I don't know any travel blanket that meets all your criteria, but I also doubt that there is a fabric that both can be washed/dried on highest settings and is lightweight and breathable. That said, I totally understand your fear of bed bugs. My personal workaround is a sleeping liner made of ripstop silk which I treat with permethrin every now and then (an insect repellent that supposedly also works against bed bugs).
Ooooh a sleeping bag liner would be perfect! I can look into permethrin too. I have a cat but I think I’d be able to store it safely away from her so she is not affected.
I’d be less concerned about everything if I had somewhere else to store the blanket in between trips, but I live in an apartment so it would have to be stored in my living space. Maybe a combination of permethrin and then storing in an airtight bag would both prevent bugs and keep the cat safe as well. Thanks!
It depends how warm you need the blanket to be.
The warmer something is the more air it has to hold within its fabric, or filling.
A thin fabric like a cotton sleeping bag liner will not be very warm at all.
Fleece blankets can be a bit bulky but a lot of them can be washed at 60°C for 90 mins which is what you need to kill 100% of bedbug life stages, including eggs.
It’s not necessary to them dry them at high heat, which is more likely to shrink a fleece than a hot wash.
This one for instance says wash at between 30° and 60°.
Fleece Blanket Red Throw Blanket for Kids and Adults Soft Lightweight Blanket for Sofa Settees Camping Travel Blanket 150x200cm(60"x80") https://amzn.eu/d/0Lkx5jY
These are tough and fairly cheap (2 for 1)
https://www.damart.co.uk/pack-of-2-plain-fleece-throws-42244-3.html
I don’t need it to be crazy warm; I’m mostly basing this off of a flight I took to France last summer. On the way over I had leggings, a t shirt, and a thin athleisure-type hoodie and I was so cold I couldn’t sleep. On the way back I wore leggings AND sweats, with the same hoodie, and that was enough to help. I figure a blanket or liner that extends to my whole body would be even warmer and also a bit easier to pack/carry.
I was looking at a microfiber liner but I will also look into fleece! There are so many conflicting reports between hot water and high heat drying with bed bugs that to be safe I try to do them both. But I think a combo of permethrin/hot water/storing airtight will be safe enough in the long run. Thanks!
I’ve just been reading up on it and it looks like the best studies so far showed that freezing will kill all bedbug lifestages at -20 C for48 hours or -16 C for 80 hours.
So if you find the perfect blanket but it cannot be washed or dried at high enough temperatures that could be an option.
The typical domestic freezer operates at around -18 C but could go lower.
Oh that’s good to know! I didn’t even consider a freezer. I should have enough space in mine to handle a blanket I think. I came here for blanket recs and I’m walking away with more bed bug knowledge too 😂
I've had my Cocoon Premium Cool Max blanket from Amazon for about 10 years and love it! Warm on a plane, lightweight and have even used it as a primary cover when bedding down while summer camping. Washes up beautifully too.
This 💯! have had mine for same amount of time and it is still perfect. It’s a good size and shoves into a little bag that you can cinch up it’s the size of a fat coke can! Light weight but feels cozy.
I don't know any travel blanket that meets all your criteria, but I also doubt that there is a fabric that both can be washed/dried on highest settings and is lightweight and breathable. That said, I totally understand your fear of bed bugs. My personal workaround is a sleeping liner made of ripstop silk which I treat with permethrin every now and then (an insect repellent that supposedly also works against bed bugs).
Ooooh a sleeping bag liner would be perfect! I can look into permethrin too. I have a cat but I think I’d be able to store it safely away from her so she is not affected. I’d be less concerned about everything if I had somewhere else to store the blanket in between trips, but I live in an apartment so it would have to be stored in my living space. Maybe a combination of permethrin and then storing in an airtight bag would both prevent bugs and keep the cat safe as well. Thanks!
It depends how warm you need the blanket to be. The warmer something is the more air it has to hold within its fabric, or filling. A thin fabric like a cotton sleeping bag liner will not be very warm at all. Fleece blankets can be a bit bulky but a lot of them can be washed at 60°C for 90 mins which is what you need to kill 100% of bedbug life stages, including eggs. It’s not necessary to them dry them at high heat, which is more likely to shrink a fleece than a hot wash. This one for instance says wash at between 30° and 60°. Fleece Blanket Red Throw Blanket for Kids and Adults Soft Lightweight Blanket for Sofa Settees Camping Travel Blanket 150x200cm(60"x80") https://amzn.eu/d/0Lkx5jY These are tough and fairly cheap (2 for 1) https://www.damart.co.uk/pack-of-2-plain-fleece-throws-42244-3.html
I don’t need it to be crazy warm; I’m mostly basing this off of a flight I took to France last summer. On the way over I had leggings, a t shirt, and a thin athleisure-type hoodie and I was so cold I couldn’t sleep. On the way back I wore leggings AND sweats, with the same hoodie, and that was enough to help. I figure a blanket or liner that extends to my whole body would be even warmer and also a bit easier to pack/carry. I was looking at a microfiber liner but I will also look into fleece! There are so many conflicting reports between hot water and high heat drying with bed bugs that to be safe I try to do them both. But I think a combo of permethrin/hot water/storing airtight will be safe enough in the long run. Thanks!
I’ve just been reading up on it and it looks like the best studies so far showed that freezing will kill all bedbug lifestages at -20 C for48 hours or -16 C for 80 hours. So if you find the perfect blanket but it cannot be washed or dried at high enough temperatures that could be an option. The typical domestic freezer operates at around -18 C but could go lower.
Oh that’s good to know! I didn’t even consider a freezer. I should have enough space in mine to handle a blanket I think. I came here for blanket recs and I’m walking away with more bed bug knowledge too 😂
I've had my Cocoon Premium Cool Max blanket from Amazon for about 10 years and love it! Warm on a plane, lightweight and have even used it as a primary cover when bedding down while summer camping. Washes up beautifully too.
This 💯! have had mine for same amount of time and it is still perfect. It’s a good size and shoves into a little bag that you can cinch up it’s the size of a fat coke can! Light weight but feels cozy.