in production and is machine washable. This tells me it is made from superwashed wool, which is a chemical process the wool goes through in the beginning before weaving. The surplus blanket is most likely not surperwashed. The difference between your army surplus blanket and this one is the weave and the wool percentage. No matter how many times you wash your surplus blanket, the weave will never become tighter or closer together because of the blend. 100% wool shrinks, blends still shrink, but very little. The lanolin has all been washed out of these in that triple wash process. That sheen is most likely something added at the end of their process and will wash out. I am curious to know if that's the case with your blanket. Just as a little background, I own a wool mill and spin yarn for 100% Montana made wool blankets, so I know a little bit about this process. I can assure you, they aren't $50 blankets, however. :) Keep up the good work.
Hey, expert 😊 Is it true that wool will give off a chemical smell? Read reviews on an Amazon blanket and people were trying to wash it off and one reviewer mentioned the Lanolin.
@@dyscea Lanolin is a natural grease the sheep produce. Very little is left after the washing process, if any. None would be left in the wool after a super-wash process. Chemicals are used to strip the scales off of the wool during that process. Yes, wool has scales if you look at it under a microscope. Lanolin hides inside of those scales. Without scales, there's no place to hide and hence no lanolin. In my mill I wash wool at 170 degrees. No agitation. It gets rid of most of the lanolin, but in heavy grease breeds it needs a rewash, especially if it sits around too long before we get to the carding process. This may all be too much information, but there you have it. Lanolin is definitely not a chemical odor.
@@lavonnestucky5196 Ah, good. Ya, i understood all your info. So there’s something definitely funny with those “chemical” smelling blankets. Thank you!! 🥰
@@dyscea makes me want to order one just to see, but I only see gray available now. Thinking of making a NorSari wrap for winter lambing here. Don't plan to use one of my own blankets for that, so this is a good alternative. I like the blue. I am also curious to know if there's any info on the insert paper.
@@dyscea I just watched another review. These are made in India. Hard to say what is sprayed on them once they are made. Chemical odor to me equals pesticide to prevent moths.
Re: wool blankets. From what I read 100% wool is naturally fire retardant, the others are treated and there are a lot of complaints about their smell. The 100% wool is a LOT warmer.
Great video mate. I just bought a few wool blankets. They’re all different. I have one like your black one, it’s awesome, so warm. Today, my Australian Army blanket arrived, it’s older than me, it’s see through like the other one you showed. It’s still a great blanket but I know which one I’ll be sleeping in. 100% wool blankets can’t be beaten.👍🏼
Ekto has both virgin wool and refurbished wool. The refurbished wool will release dust bunnies and I believe it can be washed whereas virgin (new) wool which has longer fibers, must be dry cleaned.
I have one of these same blankets, EKTOS, made in India. They are great values for a new HEAVY wool blanket. Mine has been washed and used quite a bit and it has gotten softer and "loftier" with use. Mine had no smell either. I tried to find something wrong with as it seems to be too good of a price but so far nothing bad to say. Glad to see you had a good experience at the school during your basic class! Hope you will come back for Pioneer/Scout. Take care.
I have taken all of Dave's survival classes and am a certified instructor at the school. I have seen the basic class evolve so much over the past few years. There are things in the basic class that used to be in the advanced class but that only means that there is that much more information that has been added to the pioneer and advanced Classes. It really has always been Dave's goal to keep raising the bar. Maybe we will meet out there someday:) Take care.
Absolutely brother. You did a good job on your summary of the basic class. Considering all that is going on, you did well to get the video clips filmed! Keep up the good work and take care.
Thanks for the information. Please keep us posted on the blanket's effectiveness during your Canterbury adventure. Lastly, other reviewers on the Amazon site complained of a chemical smell which was hard to eliminate. Does your blanket have the smell, and if so, how do you plan to get rid if it?
Thank you, I will keep you posted. Mine doesn’t have a smell, however it is machine washable and that’s how I plan to clean it. Thanks for the comment!
Awesome find brother! Gonna grab one of these for sure. I just bought 2 from Harbor Freight for $11.99 each. I’m going to cut one in half, sew half onto the other full size blanket to make the burrito wrap awesome and then use the half left over as a shard for my haversack. Got the idea from Dan at Coalcracker Bushcraft. Cheers brother!
Yeah... The Harbor Freight wool blankets are 70/30, made from recycled short fibers and will shed like it's going out of style. I have two of these Ektos wool blankets, the blue 100% wool, and the green 90% wool. The blue 100% wool blanket is long fiber virgin wool, while the 90% is short fiber recyled wool mixed with virgon wool. The blankets come "unfinished". What that means is that they haven't been fulled and combed to bring up the loft. What i did when I bought both of the blankets was to immediately run a tub of the hottest water my tap could pour out and place the blanket (one at a time) in side and added soap and began to agitate them with my hands continuously for about 15-20 minutes. This is "fulling" and what it's meant to do is a) remove fibers that would naturally shed out because they are not strongly connected to the yarn, help close the weave, making the blanket more tight and wind-proof, and to help soften the blanket. Once the agitation was done and the water had become tepid, I drained the tub and let the the blanket drain out most of the excess moisture for about 15 minutes. I then rolled the blanket up and squeezed as much of the water out as I could before I took it to the wwashing machine and put it on the spin cycle. When it was finished, I placed it in the dryer on medium heat, checking it about every ten minutes or so until the blanket was about 85% dry. I then switched the cycle to an air dry and let that run until the blanket was finished drying. Again, this is called filling, and is recommended for these blankets. When the blue 100% wool blanket was finished, I had lost about 1 inch on either side that measured 60 inches, and about 1/2 inch on either side that measured 90 inches. The blanket came out so tight that you couldn't see any light shine through it and was noticably softer, had more loft and was overall free from loose fibers. I did the exact same thing with the green 90% blanket, but noticed it shed quite a bit more. This is absolutely to be expected, it is NOT a defect, and does not mean it is bad quality. This is an entirely NORMAL thing for a blanket that's been made from recycled fibers. When drying the 90% green blanket, I made sure to stop the dryer every 10 minutes or so and clean the lint trap as the wool will build up. By the time the blanket was dry, I had a ball of loose fiber that was quite large. Like.. 7 inches in diameter almost. Again. These are unfinished blankets. So I expected this. When the green blanket finished drying, I had lost about the same amount all around as I had with the blue blanket, and though the weave had not closed as much as the 100% wool blanket, this was not unexpected, as the fiber structure is different and recycled wool tenda to not shrink as much, sometimes not all, like virgin wool. Now some of you may say, "hey, i've had recycled wool blankets before that didn't shed like crazy, so I know these blankets are crap." Well, again, these blankets are not finished. They were woven, and then they were packaged. They did not go through the fulling step and the final washing and drying step. Even rothco military blankets go through the finisbing steps and when you wash them for the first time you'll notice that they leave quite a bit of wool behind in the lint trap. Overall, I would absolutely buy these blankets all over again. In fact, come next paycheck I'm planning on buying two more 100% wool blankets and then the 90% grey blanket. These blankets are great blankets. You just need to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to do it. Also, 90% of prepper and back country forums and what-not have almost no useful information about wool blanket care and maintenance. Almost all will give you wive's tales and bullsh*t. For the price, these blankets cannot be beat.
