With fall just around the corner and the nights getting chillier, people are huddling around the campfire (or portable propane fire pit), getting ready for fall sports and tailgate parties, and thinking about fall/winter camping and RVing. All of that makes this the perfect time for a post on battery-operated heated blankets.
You may have used electric blankets that plug into a wall outlet. In fact, we’ve used one in winter just to take the chill out of the bed before climbing under the covers. But portable heated blankets are different — they offer incredible versatility because they don’t need to be plugged into a wall socket. Their portability makes battery-operated heated blankets perfect for RVing, sleeping in a van or car, sitting in the bleachers to watch the game, on an airplane, and so much more.
Let’s take a look!
- 1) What Is a Battery-Operated Heated Blanket?
- 2) How Does a Battery-Operated Heating Blanket Work?
- 3) What to Look For in a Battery-Operated Heated Blanket
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4)
What Are the Best Battery-Operated Heated Blankets?
- 4.1) Makita DCB200A 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Heated Blanket (Blanket Only)
- 4.2) Zireot USB Heated Battery-Operated Heated Portable Throw Blanket
- 4.3) Cozee Battery Operated Portable Heated Blanket
- 4.4) Eddie Bauer Portable Heated Electric Throw Blanket
- 4.5) DalosDream Battery Operated Portable USB Heated Blanket
- 5) Have You Done Any Winter Camping?
What Is a Battery-Operated Heated Blanket?
As the name implies, a battery-operated heated blanket is one that gets the power required to heat it from a battery rather than a wall outlet. You can find battery-operated plush warming products in the form of a “car blanket,” a heating pad, a throw (very popular!), a heated shawl, or even a heated scarf.
Battery-powered heated blankets are essentially cordless heated blankets that can be used almost anywhere because they’re untethered. This portability makes them perfect for RVers and campers.
How Does a Battery-Operated Heating Blanket Work?
Battery-operated, cordless heated blankets generally have thin wires embedded in the material. The blanket’s battery is charged either by AC (wall outlet), DC (12V socket), or by USB (which is great because you can bring a small portable power bank, or a larger solar generator, along with you to keep the blanket powered via USB while on the go!). Once the blanket’s battery pack is charged, the blanket can be disconnected from the charging source and remain warm while you move around from place to place.
The great thing about a portable battery-operated heated blanket is the ability to use it anywhere, indoors or out.
As with anything, price and quality vary. But most of them heat up quickly, and some stay warm for hours. You can find models that stay warm for anywhere from one to eight hours.
What to Look For in a Battery-Operated Heated Blanket
Decent models will have a few qualities in common. Take a look at the following list and determine your priorities based on what you’re looking for in a heated blanket.
Size
When shopping, you’ll want to be sure to note the size of the blankets you’re considering. Most of the portable battery-operated heated blankets we found in our research are throw/personal sizes, though one comes close to being sufficient for a queen-size bed.
Long-lasting Battery
One of the most essential features of a battery-operated heated blanket is how long it will stay warm! You don’t want one that’ll heat up nicely but lose its warmth within 15 minutes. Depending on how you intend to use it, you’ll want to take note of how long it stays warm (be sure to check reviews for real-life experiences).
For example, maybe you’re a van/car/tent camper or an RVer who boondocks with limited power. If you don’t have another source of nighttime heat, a battery-operated heated blanket may be the perfect way for you to stay warm while you’re sleeping on chilly nights. For you, spending a bit more to get a blanket that stays warm for 5 hours or more may be worthwhile. But if you’re just looking for a blanket to keep warm on the sidelines at the kids’ sporting events, you may only need a model with sufficient power for 2-3 hours.
You get the idea. Also, be sure to look for how long the battery tends to last on various heat settings.
USB-Capable
A battery-operated heated blanket with a USB cord is cool convenient because you can extend the amount of time it stays warm by using a portable power pack to keep the battery charged. Even something that fits in your backpack has the ability to extend the period of time you can use your blanket.
(Note that there are some heated blankets that are powered exclusively via USB.)
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Machine Washable
It’s pretty essential to be able to toss a blanket into the wash for cleaning, so this is probably a top consideration for most people. If that’s important to you, too, make sure the blanket you buy is machine washable… not all of them are!
Water Resistant
Depending on how you’ll be using the blanket (and whether kids will be involved!), you may want a blanket that’s water-resistant to counter spills or rain.
Offers a Variety of Heat Settings
Being able to control the degree to which the blanket is heated is a pretty important feature. Not only does the heat setting contribute to the comfort of the user, but it’s also a factor in how long the battery will last on each charge.
Fabric/Material
Everyone loves a soft blanket, right? When shopping, you’ll want to pay attention to the material from which the blanket is made to be sure you won’t be stuck under a scratchy blanket all night.
Easy Care and Cleaning
We covered “easy care” when we mentioned machine washability, but check reviews to make sure the blanket you’re looking at is stain-resistant and easily spot-cleaned as well. You may also find reviews that say certain blankets are dirt or pet hair magnets, so if you have pets you’ll likely want to stay away from those.
