When I first booked my campervan roadtrip over a Bank Holiday weekend in May, I made a list of all the things I’d need to pack for a weekend camping in the UK. No stranger to festival life, I had pretty much everything I’d need already. Obvious additions like a folding buggy and a night light as well as niche items that time and experience have taught me I’d appreciate once on the road were all in check. What I didn’t bargain for was a heatwave. Nothing in my meticulously packed weekender bag was going to help me stay cool in plus 30 degrees.
Like the rest of the country, I frantically started googling how to stay cool in a heatwave, namely while spending four days and nights in a van, aka a roaming tin can. Handheld, chargeable fans, flasks that promise to keep liquids cold for long stretches of time, and – bizarrely – a cooling blanket were among the recommendations.
The irony of adding a layer of bedding when you’re already feeling too hot is not lost on me, but against my better judgement, and in a state of slight desperation, I hit purchase on this £40 item from Amazon.
The promise was simple: this single-layer, machine-washable blanket is designed to reduce skin temperature. It’s made with Japanese Arc-Chill 3.0 cool technology fabric and the reviews online are glowing. The next day, and just in time for my trip, it was perfectly placed on top of my luggage and I had high hopes. Worst case scenario, it wouldn’t work, but at least I’d know I’d tried.