Also, anyone who mentions "pressed wool blanket" basically has no idea what they are talking about. True, actual pressed wool fabric is wool felt that has been aditionally pressed to compress it. When people talk about blankets being pressed wool blankets, I suspect they are talking about the lack of loft. That lack of loft is, in actuality, due to the nature of the wool fibers themselves. All army surplus blankets are comprised of recycled wool fibers, which again, are recycled, far shorter than virgin wool, and therefore lack the capabilities to create and maintain loft within the fibers due to the nature of their shortness. That isn't to say all recycled wool blankets are unable to gain loft, becaus they can, it just depends upon the amount of virgin wool mixed in with the recycled wool. The EKTOS 100% wool blanket is loom woven, which means it is not pressed. All military surplus blankets are also loom woven, as well as their modern reproductions. As far as I know, there are no manufacturers of felted, or pressed wool (which is felted wool) blankets. Just thought i would throw some more information out there.
"I dont know if this has been washed?" Yes, that's 100% why the new blanket seems thicker than the old. two of the same blankets, but one was washed 3 times, meand hte unwashed one is warmer and more comfortable than the washed one that is as warm and protective as a cotton sheet.
If you sleep upon a canvas cot use the cheapie stop it to insulate from cold. 70 30 are usually called a wool blend has far less lines of threading, holes in it. There are multiple "wools", but how a blanket is "woven" determines thickness, some blamkets, you will notice the smaller ones than his can use same amount of wool as his larger one and will have more loft too it, thickness. Some European wool blankets are far better than US military contractors supply, especially those from Germany andbScandinavian nations. Theirs has more loft, many with double stitched foldover hems, note cheap sown spacing of his new blanket, sewing wool is not same as sewing cotton or synthetic fibers. The large size of new is great as you can double wrap a single person or cover two people at once utilizing eachs body heat to stay warm, better than having to use two normal size blankets for extreme cold or to stop hypothermia. Emergency wool blankets are usually double the thickness, of a high loft design and on some one can feel almost as a quilted feel, a lot heavier and warmer. The term emergency blanket has no manufacturing code as to fabric content loft and weave, Why wool is so expensive today is all due to US Pentagon, mainly corporate sheep growers and handlers who are the most heavily subsidized of any farm animal, Get a dozen sheep of wool variety, there be differences in wool of sheep breeds and of meat variety, but mainly you cannot lose money because since beginning of WWII they are classified as a Strategic Asset. Where as military and mainly hospitals were users of sheep wool the hospitals today use synthetic bedding materials.
In India you can get 5' by 7' about 2.2 to 5.5 lbs. I make pants and jackets out of them. Like professional finish. Its the only way you can get quality clothes cheap these days. Blankets can be pure wool if you want that, but the 80/20 wool/synthetic fiber mix performs better. Much stronger than the pure wool ones since these are made of recycled wool. Little over $2 a piece up to like $10. Can't complain. Let me know if you want some. I'd be glad to send them at cost. I can even send the army ones.
@@rubiconoutdoors3492 you can, but I've had much better luck ordering from turkey. Their blankets are pure new wool, rated for European militaries. They're much higher quality as well. They don't pill as much.
Awesome find my man! Last piece of gear I needed for Dave’s class is the $175 wool blanket on his site. I was dreading spending that just on a blanket, but man you made my day! This is great 👍 Thanks love your channel. I would love to see a second review “ Review “ since this is technically a reveal more than a review, but very cool man
Hey, Twister, absolutely get this blanket. I have it, and it's fantastic. It requires some care initially, but when done, it turns this blanket into a top-notch blanket that can't be beat anywjere close to it's pricepoint.
I have stayed away from wool since I was a youth because of allergy I'm afraid too pay for one incase i still am has anyone any advice would be welcome
Ive seen other wool blanket videos where people were commenting about if u wash it before your first use it will be soft from then on. I guess they are a little scratchy at first
Not as good. A) the "italian army wool blankets" you find online nowadays are modern reproductions and are made of short recycled wool fibers, which are inferior to long fiber virgin wool. B) the "Italian" blanket is a blend of wool, C) the "Italian" blankets are are considerably less quality, meaning the weave is looser, the fabric is lighter, etc. If you have to skimp for bushcraft, especially on one of the most essential pieces, you shouldn't be doing bushcraft. These blankets are the absolute best deal for 100% pure virgin wool in this weight that you can possibly get at the moment. And 50 bucks isn't that much more for something that outperforms in every way any military blanlet currently on the market. And if you got the italian blanket because it seems like every other weekend warrior bushcrafter on youtube or on the forums chooses them, than you are making your choice on some pretty piss-poor information that's rooted in mojo and superstition than hard science.
