How often have you been hiking or at the beach and wanted to sit down, but didn’t have a blanket? Matador, makers of cool travel gear, has come up with two innovative solutions: the Pocket Blanket and the Mini Pocket Blanket. Both of these are small enough to easily fit into your purse, pocket or backpack and have on hand.

The Matador travel blankets are conveniently small.

The Pocket Blanket and its mini cousin are made of a heavy duty, puncture-resistant nylon. The little storage bag is integrated; sewn right into the blanket so you don’t lose it. This ultra compact blanket (the regular size on measures 63 inches by 44 inches; the Mini 44 inches by 28 inches) isn’t really a blanket in the sense that it’ll provide warmth. It really won’t. What it will do is keep the sand, leaves, grass and other dirt off of you when you need to sit down. And because it’s water resistant you can use it as an emergency rain cover.

Super-Tiny, Uber-Convenient

Matador’s Pocket Blanket is large enough for two to sit or lounge.

The Pocket Blanket is about the size of a smart phone; the Mini more like the size of a box of mints. Matador says their Pocket blanket has room for two to lay, up to four can sit. I agree with the two, but four sitting? It’d be very cozy. MOre realistically, the Pocket Blanket will seat two; the Mini one.

When you’re finished with it, just fold it up following the red seams and tuck it back into the integrated sack. (I was able to fold both the Pocket Blanket and the Mini Pocket Blanket into their respective sacks, despite the fact that I’m a bit spatially-challenged! However, my folks weren’t quite as neat as the original packaging.)

Even I can re-pack the Matador.

Matador’s Travel Blankets won’t replace emergency space blankets or pashminas as travel/hiking/outdoors go-to blankets. However, the Matador Pocket Blanket’s tiny size, tough, puncture-resistant fabric, and convenient little storage sacks make these little pocket blankets so easy, they’re something I’ll keep with me—just in case I feel a picnic urge.

Matador Pocket blankets are available directly from Matador (Pocket blanket $29.99; Mini $19.99) or from Amazon– Bobbie Hasselbring, RFT Editor