Even during summer, nighttime temperatures can get chilly in the mountains of West Virginia. Some cozy Merino socks and a hoodie are nice to have, but so is a comfortable and easily portable camping blanket. Whether snuggled inside it to watch the sun come up or having it draped over my shoulders during game after game of euchre, I got to review the improved New Original Puffy Blanket collection from Rumpl in the weeks before its official launch.

The Original Puffy Blanket was the category creator, featuring a durable VersaWeave shell for debris and weather resistance, corner loops for pinning down the blanket and a hands-free cape clip. The material is stain and water-resistant, using 100 percent post-consumer recycled water bottles to create its polyester shell and insulation.

The updated version of the Original Puffy Blanket kept all of those aspects, though with some small yet meaningful tweaks to make it a better product. For example, the new blanket has an updated cape clip for an easier-to-attach, low-profile system. It also includes a roll-top stuff sack to make packing less of a hassle, and the colorways and branding have been revamped.

My usual camping blanket isn’t a Rumpl brand, so I was eager to get my hands on the updated Puffy Blanket to see how things stack up.

I tend to be a warm sleeper, so whether I’m helping my teammates at a Ragnar Relay, camping out while crewing a friend during an ultramarathon or simply taking in the mountain scenery while on vacation, I tend to use a synthetic camp blanket instead of a sleeping bag. The Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket fits that bill.

Performance-wise, the new Puffy worked perfectly, and even held up to being inadvertently dragged across a splintery deck — the blanket’s exterior has a highly functional VersaWeave Ripstop material. I also spread it out in the dirt to organize my camp gear, and it was easy to clean without having to put it in the washing machine (Rumpl recommends using a front-loading washing machine, and mine’s a top-loader, so it’s even better that a washing machine wasn’t needed to get these dirt marks out.)

The corner loops were endlessly useful, including for stringing the blanket up as sun protection, staking it down at the campsite or helping it dry after being cleaned.

The cape clip is interesting — looking at photos of the original iteration, the redesign does seem more streamlined. Rather than a longer hydration-vest style clipping system, it now has a cylinder-and-grove setup, which keeps it tighter than before around the shoulders. Because it more friction-based than the previous version, it’s unclear what kind of lifespan this style of clip can have, but right out of the box, it seems secure. The clipping system is on two sides of the blanket, and it’s reversible, so it should be doable to avoid excessive wear and tear.

With most outdoor brands I use, I put a lot of stock in recycled materials and sustainable production. So it’s with great appreciation that Rumpl’s blankets are made with 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyester in the shell and insulation. The RenewalLoft 30D ripstop insulation uses 60 recycled plastic bottles for the single-person blanket size (which lays flat at 52-by-75 inches), and 100 recycled plastic bottles for the two-person size (measuring 84-by-80 inches).

Rumpl says the blanket is ideal for temperatures above 45 degrees. The fill material is soft, and I love how the loft quickly goes back to its original state after every squeeze.

The only thing I’d like to see with this blanket is a larger bag for storage between adventures. The bag that ships with the new blanket is perfect for taking on adventures, because it cinches the blanket down and has a folding top to help keep out moisture. However, I don’t tend to like to store any puffy gear long-term in a compressed state. Having a larger storage bag for between adventures would make this offering from Rumpl more complete.

The new Puffy Blanket collection launches on Aug. 5, 2024. The one-person blanket will be listed at $99, with the national-park prints being $129, and the two-person size at $199.99.

For weeks leading up to the transition to the refreshed Puffy, Rumpl had been touting its biggest sale ever, dropping as much as 40 percent off the price of the previous-generation Original Puffy. However, it seems that clock has run out.

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Ryan Tipps is Managing Editor for ActionHub. He lives along the Blue Ridge Mountains, is an avid hiker, backpacker and trail runner and has been a part of the wilderness search and rescue community since 2005.