+100500 The fabric of this wool blanket is similar that the Russian's military coat for soldiers or officers is made from. Real wool. Not very thick, but enough good and warm with the tent or tarp for cold night somewhere in Taiga. I'm Russian and served at Soviet Army in 1988-89 and I wore the great or overcoat ("shinel" by Russian) from this wool. It's OK and Right choice. Good luck!
Well how cool is that! We both served in our countries military at the same time. My father was a Russian immigrant, thus I’m first gen American. Hit me up on Instagram if you can, I’d love to talk with you some more.
Great, information al video - THANKS! I just purchased this from ChinaMart for $25 - Olive Drab Green Warm Wool Fire Retardant Blanket, 66 x 90 (80% Wool)-US Military
I took the 2016 PF Basic class. Tip: Lots of briars and rosebushes on Dave's property; make sure you have your sail needle with you. (I'd take tweezers, too.). I picked lots of thorns and splinters out of my hands. You'll thank me! Still an absolutely incredible weekend!!!
Also, take a pair of camp shoes with some tread. It rained all weekend long (and I mean ALL weekend long!) and it was nice to let the boots dry by the fire in the evenings, and wear them. Dave's crew kept a large fire going for the entirety of my class, and lots of folks cooked, dried out gear, and warmed up there. Your water bottle full of hot water and wrapped in a wool sock makes a great heater inside your sleeping system. :-)
Nice but it has no loft. I live in Canada and the winter cold here will cut into you like a bayonet. Loft is critical for heat retention. That blanket,doubled, will do the trick for most colder winter stuff but one would need additional down sleeping bag.
Received mine yesterday. Quality seems to be good. But the smell is unbearable and it is not only the typical wool smell. After airing it outside for a few hours, it started to rain, I rolled it up. Washed my hands and the water was black. So, what is your experience with smell and color (dirt)? Thanks for the video and regards from Germany ✌️
Thanks, I’m taking the class in the summer and debating on whether I “need” the queen size being that I have a full. Wasn’t sure if there were any specific activities and/or uses that required a specific size.
What's the deal with these blankets and fire retardant treatment? I know wool is naturally fire resistant but these blankets on amazon tend to all indicate that they're treated to be fire resistant. I want to get something like this for coat making but it seems kinda disgusting knowing there are carcinogens imbedded in the fabric. Theres all kinds of advice for removing FR treatment from vinegar, to oxy-clean, to 10 washings with bleach. Does anyone really know there stuff when it comes to this? $20 for 3+ yards of heavy wool fabric seems like a steal, if only we can get around the FR treatment.
You make an interesting point. I never thought about it before, I wonder if they have to do it if it’s from a factory as opposed to being hand made. Thanks for the comment.
They have no chemical fire retardant. The fire retardant for the 100% wool blankets was the wool itself. All other blankets had a borax fire retardant but they discontinued that because most ignorant people believe borax to be harmful (only if you eat it, which begs the question as to why you would go about suckling your blanket in the first place). So now none of their blankets have borax fire retardant treatments. I emailed the distributor directly to get the info.
Thanks for the video ! Can't find any other videos on this blanket . I'm looking for a new blanket and am reluctant to spend 4 or 5 times as much for a Bushcraft blanket . I do winter Bushcraft trips in the Sacramento mountains inn NM I use a XL jungle blanket now with my 90% Pathfinder blanket in tempatures around 16° sleeping by a fire . Do you think this could replace my 90° rugged blanket I have now ? PS loved your 2018 gathering video !
First and foremost thank you for the comment, most appreciated. Secondly I don’t think it will replace your Pathfinder blanket. I’ve seen both and the Pathfinder blanket appears to be better then this inexpensive wool blanket.
@@UglyTent the one I have is the 90% $35 one 60x90 . I haven't got the 100% queen , waiting for them to restock but I'm definitely interested in the ectos thanks
Not ever why you would have a wool blanket in a survival situation. I have used will blankets for years and other then reflecting find no reason to use one. My military blanket is very dense. Not sure what kind you have. But the way WB varies, not necessarily the wool. But GL.
I am looking 100 percent brown wool cloth niot a blanket.. To be use for brown scapular.. If ever you had how much will cost for 1 yard.. What is yout place.. May i know thank you
I have been wondering about these blankets.. I glad you did this unboxing. Question.. so is this a twin or queen size blanket? You mention needing a Q-size for the course, but 66" x 90" would be a T-size.. Thanks for the video..
UglyTent Bushcraft & Survival I did a Google hunt myself.. the sizes you list are the actual bed size. Blanket sizes are as follows : Blanket Sizes: Twin 66x90" Full 80x90" Full/Queen 90x90" Queen 90x90" King 108x90" BTW.. I'm subbed!
There's something off about that blanket. I can't say for sure because I'm not there and can't hold it in my hands, but there was a sheen to it. Woven wool shouldn't have a sheen. And the "tightness" of the weave seems off too. Almost like they took small pieces of wool and compressed them in way similar to the manufacture of particle board. I'm just guessing. Please come back and update your review after having used it in various conditions. Thanks. Good and helpful review!
You're wrong, Michael. That "sheen" is called lanolin. I have two of the 4 blankets the company offers, the blue 100% and the green 90%. Both contained lanolin, which almost every other blanket does not have as it's been stripped in the finishing stages. Also, the blue 100 wool blanket is not compressed fibers. It's 100% virgin wool, long hair fibers, that have been tightly woven. Also, the dye used for this blanket is a natural plant indigo dye, and that can definitely impart a "sheen" to wool.
I was looking at your blanket and in the description it says no fire retardant was added but other chemicals were used in preparing the blanket. I said all of that to say this, be careful around open flames.
Does it smell? I bought two wool blanket from amazon and they all have gasoline alike smell which I could not get rid of. Sun dry for days, multiple washes, non helped.
Mine didn’t, but I’ve heard that complaint before. Check out some of the other comments on here, there is some valuable information regarding wool blankets.
