The Kammok field blanket – a quilt, ground cover, poncho and sleeping bag all in one?

Pam LeBlanc test drives a Kammok field blanket that doubles as a poncho. Chris LeBlanc photo

I thought Kammok just made hammocks, but it recently added something called a field blanket to its product lineup.

The company sent one over for me to check out. I’d rather lay in a pool of cool water than cover myself with a blanket right now, but I did take the Kammok field blanket out of its carrying pouch and throw it down on the lawn for a nap.

Things to notice: One side of the blanket is soft microfleece, perfect for snuggling on cold days. (What are those?) The other is slick ripstop polyester. For what it’s worth, the microfleece side grabbed all the little oak tassles on my lawn, the ripstop side didn’t.

Instead of a solid color blanket, Kammok sent me one in rust, olive green, cream, mustard, and pink – the colors of Big Bend. It sells for $109.95.

The Kammok field blanket versus the Rumpl version

I’ve seen similar – but slightly different – blankets by competitor Rumpl on shelves of camping stores everywhere lately. Like Kammok’s version, Rumpl’s blankets are weatherproof and cozy – but they don’t have a microfleece side, and they’re more like a puffy jacket in blanket form. Rumpl has way more designs than Kammok, too, including some cool ones that are themed to our national parks.

Both versions come with little loops in each corner. (Kammok calls them stake out points.) They might come in handy if you need to tether your blanket to the ground on a windy day. Those little loops also allow you to attach it to your hammock, so it stays in position while you sleep.

The Kammok field blanket in a pattern called Palette of Big Bend. Pam LeBlanc photo

The Kammok field blanket I tried measures 86.5 inches by 57 inches and weighed 2 pounds, 4.4 ounces. It featured a hidden pocket (to stash keys?) and a slit in the middle so you can put the blanket over your head and wear it like a poncho. (So fashionable!) In fact, according to the tag attached to the blanket, the Kammok blanket works not only as a ground blanket, top quilt, or poncho, it also works as a sleeping bag by snapping it to another Kammok field blanket.

Don’t ditch your Big Agnes back country bag just yet. This might work for casual napping purposes, but probably not for an overnight on the trail.  If it gets cold or you roll around a lot like I do, you’ll feel like a soft taco with its filling spilling out.