Storage Bags
Some portable heated blankets come with storage bags. While this may not seem important, they’re actually pretty handy for keeping the blanket, cords, and battery pack all in one place (though you can also provide your own storage bag, of course).
What Are the Best Battery-Operated Heated Blankets?
Let’s take a look at some of the best battery-operated heated blankets out there.
Makita DCB200A 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Heated Blanket (Blanket Only)
This blanket from Makita is just over 55 inches long by 27 inches wide. It provides three heat settings and is powered by a separate lithium-ion battery (not included) that can be stored in a zippered pocket of the blanket along with the power connection. It features snap buttons, a strap for wrapping around the waist and shoulders, and a removable belt clip, making it a highly portable personal blanket.
Machine washable, it also comes with a storage bag, and has a USB power port for supplying pass-through charging power to portable electronics such as a phone or tablet.
The Makita 18V lithium-ion battery (sold separately) is capable of providing up to 35 hours of heat (!), making it an excellent choice for fall/winter campers who aren’t connected to a power source at night. Of course, if you already own any of Makita’s extensive line of power tools, you probably already have at least one of their batteries in your tool kit. So many people have these already that it probably explains why Makita is comfortable making this blanket available without including a battery.
- Blanket size: 55-1/8" X 27-9/16"
- 3 heat settings (high/medium/low) for precise heating control
- Integrated L.E.D. battery charge level indicator allows user to monitor battery charge
- Provides up to 65% more run time per charge compared to BL1830
Zireot USB Heated Battery-Operated Heated Portable Throw Blanket
This cordless throw is 62.9 inches long x 31.5 inches wide and comes with a small 18W USB power bank to provide heat at three available levels (up to 131℉). It’s made of super-soft “faux rabbit” fleece, is machine washable, and the single-button controller makes it easy to use.
This USB battery-powered throw is claimed to warm in just minutes and stay warm for up to 3 hours (as always, we recommend checking reviews to see what real-world users have to say about how warm the blanket gets and how long it stays that way). But this type of blanket (USB battery-powered) allows you to carry extra battery packs (including ones you may already have for charging phones/tablets/laptops) for more extended periods of use. Note that this is a throw and, again, is best for personal use.
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Cozee Battery Operated Portable Heated Blanket
At 60″ x 60″ (5 feet square), this is a larger blanket than those previously mentioned. For reference, a queen-size bed is 60″ x 80″ (5′ by 6’8″). It has a soft velour lining as well as an insulating layer and a heat-reflective inner liner. It’s weatherproof with a water-resistant exterior.
It comes with a rechargeable battery (92.6 watt-hours, capable of up to 500 recharges) featuring 2 USB charging ports, allowing for the on-the-go charging of devices like phones and tablets. It also comes with a 12-volt adapter for charging the battery on the road, as well as a wall charger and a 36″ extension cable.
Cozee says that “high” heats it to 108°F (42°C) and provides 3+ hours of continuous heat.
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Eddie Bauer Portable Heated Electric Throw Blanket
This blanket is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery with a USB port. The blanket itself is referred to as “smart fleece” and is made from 100% polyester (face) and 100% nylon (back). It’s machine washable (remove the battery before washing), and the nylon outer material is water-resistant.
The Eddie Bauer portable electric throw is 50″ long and 40″ wide (so this isn’t a blanket to cover your king-size bed), and the built-in USB port allows it to be charged from a portable power bank. This model has five heat settings total and claims that 3 of those settings provide between 2 & 4 hours of heat. Again, check reviews to see how real people make out with the amount of time their blankets stay warm.
It also has an app for controlling the settings via WiFi, but there are complaints in the reviews about the quality of that feature (and, honestly, who needs to control a blanket they’re likely sitting right under to have WiFi control via an app?).
- INCLUDES: (1) Portable battery powered throw with 5 heat settings
- MATERIALS: 100% Polyester Face; 100% Nylon Back
DalosDream Battery Operated Portable USB Heated Blanket
The heating area of this blanket is 36″ x 30″, and it can be folded into a pocket on the blanket, making it very compact. Plus, it’s light, weighing in at only 2 pounds. It has a large-capacity battery that’s claimed to keep the blanket warm for as long as 5-8 hours (as always, check user reviews!), and the manufacturer says that this blanket warms in 5 seconds (with one video reviewer noting that this is an accurate representation!).
Made of water-repellent fabric with poly-fill padding, this blanket is soft and lightweight and features five warming settings and five auto power-off time settings.
This blanket comes with a battery, cable, and a carry/storage bag.
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Speaking of needing a warm blanket…
Have You Done Any Winter Camping?
If not, you might want to give it a try sometime. Winter camping isn’t for everyone, and we’ve certainly done our share of snowbirding to stay away from the cold. But winter camping can be a great experience if you’re properly prepared.
We did some winter camping in Zion National Park and it was well worth the effort!
Zion NP is one of our favorite places on the planet, so we’ve been many times. We go back every chance we get, usually in the Spring or Fall, and summit Angel’s Landing almost every time! But our winter camping there proved to be an especially terrific experience.
Check out those snow-covered mountains in the video below!
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