I’ve got a 70% that I love and use way more. It packs up a lot nicer and isn’t as heavy. A lot depends on where your camping and how far your traveling
DIYTFY cheapest I’ve seen a 100% wool blanket yet. Typically they’re much more costly. Typically blankets in the $50 range I’ve seen are 70 or 80% wool, which from what I understand isn’t as fire resistant or as insulating.
It's a matter of strength and texture. If it's a blanket it's probably about strength. Not something I'd worry about given the weight and thickness of these blankets. Also, the 80/20 mixes perform best in my experience. Keep you warm when wet but still shed water and block air. It's insane how well it works. I make jackets and pants out of them. I have a jacket that's been on 2 month-long treks and half a dozen week-long ones as well as every cold outdoor experience. Rough conditions and it's still in perfect shape.
Virgin wool is the very first time that sheep got sheared. It will be full of lanolin and super soft, and most importantly NOT scratchy. Don’t buy anything cheap, it’s cheap for a reason. It’s not up to the quality of good gear.
Right now I found an 80/20 wool blend blanket on Amazon, lighter and almost 1/2 the price of the EKTOS from TreasureGurus LLC. The only EKTOS blankets I saw were either 90% or 80% wool. They weren't the navy blue though.
this sandpiper needs some gear and camp & learn from you, Girl in the woods, Spirit forest, Self Reliance & all the dogs....ha ha ha......change this flip flops for bush gear.....TY for sharing your sources...
Bud I'm sorry but the harbor freight ones for 12.00 or 10.00 are a much better deal you can get two and just be toasty lol lol but it's. Up to the person good luck at camp
I used a single HFT wool blanket for my Basic PF class. Rained all weekend and about 40* at night. I was plenty warm. Maybe being dead tired helped my sleep. :-)
The harbor freight blancket is a wool blend!! Be carefull! So it might be only 10% wool, or 20% wool and the rest polyester or something else, that's why they call them "wool blend"
Something that is really useful is a tightly woven polyester sheet. It's not much more volume or weight, but you can throw it on over the wool (especially your loosely woven or knitted wool), and it will act as a wind breaker type barrier, and really goes a long way as an added layer. If you know you're going to be in crazy cold north, or antarctica, etc.. You can even sew the sheet to the wool blanket. The combination is much better than either piece by itself. I typically don't sew them on, so you can layer as needed, or remove it as needed, ect. Just like you do with layers of clothing. Always take a sheet with you.
A large harbor freight moving blanket will keep the wind out and keep one warm. Plus it's fairly cheap.
@@gregzeigler3850 Right on.. I have a few of those triple sleeper systems. Like a military bivy and two sleeping bags inside; one heavy and one a little thinner.. You can climb in all three at once and zip it up over you and it's like you're inside a tent.. a coffin shaped tent. ;) It's good for down to -20 F when sleeping right on the ground. It has to be super cold to even use it really.
I just stumbled across this while researching 100% wool blankets. The amazon label states it was triple washed in production and is machine washable. This tells me it is made from superwashed wool, which is a chemical process the wool goes through in the beginning before weaving. The surplus blanket is most likely not surperwashed. The difference between your army surplus blanket and this one is the weave and the wool percentage. No matter how many times you wash your surplus blanket, the weave will never become tighter or closer together because of the blend. 100% wool shrinks, blends still shrink, but very little.
The lanolin has all been washed out of these in that triple wash process. That sheen is most likely something added at the end of their process and will wash out. I am curious to know if that's the case with your blanket.
Just as a little background, I own a wool mill and spin yarn for 100% Montana made wool blankets, so I know a little bit about this process. I can assure you, they aren't $50 blankets, however. :)
Keep up the good work.
Hey, expert 😊 Is it true that wool will give off a chemical smell? Read reviews on an Amazon blanket and people were trying to wash it off and one reviewer mentioned the Lanolin.
@@dyscea Lanolin is a natural grease the sheep produce. Very little is left after the washing process, if any. None would be left in the wool after a super-wash process. Chemicals are used to strip the scales off of the wool during that process. Yes, wool has scales if you look at it under a microscope. Lanolin hides inside of those scales. Without scales, there's no place to hide and hence no lanolin. In my mill I wash wool at 170 degrees. No agitation. It gets rid of most of the lanolin, but in heavy grease breeds it needs a rewash, especially if it sits around too long before we get to the carding process. This may all be too much information, but there you have it. Lanolin is definitely not a chemical odor.
@@lavonnestucky5196 Ah, good. Ya, i understood all your info. So there’s something definitely funny with those “chemical” smelling blankets. Thank you!! 🥰
@@dyscea makes me want to order one just to see, but I only see gray available now. Thinking of making a NorSari wrap for winter lambing here. Don't plan to use one of my own blankets for that, so this is a good alternative. I like the blue. I am also curious to know if there's any info on the insert paper.
@@dyscea I just watched another review. These are made in India. Hard to say what is sprayed on them once they are made. Chemical odor to me equals pesticide to prevent moths.
My worst night sleeping with this blanket was still a hundred times better than my best night sleeping without it. 👍🏻👍🏻
Re: wool blankets. From what I read 100% wool is naturally fire retardant, the others are treated and there are a lot of complaints about their smell. The 100% wool is a LOT warmer.
Thrift stores!.. every visit is an adventure. You find great wool blanket treasure and save $$$.. Subbed💯👍
Great video mate. I just bought a few wool blankets. They’re all different. I have one like your black one, it’s awesome, so warm.
Today, my Australian Army blanket arrived, it’s older than me, it’s see through like the other one you showed. It’s still a great blanket but I know which one I’ll be sleeping in.
100% wool blankets can’t be beaten.👍🏼
Looks like a top notch blanket and with it being 100% wool that makes a difference.
I bought 7 military blankets years ago. 100 percent Woll for 10 bucks each that i am very happy with
Ekto has both virgin wool and refurbished wool. The refurbished wool will release dust bunnies and I believe it can be washed whereas virgin (new) wool which has longer fibers, must be dry cleaned.
