Pure wool military blankets - £3 each

[Greg]

I know alot of people on this site like their wool blankets, well you can get a good bargain from this site they have Ex British military blankets on sale for £3 each.

http://www.britishmilitarysurplus.co.uk/ishop/1069/shopscr59.html

I have no links with this site!

 

[nickg]

Dont get too excited about these, they are single bed (3') width and are really thin having been washed about a zillion times. They will also be a cheerful brown colour with 3 idiot stripes woven in along the centre. IIRC

Cheers
Nick

 

[Greg]

Dont get too excited about these, they are single bed (3') width and are really thin having been washed about a zillion times. They will also be a cheerful brown colour with 3 idiot stripes woven in along the centre. IIRC

Cheers
Nick

You sound like a man of experience! I bow to your personal knowledge!

 

[Matt Weir]

One of these saved my life in December when on a camp I realised that I had forgotten all my bedding* apart from one of these ex army wool blankets. It wasn't exactly the cosiest night I've spent in a hammock - probably the coldest to date but I was glad of it at 4am

*How the h3ll did that happen??? What a noobhead!

 

[andy_e]

Glad you're still alive Matt, but to restate your * - How the h3ll did you manage that?!?! And were you not tempted to leap into Les Stroud mode and whittle up a set of bedding from a small sapling, a bunch of dried leaves and grass?

 

[Matt Weir]

Glad you're still alive Matt, but to restate your * - How the h3ll did you manage that?!?! And were you not tempted to leap into Les Stroud mode and whittle up a set of bedding from a small sapling, a bunch of dried leaves and grass?

I did go into Les Stroud mode including talking to myself - "oooh, it's a bit nippy. I know, I'll go for another pee, the walk will warm me up" and "roll on the morning" and that other favourite "Collllld, it's cold, I'm an idiot". The only thing missing was the hand held camera

But to be honest it had it's advantage whereby you are hyper-aware of the night and aware of things you miss when really cosy and out for the count in the land of nod like the odd 2 minute shower and direction from where the breeze suddenly changes to, little things.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't like to have to endure that too regularly but once in a while is pretty cool and gives you another perspective whilst making you grateful of a warm bed

 

[andy_e]

I did go into Les Stroud mode including talking to myself - "oooh, it's a bit nippy. I know, I'll go for another pee, the walk will warm me up" and "roll on the morning" and that other favourite "Collllld, it's cold, I'm an idiot". The only thing missing was the hand held camera

can just picture that - hehehe

 

[PJMCBear]

Nothing wrong with them apart from the colour. I've quite a few of the dark coloured ones and I've even made a capote out of a couple. Now that's a warm coat, even if I do look like a mad monk.

 

[Wayland]

One of these saved my life in December when on a camp I realised that I had forgotten all my bedding* apart from one of these ex army wool blankets. It wasn't exactly the cosiest night I've spent in a hammock - probably the coldest to date but I was glad of it at 4am

*How the h3ll did that happen??? What a noobhead!

And why didn't you talk to me. I always have a spare sleeping bag in the van...

 

[Matt Weir]

And why didn't you talk to me. I always have a spare sleeping bag in the van...

I know, I know :sulkoff: Still, it was an experience

 

[andy_e]

Hehe - reminds me of the last time I used my old German Army sleeping bag, the one with arms and rubberised coating. I failed to spot that the coating had worn away in quite a few spots, thought I was being clever using it without a bivi-bag - got soaked through in the night, not a fun experience - Thankfully it was in the summer-time but live and learn.

On that note, does anyone know if it's possible to rejuvenate those bags, painting on a PU sealant for example, or am I better just tossing it?

 

[big_swede]

If the holes are small enough you can use on of those patch sets for bicycle tubes. If they are bigger you could use the same kind of solvent and a waterproof cloth, a friend used patches from a rain poncho

 

[andy_e]

Cheers Big Swede, TBH there are a lot of small areas worn off, not holes as such just bits where the rubber has aged and peeled, too much to patch I think.

 

[nickg]

One of these saved my life in December when on a camp I realised that I had forgotten all my bedding* apart from one of these ex army wool blankets. It wasn't exactly the cosiest night I've spent in a hammock - probably the coldest to date but I was glad of it at 4am

*How the h3ll did that happen??? What a noobhead!

If it makes you feel any better the squaddies in WW2 went through the entire war with nothing better to sleep in than one of those blankets and a rubberised canvas groundsheet rolled around them. Even in the ardennes offensive which was one of the coldest winters on record. Thats why if you ever talk to a veteran of that campaign the first thing they will remember is how cold it was (even 60 years on its the first thing they will say).

Cheers
Nick

 

[Matt Weir]

If it makes you feel any better the squaddies in WW2 went through the entire war with nothing better to sleep in than one of those blankets and a rubberised canvas groundsheet rolled around them. Even in the ardennes offensive which was one of the coldest winters on record. Thats why if you ever talk to a veteran of that campaign the first thing they will remember is how cold it was (even 60 years on its the first thing they will say).

Cheers
Nick

Indeed Nick, at least I didn't have people trying to kill me to contend with.

:BlueTeamE

 

[h2o]

Hehe - reminds me of the last time I used my old German Army sleeping bag, the one with arms and rubberised coating. I failed to spot that the coating had worn away in quite a few spots, thought I was being clever using it without a bivi-bag - got soaked through in the night, not a fun experience - Thankfully it was in the summer-time but live and learn.

On that note, does anyone know if it's possible to rejuvenate those bags, painting on a PU sealant for example, or am I better just tossing it?

Throw it mate. once the stuff starts peeling it doesnt stop ive had a couple now just car boot or ebay them.

 

[andy_e]

Throw it mate. once the stuff starts peeling it doesnt stop ive had a couple now just car boot or ebay them.

Thought so, don't even think it's worth passing it on as it's not really fit for purpose any more. I've had it for the best part of 10 - 15 years now, so it's had a good life and to be honest I'm surprised it lasted so long

Back On Topic, am quite tempted by those blankets, has anyone purchased any of that lot?.

 

[spamel]

Army blankets are great. I nabbed one from the removals truck when I came back to UK. That is the one I take with me everywhere when I go out any further than a mile from home. That and a poncho will keep me or somebody else warm and dry in the case of a twisted ankle or similar. I remember in training that one of the guys in my room fell asleep before everybody else. It was our first night as soldiers and we decided to have some fun. We doubled over our blankets as they were so big and then put them all on top of the guy asleep. So there were 8 of us in the room, we put all of his spare blankets on, so 3 doubled over, and we all put our three spare blankets on doubled over, that makes 24 plus the one he had on 25 thicknesses of blanket on top of him! He woke up soon after but couldn't move!

 

[rik_uk3]

We had a big thread over on the stove forum a couple of years ago about wool blankets, it seems the Hudson Bay blankets are the dogs dangles, but at the end of the day, its just a blanket. I'd hate to see a newcomer to this site thinking they could survive a winter camp using a wooly blanket or two ; while wool blankets have a place, sleeping bags are just so much better at keeping you warm to be honest.

 

[spamel]

If you are using a blanket, you need to have a fire too. You never see the cowboys in films sleeping under a blanket outdoors without a fire at their feet. The beauty is that you won't go up in flames if a spark drops on your blanket.

Of course, you could make a hot bed by building a fire in a pit and then covering it with earth and sleeping on top, but then you run the risk of setting yourself on fire like in the film Jeremiah Johnson!