JJ Cole Essentials Travel Blanket

With fireworks mere days away, you’re probably thinking blankets.  If not, then you should be.  Specifically, you should be thinking about J.J. Cole’s Essentials Travel Blanket for the holiday and beyond.  This is the Blanket for claiming your territory at your favorite park or fireworks display and celebrating the Fourth in style. 

What do you think of when you think Blankets?  Most likely, you think of some big and bulky old comforter that consumes your entire linen closet and only gets touched a few times a year.  At least that’s what I always thought of until I saw the J.J. Cole Essentials line and realized that Blankets don’t have to be boring, or require a whole linen closet shelf.  Really, calling this little padded and portable picnic and play mat a Blanket is the undersell of the year. 

At a generous 5ft x 5ft, the Essentials Blanket is big enough for the whole family to sit on, lay on, or play on without being too big.  Made with an exceptionally durable and heavy-duty ground layer that is lightly padded, the J.J. Cole Essentials Blanket adds a little cushioning between you and what lies beneath and makes it unquestionably more comfortable than your average outdoor throw.  Although the J.J. Cole Essentials Blanket may be durable and rugged, it doesn’t look like a utilitarian throw with its stylish inner fabric options and contrast trim.

Not only is the J.J. Cole Blanket adorable, it’s also extremely practical and destined to be the go-to Blanket for the whole family.  The Essentials is perfect for home, park, beach use or just about anywhere.  You will never worry about where you set the Essentials Blanket since dirt, sand, crumbs and grass shake off with no effort at all.  Instead of having to launder that big and bulky old comforter after each use, the J.J. Cole Essentials remains maintenance free and still looks as great as it did the day it arrived on my doorstep. 

When you are ready to transport the Essentials Blanket, clean up is simple and easy.  Folding so that the inner lining never touches the areas that come in contact with the ground, the Essentials stays clean no matter where you were lounging.  Once folded, the Blanket is secured by a Velcro closure and comes complete with a detachable shoulder strap for carrying.  Compact and lightweight, it is the perfect size to keep in the car or hook onto the stroller when on the go, so you will always be prepared for an impromptu picnic or play date at the park.       

We enjoy our J.J. Cole Essentials Blanket in all sorts of places, including an evening spent lounging in 12 inches of snow with only the Blanket in between us and frostbite.  While snow is probably not what J.J. Cole had in mind when they created the only slightly insulating Essentials Blanket*, doesn’t it just make you feel better to know that it can handle just about any weather or condition you throw at it?  Sure, you’ll probably never need a lounging Blanket for snow, but you might be on similarly cold ground someday if you use your J.J. Cole year-round like we do.  And then you will be grateful that your Blanket is tough enough to handle real life.

http://jjcoleusa.com/

Price: Perfectly priced at $29.95.  Available online and at numerous local stores throughout the US.  Search for stores here. 

Looks: Clean and modern with style to spare

Overall:  A great pick for play date and picnic lovers everywhere.

*J.J. Cole in no way suggests you sit in the snow for any length of time, under any circumstances.  We are professional product testers and took all sorts of frostbite precautions, such as having a heated house 10 feet away.