I have one of these same blankets, EKTOS, made in India. They are great values for a new HEAVY wool blanket. Mine has been washed and used quite a bit and it has gotten softer and "loftier" with use. Mine had no smell either. I tried to find something wrong with as it seems to be too good of a price but so far nothing bad to say. Glad to see you had a good experience at the school during your basic class! Hope you will come back for Pioneer/Scout. Take care.
Awesome! Thank you for the comment. I hear a lot more good about this blanket then I do bad. Have you taken the courses?
I have taken all of Dave's survival classes and am a certified instructor at the school. I have seen the basic class evolve so much over the past few years. There are things in the basic class that used to be in the advanced class but that only means that there is that much more information that has been added to the pioneer and advanced Classes. It really has always been Dave's goal to keep raising the bar. Maybe we will meet out there someday:) Take care.
I’m impressed! It’s an honor to have you watching my videos. Yes, maybe we will meet there one day. Thanks again.
Absolutely brother. You did a good job on your summary of the basic class. Considering all that is going on, you did well to get the video clips filmed! Keep up the good work and take care.
It's a very good blanket. I got the queen size. It didn't shed much after the first wash.
Oh SO EXCITING you are going to his class, wish I was going. Will have to tell us how it goes. Nice review!!
Thanks T! I will tell you all about it when I get back. PS. If you ever go I’ll meet you there.
Thanks for the information. Please keep us posted on the blanket's effectiveness during your Canterbury adventure. Lastly, other reviewers on the Amazon site complained of a chemical smell which was hard to eliminate. Does your blanket have the smell, and if so, how do you plan to get rid if it?
Thank you, I will keep you posted. Mine doesn’t have a smell, however it is machine washable and that’s how I plan to clean it. Thanks for the comment!
Enjoyed the video nice blanket looks like it’s heavy duty. enjoy and God bless
Awesome find brother! Gonna grab one of these for sure. I just bought 2 from Harbor Freight for $11.99 each. I’m going to cut one in half, sew half onto the other full size blanket to make the burrito wrap awesome and then use the half left over as a shard for my haversack. Got the idea from Dan at Coalcracker Bushcraft. Cheers brother!
Thanks buddy! Yeah somebody else mentioned Harbor Freight having them. I’ll have to check that out. Cheers brother!
Yeah... The Harbor Freight wool blankets are 70/30, made from recycled short fibers and will shed like it's going out of style. I have two of these Ektos wool blankets, the blue 100% wool, and the green 90% wool. The blue 100% wool blanket is long fiber virgin wool, while the 90% is short fiber recyled wool mixed with virgon wool. The blankets come "unfinished". What that means is that they haven't been fulled and combed to bring up the loft.
What i did when I bought both of the blankets was to immediately run a tub of the hottest water my tap could pour out and place the blanket (one at a time) in side and added soap and began to agitate them with my hands continuously for about 15-20 minutes. This is "fulling" and what it's meant to do is a) remove fibers that would naturally shed out because they are not strongly connected to the yarn, help close the weave, making the blanket more tight and wind-proof, and to help soften the blanket. Once the agitation was done and the water had become tepid, I drained the tub and let the the blanket drain out most of the excess moisture for about 15 minutes. I then rolled the blanket up and squeezed as much of the water out as I could before I took it to the wwashing machine and put it on the spin cycle. When it was finished, I placed it in the dryer on medium heat, checking it about every ten minutes or so until the blanket was about 85% dry. I then switched the cycle to an air dry and let that run until the blanket was finished drying. Again, this is called filling, and is recommended for these blankets. When the blue 100% wool blanket was finished, I had lost about 1 inch on either side that measured 60 inches, and about 1/2 inch on either side that measured 90 inches. The blanket came out so tight that you couldn't see any light shine through it and was noticably softer, had more loft and was overall free from loose fibers. I did the exact same thing with the green 90% blanket, but noticed it shed quite a bit more. This is absolutely to be expected, it is NOT a defect, and does not mean it is bad quality. This is an entirely NORMAL thing for a blanket that's been made from recycled fibers. When drying the 90% green blanket, I made sure to stop the dryer every 10 minutes or so and clean the lint trap as the wool will build up. By the time the blanket was dry, I had a ball of loose fiber that was quite large. Like.. 7 inches in diameter almost. Again. These are unfinished blankets. So I expected this. When the green blanket finished drying, I had lost about the same amount all around as I had with the blue blanket, and though the weave had not closed as much as the 100% wool blanket, this was not unexpected, as the fiber structure is different and recycled wool tenda to not shrink as much, sometimes not all, like virgin wool. Now some of you may say, "hey, i've had recycled wool blankets before that didn't shed like crazy, so I know these blankets are crap." Well, again, these blankets are not finished. They were woven, and then they were packaged. They did not go through the fulling step and the final washing and drying step. Even rothco military blankets go through the finisbing steps and when you wash them for the first time you'll notice that they leave quite a bit of wool behind in the lint trap.
Overall, I would absolutely buy these blankets all over again. In fact, come next paycheck I'm planning on buying two more 100% wool blankets and then the 90% grey blanket. These blankets are great blankets. You just need to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to do it. Also, 90% of prepper and back country forums and what-not have almost no useful information about wool blanket care and maintenance. Almost all will give you wive's tales and bullsh*t. For the price, these blankets cannot be beat.
Wow! Tons of great information, thank you very much.
@@UglyTent no worries, my friend. Hopefully this helps you out the next time you get another good blanket.
