Review: Cocoon CoolMax Blanket

When I went on my trip to Kentucky I realized that I needed a travel blanket and all the blankets I had currently wouldn't fit in my bag... so I headed online to start researching good options. I get either cold or overheated pretty much round the clock (there's not a lot of in between unfortunately) so I have collected a LOT of blankets over the years and found a lot of duds in the process. I needed something to keep me warm for those chilled times but still be lightweight enough that I don't have to devote my carry-on to a blanket. Typically I have a thick sweater I keep with me year round when I am out but I really wanted something that would keep all of me warm instead of just my arms as I was going to be trying to sleep on the plane and shivering doesn't work too well with that goal.
After reading a lot of reviews on travel sites I purchased the Cocoon CoolMax Blanket from Amazon as it seemed a good combination of quality and affordability. The cheapest color option was the 'tree frog' green so that is what I purchased. It ended up being basically a lime color which reminded me of my college dorm room but it wasn't a horrible color like some of the reviews had complained about (I didn't care so much about the color but rather the functionality). The color really isn't too bad but it is quite a bright color if you are opposed to vivid colors for your blankets. I ended up finding the bright color useful though as I could always find it... even when my niece decided it made a better ghost costume or superman cape than blanket and wandered off with it various times on my trip.

 

The blanket is quite large compared to other travel blankets I have had, which is a plus. The description states that it is 55" x 70" but I didn't measure it to verify... it covered me from shoulders to toes completely with a little room to spare so I was happy. Unfortunately, while it is large it is not particularly thick. The thickness is about what I would expect for a thicker bed sheet yet somehow warmer than a simple sheet would be. The warmth of the blanket was enough to keep me comfortable on the planes all but once, when it got particularly cold, but that was only for a few minutes and most people would likely be quite comfortable. 

You can use this, or any travel blanket actually, even when you are not traveling. I keep my blanket in the trunk of my car in case I need it personally. I actually used the blanket today at the office as I forgot my sweater today at the house so I was freezing (why is it that office's are always so cold!?!).

Space-wise I was quite happy with the amount of room this blanket took up as it was able to fit into my already quite packed backpack without issue. One feature that I liked was that it comes in a bag with a drawstring to keep the blanket in. I suggest that you keep the bag if you purchase this item as you don't need to roll the blanket or do anything special with it... just quickly stuff the blanket into the bag, pull the drawstring and you are ready to go, the bag doesn't seem to get much bulkier than when it is neatly folded and rolled. The blanket in the bag is larger than a can of soda but quite a bit smaller than my travel pillow. These are not my hands (and it is not my photo) as I have pretty small hands and didn't feel that you would get a good comparison.

Overall I would say this was a good purchase for me but for some people it might be a little more expensive than they are willing to pay. If you have more room in your bag for a slightly bulkier blanket then there are a lot of other options out there that may work better for you. Let me know if you have found a fantastic blanket as I'm almost always cold so pretty much always looking at potential new blankets for my home or for travel.