I'm sure this seemed like a good idea at the time - some bright spark obviously figured that between blankets and clothes, there was a gap in the market that was crying out for innovation. Seeing what was created to fill that gap, I'm pretty sure it never existed in the first place.

As modelled by the unreasonably jolly young lady above, the Slanket is 90% blanket, with the addition of a couple of sleeves through which to stick your arms. As the nights get darker and the icy grip of winter marches ever closer, you'll want to stay snuggly-warm, and this might seem like a tempting idea. Dismiss that notion. Unless you're searching for a low-budget Jabba the Hut costume, nothing good will come from buying a Slanket - or at least nothing a regular blanket couldn't provide.

For me, this is a classic example of an invention that exists purely for its own sake. The blurb above cites "constant fussing with a blanket" as the kind of thing that you'll be blissfully rid of once you're a Slanket owner - but when did you last struggle to use a blanket? Personally, I've always found them to be pretty intuitive devices. I certainly can't remember the last time I thought "Ah! The darned complexity of trying to wrap this infernal blanket around me! What's supposed to go where? If only there was a simpler way!"

Basically, I don't see the point - if you want a jumper, you'll wear one. Ditto a blanket.

In its defence, it's an adequate - if expensive - blanket. It's made of a nice soft fleece, and does a pretty competent insulating job. Ultimately, it's a gimmick. Go buy one for someone if you've no other ideas for presents - that's pretty much all they exist for.