Also, anyone who mentions "pressed wool blanket" basically has no idea what they are talking about. True, actual pressed wool fabric is wool felt that has been aditionally pressed to compress it. When people talk about blankets being pressed wool blankets, I suspect they are talking about the lack of loft. That lack of loft is, in actuality, due to the nature of the wool fibers themselves. All army surplus blankets are comprised of recycled wool fibers, which again, are recycled, far shorter than virgin wool, and therefore lack the capabilities to create and maintain loft within the fibers due to the nature of their shortness. That isn't to say all recycled wool blankets are unable to gain loft, becaus they can, it just depends upon the amount of virgin wool mixed in with the recycled wool. The EKTOS 100% wool blanket is loom woven, which means it is not pressed. All military surplus blankets are also loom woven, as well as their modern reproductions. As far as I know, there are no manufacturers of felted, or pressed wool (which is felted wool) blankets. Just thought i would throw some more information out there.
"I dont know if this has been washed?" Yes, that's 100% why the new blanket seems thicker than the old. two of the same blankets, but one was washed 3 times, meand hte unwashed one is warmer and more comfortable than the washed one that is as warm and protective as a cotton sheet.
If you sleep upon a canvas cot use the cheapie stop it to insulate from cold. 70 30 are usually called a wool blend has far less lines of threading, holes in it.
There are multiple "wools", but how a blanket is "woven" determines thickness, some blamkets, you will notice the smaller ones than his can use same amount of wool as his larger one and will have more loft too it, thickness.
Some European wool blankets are far better than US military contractors supply, especially those from Germany andbScandinavian nations.
Theirs has more loft, many with double stitched foldover hems, note cheap sown spacing of his new blanket, sewing wool is not same as sewing cotton or synthetic fibers.
The large size of new is great as you can double wrap a single person or cover two people at once utilizing eachs body heat to stay warm, better than having to use two normal size blankets for extreme cold or to stop hypothermia.
Emergency wool blankets are usually double the thickness, of a high loft design and on some one can feel almost as a quilted feel, a lot heavier and warmer.
The term emergency blanket has no manufacturing code as to fabric content loft and weave,
Why wool is so expensive today is all due to US Pentagon, mainly corporate sheep growers and handlers who are the most heavily subsidized of any farm animal, Get a dozen sheep of wool variety, there be differences in wool of sheep breeds and of meat variety, but mainly you cannot lose money because since beginning of WWII they are classified as a Strategic Asset.
Where as military and mainly hospitals were users of sheep wool the hospitals today use synthetic bedding materials.
Thank you for the information.
In India you can get 5' by 7' about 2.2 to 5.5 lbs. I make pants and jackets out of them. Like professional finish. Its the only way you can get quality clothes cheap these days. Blankets can be pure wool if you want that, but the 80/20 wool/synthetic fiber mix performs better. Much stronger than the pure wool ones since these are made of recycled wool. Little over $2 a piece up to like $10. Can't complain. Let me know if you want some. I'd be glad to send them at cost. I can even send the army ones.
That sounds good. Can you still get this price ?
@@rubiconoutdoors3492 you can, but I've had much better luck ordering from turkey. Their blankets are pure new wool, rated for European militaries. They're much higher quality as well. They don't pill as much.
Awesome find my man! Last piece of gear I needed for Dave’s class is the $175 wool blanket on his site. I was dreading spending that just on a blanket, but man you made my day! This is great 👍 Thanks love your channel. I would love to see a second review “ Review “ since this is technically a reveal more than a review, but very cool man
Thank you very much! I think I did mention it in other videos, but it might be worth doing a separate review. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hey, Twister, absolutely get this blanket. I have it, and it's fantastic. It requires some care initially, but when done, it turns this blanket into a top-notch blanket that can't be beat anywjere close to it's pricepoint.
@@ThereIsNoGodOnlyUs it is awesome. I got rid of all my blankets once I tried this bad boy out. Now I need to get another for my gear kit.
I bought one from Swiss Link it’s very comfortable and heavy
You got that right,its name is Boreal shirt,named after some type of forest up in the North,if I'm not mistaken.😃
Cool, thanks. I forgot to look the name up even after I made the video. 😆
I have stayed away from wool since I was a youth because of allergy I'm afraid too pay for one incase i still am has anyone any advice would be welcome
A synthetic quilt is the way to go
Ive seen other wool blanket videos where people were commenting about if u wash it before your first use it will be soft from then on. I guess they are a little scratchy at first
Bought me wool blanket it's nice warm and toasty and handy lots of uses can turn it into a cloak or Monk robe
So, have you tried this blanket yet? Please tell us how warm it kept you.
Did I miss something? 66" x 90" on Amazon says it is twin size, 5.5 feet wide is not queen.
Thanks for sharing, italian army surplus blankets are another cheap option
Not as good. A) the "italian army wool blankets" you find online nowadays are modern reproductions and are made of short recycled wool fibers, which are inferior to long fiber virgin wool. B) the "Italian" blanket is a blend of wool, C) the "Italian" blankets are are considerably less quality, meaning the weave is looser, the fabric is lighter, etc.
If you have to skimp for bushcraft, especially on one of the most essential pieces, you shouldn't be doing bushcraft. These blankets are the absolute best deal for 100% pure virgin wool in this weight that you can possibly get at the moment. And 50 bucks isn't that much more for something that outperforms in every way any military blanlet currently on the market. And if you got the italian blanket because it seems like every other weekend warrior bushcrafter on youtube or on the forums chooses them, than you are making your choice on some pretty piss-poor information that's rooted in mojo and superstition than hard science.
+100500
The fabric of this wool blanket is similar that the Russian's military coat for soldiers or officers is made from.
Real wool. Not very thick, but enough good and warm with the tent or tarp for cold night somewhere in Taiga.
I'm Russian and served at Soviet Army in 1988-89 and I wore the great or overcoat ("shinel" by Russian) from this wool.
It's OK and Right choice. Good luck!
Well how cool is that! We both served in our countries military at the same time. My father was a Russian immigrant, thus I’m first gen American. Hit me up on Instagram if you can, I’d love to talk with you some more.
Great, information al video - THANKS!
I just purchased this from ChinaMart for $25 -
Olive Drab Green Warm Wool Fire Retardant Blanket, 66 x 90 (80% Wool)-US Military
Love the video and information. Any recommendations on how to pack the queen size wool blanket. It's huge!!!
I took the 2016 PF Basic class. Tip: Lots of briars and rosebushes on Dave's property; make sure you have your sail needle with you. (I'd take tweezers, too.). I picked lots of thorns and splinters out of my hands. You'll thank me! Still an absolutely incredible weekend!!!
Awesome! Thank you for the tips.
Also, take a pair of camp shoes with some tread. It rained all weekend long (and I mean ALL weekend long!) and it was nice to let the boots dry by the fire in the evenings, and wear them. Dave's crew kept a large fire going for the entirety of my class, and lots of folks cooked, dried out gear, and warmed up there. Your water bottle full of hot water and wrapped in a wool sock makes a great heater inside your sleeping system. :-)
Nice but it has no loft.
I live in Canada and the winter cold here will cut into you like a bayonet.
Loft is critical for heat retention.
That blanket,doubled, will do the trick for most colder winter stuff but one would need additional down sleeping bag.
Awesome find!! Thanks so very much for your this information!!! Blessings 😇🇺🇸
That's a good deal for sure. It being compressed like that, maybe it won't be quite as scratchy like most wool blankets are when new.
It isn't compressed. It's woven and unfinished. Once you full the blanket, it gains considerable loft.
thanks
No problem
Great video, Kenny, hope it works well for your trip!
Thank you!
Thank you
Any wool for that price is great!
Yeah it’s getting expensive.
ektos and others make the same size blanket for half that price...but..those are only 80% wool. How do y'all feel about that?
Received mine yesterday. Quality seems to be good. But the smell is unbearable and it is not only the typical wool smell.
After airing it outside for a few hours, it started to rain, I rolled it up. Washed my hands and the water was black.
So, what is your experience with smell and color (dirt)?
Thanks for the video and regards from Germany ✌️
Great find!
It's about $50 now Nov of 2019
Still $50- May of 2021
$50 large wool blanket, nice. Going to David Canterbury party, epic!
Yes sir!!
Cool info
Mine will be hear this Saturday can't wait to test out but I think I will wait till fall to really test
Did you run into any issues with the size during the class? Queen size is traditionally around 90” or so in both length and width.
No, but I’m not a very big guy. I’m 5’9” so it covered me well enough. But it was cold and we woke up with frost on our blankets.
Thanks, I’m taking the class in the summer and debating on whether I “need” the queen size being that I have a full. Wasn’t sure if there were any specific activities and/or uses that required a specific size.
Wouldn't be surprised if that's the fabric they make peacoats out of.
Probably
The tightness of the weave is what makes the most difference .
Ektos has this in charcoal gray that is lighter (I think because it isn't died) and currently cheaper.
Amazon out of stock. I'm looking tio see if i can buy any where else
Totally could have used that when Ryan and I lived in the tent! It was cold most nights
Yes, it is a great blanket to have on hand.
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Trustworthy.
What's the deal with these blankets and fire retardant treatment? I know wool is naturally fire resistant but these blankets on amazon tend to all indicate that they're treated to be fire resistant. I want to get something like this for coat making but it seems kinda disgusting knowing there are carcinogens imbedded in the fabric. Theres all kinds of advice for removing FR treatment from vinegar, to oxy-clean, to 10 washings with bleach. Does anyone really know there stuff when it comes to this? $20 for 3+ yards of heavy wool fabric seems like a steal, if only we can get around the FR treatment.
You make an interesting point. I never thought about it before, I wonder if they have to do it if it’s from a factory as opposed to being hand made. Thanks for the comment.
They have no chemical fire retardant. The fire retardant for the 100% wool blankets was the wool itself. All other blankets had a borax fire retardant but they discontinued that because most ignorant people believe borax to be harmful (only if you eat it, which begs the question as to why you would go about suckling your blanket in the first place). So now none of their blankets have borax fire retardant treatments. I emailed the distributor directly to get the info.
Thanks for the video ! Can't find any other videos on this blanket . I'm looking for a new blanket and am reluctant to spend 4 or 5 times as much for a Bushcraft blanket . I do winter Bushcraft trips in the Sacramento mountains inn NM I use a XL jungle blanket now with my 90% Pathfinder blanket in tempatures around 16° sleeping by a fire . Do you think this could replace my 90° rugged blanket I have now ? PS loved your 2018 gathering video !
First and foremost thank you for the comment, most appreciated. Secondly I don’t think it will replace your Pathfinder blanket. I’ve seen both and the Pathfinder blanket appears to be better then this inexpensive wool blanket.
@@UglyTent the one I have is the 90% $35 one 60x90 . I haven't got the 100% queen , waiting for them to restock but I'm definitely interested in the ectos thanks
Not ever why you would have a wool blanket in a survival situation. I have used will blankets for years and other then reflecting find no reason to use one.
My military blanket is very dense. Not sure what kind you have. But the way WB varies, not necessarily the wool. But GL.
I am looking 100 percent brown wool cloth niot a blanket.. To be use for brown scapular.. If ever you had how much will cost for 1 yard.. What is yout place.. May i know thank you
nice blanket!!
Thank you!
What about the smell? I saw a few reviews on Amazon that said it had a smell even after washing. What’s your take? Thanks
Maybe I got lucky, but mine didn’t smell at all. Could have been a bad batch??
Awhile back, maybe a couple of years, the blankets from harbor freight did have a bad smell. Lot bad reviews
How much the cost and where can I order
It was on amazon but this is one of my older videos, not sure if it’s still available and at this price.
Different grades of wool makes a difference.
Where can I order pls
I have been wondering about these blankets.. I glad you did this unboxing.
Question.. so is this a twin or queen size blanket? You mention needing a Q-size for the course, but 66" x 90" would be a T-size..
Thanks for the video..
My pleasure, thanks for watching! According to Google a queen size is 60 x 80, it shows a twin as 39 x 75. Looks like it’s somewhere in between.
UglyTent Bushcraft & Survival
I did a Google hunt myself.. the sizes you list are the actual bed size. Blanket sizes are as follows :
Blanket Sizes:
Twin 66x90"
Full 80x90"
Full/Queen 90x90"
Queen 90x90"
King 108x90"
BTW.. I'm subbed!
Cool! Thank you for the sub!! And thank you for the additional info 🙏
There's something off about that blanket. I can't say for sure because I'm not there and can't hold it in my hands, but there was a sheen to it. Woven wool shouldn't have a sheen. And the "tightness" of the weave seems off too. Almost like they took small pieces of wool and compressed them in way similar to the manufacture of particle board. I'm just guessing. Please come back and update your review after having used it in various conditions. Thanks. Good and helpful review!
Thank you for the comment, I will keep everyone posted. So far so good after a few uses and even washing it.
You're wrong, Michael. That "sheen" is called lanolin. I have two of the 4 blankets the company offers, the blue 100% and the green 90%. Both contained lanolin, which almost every other blanket does not have as it's been stripped in the finishing stages. Also, the blue 100 wool blanket is not compressed fibers. It's 100% virgin wool, long hair fibers, that have been tightly woven. Also, the dye used for this blanket is a natural plant indigo dye, and that can definitely impart a "sheen" to wool.
Once again, thank you Joey!
Nice bro you going to the field for 4 days good luck.
I was looking at your blanket and in the description it says no fire retardant was added but other chemicals were used in preparing the blanket. I said all of that to say this, be careful around open flames.
Ok will do, thank you for the concern.
I just got one and had to send it back because of the smell! It has a stong order not natural. If your not concerned about chemicals its good.
Wool from India sheep wool best
Good work! That looks nice!
Does it smell? I bought two wool blanket from amazon and they all have gasoline alike smell which I could not get rid of. Sun dry for days, multiple washes, non helped.
Mine didn’t, but I’ve heard that complaint before. Check out some of the other comments on here, there is some valuable information regarding wool blankets.
Thanks for another good review. Is the blanket machine washable?
Thank you for watching and for the comment. Yes it is machine washable in cold water.
Thanks; it looks really solid and it’s a good deal. I just ordered one.
That is a good deal on a 100% wool blanket
Thanks! I thought so too.
How well did this work? On your trip
It worked really well. I was pleased, especially for the price.
66x90 says it’s a twin
Very cool thank you for the information
Arcturus has a military wool blanket for $35. I think it's 80/20 wool
hi: is 80% just as good or should I hold out for 100%? thx
I’ve got a 70% that I love and use way more. It packs up a lot nicer and isn’t as heavy. A lot depends on where your camping and how far your traveling
Where was it made?
Not cheap. Its $48. It is a normal price for a wool blanket.
DIYTFY cheapest I’ve seen a 100% wool blanket yet. Typically they’re much more costly. Typically blankets in the $50 range I’ve seen are 70 or 80% wool, which from what I understand isn’t as fire resistant or as insulating.
I mean nice... but $50 - when I can get one at the Army Surplus for $11?
100% wool & 100% virgin wool are different
It's a matter of strength and texture. If it's a blanket it's probably about strength. Not something I'd worry about given the weight and thickness of these blankets. Also, the 80/20 mixes perform best in my experience. Keep you warm when wet but still shed water and block air. It's insane how well it works. I make jackets and pants out of them. I have a jacket that's been on 2 month-long treks and half a dozen week-long ones as well as every cold outdoor experience. Rough conditions and it's still in perfect shape.
Virgin wool is the very first time that sheep got sheared. It will be full of lanolin and super soft, and most importantly NOT scratchy. Don’t buy anything cheap, it’s cheap for a reason. It’s not up to the quality of good gear.
Shirt or coat - Capote ?
Wash and dry it 5x and do another review please!
it is not merino but for the money ok (at 1/4 the cost for merino)
Right now I found an 80/20 wool blend blanket on Amazon, lighter and almost 1/2 the price of the EKTOS from TreasureGurus LLC. The only EKTOS blankets I saw were either 90% or 80% wool. They weren't the navy blue though.
80/20 is not bad, maybe they sold out of the 100%. Anyway it’s still a good deal for the money. Thanks for the comment!
Some of them are past $60
What am I gonna do? I'll tell you what I'm gonna do...right after you come back from your trip. Nice score and travel well.
Is it itchy?
A little but it gets better the more it’s used and cleaned.
this sandpiper needs some gear and camp & learn from you, Girl in the woods, Spirit forest, Self Reliance & all the dogs....ha ha ha......change this flip flops for bush gear.....TY for sharing your sources...
Lol. I don’t know flip flops sound good too. As always thanks for watching and for the comment!
What blanket is this again?
Hey what is the GSM
Amazon sells 100% wool blanket only 40$
Ir seems my comments have been deleted. I wonder why.
Are you talking about comments you made on my channel? Yours are still here, not deleted. 👍
You still happy with it?
Yes, but I rarely use it. I have a 70/30 is use a lot! But I’m always happy with it when I do use it.
What was the name of the store or website you got that blanket
I can’t remember, I found it on Amazon.
It's $52 now
wash the blanket before you leave on your trip.
Kenny, spell the name please
EKTOS. There’s a link to it on Amazon in the description.
Bud I'm sorry but the harbor freight ones for 12.00 or 10.00 are a much better deal you can get two and just be toasty lol lol but it's. Up to the person good luck at camp
Good information, thank you!
I used a single HFT wool blanket for my Basic PF class. Rained all weekend and about 40* at night. I was plenty warm. Maybe being dead tired helped my sleep. :-)
The harbor freight ones I bought several years ago are terrible. Terrible weave, not wool, chemical odor. I use it for moving blanket only.
The harbor freight blancket is a wool blend!! Be carefull! So it might be only 10% wool, or 20% wool and the rest polyester or something else, that's why they call them "wool blend"
Good to know, thank you!
Never thought it a good idea to show what you have in videos. Specially gear and firearms.
Stayed tuned for a gear room update. I’ve replaced the guns with my many axes.
Why give a review before you try it out?
It’s just a first look.