PACMAT Picnic Blanket Review
PACMAT Picnic Blanket Review
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First Impressions
I always feel that the customer service that you receive from a company says a lot about them! From my very first contact with Rubbastuff they have been helpful, informative and totally professional. The integrity of their business is reinforced by their exemplary customer service.
We received our PACMAT at the beginning of June ready for a summer of thoroughly testing it out. We immediately began using it; the very next day; at a local Music Festival. I have to say that we were very excited to have an excuse to use our stunning picnic blanket!
We spent the whole afternoon and evening relaxing, eating and chilling out to the music on our picnic blanket. We were with a group of friends who all admired our beautiful PACMAT!
The beautiful Butterflies Gold Family Special Edition PACMAT
(with artwork by artist Gabby Malpas).
Lightweight
The following day, I took our son and one of his friends to see a production of The Tempest which was being performed in a park in Salisbury.
For this production of The Tempest, we had to walk around the park, moving from scene to scene. It was an exceptionally hot day and I was so pleased to have our lightweight PACMAT picnic blanket as it was so easy to pick up and carry to the next scene! It wasn't bulky, heavy or difficult to transport. I could very easily pick it up and sling it over my arm or just as easily, stuff it into a bag. It was perfect for carrying around!
Lightweight ✔️
Because PACMATs are so lightweight, they are made with button holes in the corners. This means that you can peg your picnic blanket down if you need to.
Over the following weeks, we used our gorgeous Butterflies PACMAT on a church walk, when meeting up with friends, on days out, having a break when horse riding and at every opportunity that we could find! Obviously, we wanted to try out our PACMAT, but we also loved it so much that using it just made us smile!
Durability
Wanting to test out the durability of our PACMAT, I was particularly eager to use it on the beach. I wanted to find out how it would perform with the relentless movement of people on an unstable surface when subjected to sand, rough stones and shells.
The first opportunity that we had to use it on the beach was when we were camping at the start of the school holidays. So of course, typically the weather changed from beautiful sunshine to overcast and rainy!
However, a second camping trip a few weeks later gave us the opportunity that I had been waiting for. The weather was so beautifully sunny that we had two days at the beach. The first beach day was at Kimmeridge Bay. Kimmeridge is very pebbly and stony and so really tested our PACMATs durability!
The following day, we went to Swanage. The beach at Swanage is perfectly sandy and so it was another chance to test the durability of our PACMAT. We spent the whole day at the beach, in and out of the water, eating lunch and just generally chilling out.
And yes, our PACMAT stood up to the rigorous test of 2 very different beach days!
However, seizing another opportunity to thoroughly test out our PACMAT with some expert help, we popped round to our lovely friends next-door to get some photos and videos with their gorgeous and very adorable Rottweiler, Rubble.
Rubble definitely put our PACMAT to the test!
He even wore his Christmas collar for the occasion.
As you can see, Rubble is a very big dog. He is also very active and loves to run around and play. As we threw him treats, Rubble ran across our PACMAT, jumped for treats on it and he even did a roly poly on it! I can definitely say that our beautiful Butterflies Gold Family Special Edition PACMAT passed the Rubble test with flying colours!
Our review is totally honest, I would never write something that I didn't believe is true. But I have to admit that when I first received my PACMAT I was dubious about its durability. The reason for this is that it is so lightweight and soft. How could such lightweight material be so strong? However, I genuinely can say that I have been truly amazed at how durable it really is! We have really put our PACMAT to the test, I have lost count of the number of times that we have used it. And Rubble thoroughly tested it out too!
Durability ✔️
Waterproof
Over the summer, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to use an outside pool. As I watched our son and his cousins splashing around in the pool I sat relaxing on our PACMAT. But the kids had other ideas, delighting in splashing me and of course the PACMAT!
However, this resulted in a chance to test its waterproof abilities as I realised that water droplets were sitting on top of the PACMAT! Although they did eventually seep into the top layer, they didn't get the golden underside wet. However, this called for further testing.
So some time later, armed with a watering can and my PACMAT, I set off into our garden to test it's waterproof abilities. I must admit that although the underside of the PACMAT seemed to be waterproof, I really didn't know how it would perform when faced with the amount of water that I was going to 'throw' at it!
Firstly, I made the ground very wet, placed our PACMAT down and stood on it. When I touched it, the top layer of the PACMAT was completely dry.
So I poured a large amount of water directly onto the underside of our PACMAT making a large puddle. When I turned the picnic blanket over and touched the top layer, it was still completely dry. I was very impressed with its waterproof qualities! But I also wanted to test it out once I had washed it.
So, once our PACMAT had been washed in the washing machine and it was dry, we took it outside to test it again. This time, we held it so that we could pour water onto the gold underside of the blanket to see if would leak at all. But even though the PACMAT was holding a large puddle of water, not one single drop of water leaked through!
Pouring water onto the underside of our PACMAT.
Please note that it is recommended that you re-waterproof your PACMAT after you have washed it several times.
Waterproof ✔️
Compact
(with artwork by artist Gabby Malpas) next to a traditional picnic blanket.
Needing to compare the size of our PACMAT with a traditional picnic blanket, our friends next-door let us borrow their stripy picnic blanket. As you can see from the photo, our PACMAT is very compact! We have found that it is so easy to stuff our PACMAT into the bottom of a rucksack or backpack. We have often gone out for the day not knowing if we would need a picnic blanket and have found that our PACMAT takes up such a small amount of space in our backpack that we can take it without any issue.
Compact ✔️
Washable
So having really put our PACMAT to the test over the summer and of course with Rubble's help, our Rubbastuff PACMAT was definitely in need of a wash! Before I washed it, I checked out the care label on our PACMAT and also the care instructions on the website.
If you are anything like me, you will have had many picnic blankets over the years. I seem to have regularly bought a new one simply because my old picnic blanket has needed cleaning. I have tried many different ways in the past to clean our old picnic mats. I have tried shaking them, vacuuming, brushing, sponge cleaning them and have even ruined a couple when all else has failed by putting them in the washing machine! Just think of the amount of traditional picnic blankets that have ended up in landfill! This is just another reason to purchase a washable Rubbastuff PACMAT!
PACMAT Picnic blankets are much more environmentally friendly and are also made from recycled material. You can read all about their environmental impact here.
So, having read the care instructions, I popped our PACMAT into the washing machine. Once it was washed and had dried naturally (DO NOT TUMBLE DRY), our PACMAT still looked and felt amazing. And it was still totally waterproof!
Washable ✔️
Made in Britain 🇬🇧
Rubbastuff are proud to be able to display the official MADE IN BRITAIN mark. This means that their PACMATs are made and manufactured in Britain, therefore cutting down greatly on the environmental impact of these products. If you haven't already, please follow this link to find out all about how Rubbastuff manufacture their PACMATs to have minimal impact on the environment.
Made in Britain ✔️
Rubbastuff strongly believe in the principle that you should 'buy well, buy once'. I totally agree! And by purchasing a PACMAT you are doing just that that!
The other great thing about Rubbastuff PACMATs is that there is a stunning design to suit everyone's taste and sizes to suit everyone's needs. Check out the full range of PACMATs here.
But, did you know that as well as PACMATs and groundsheet pegs, Rubbastuff also sell a range of other great products. Take a look at their Xtra stuff here.
PACMATs are the picnic blankets of the future now! Once you try PACMAT you will never buy a traditional picnic blanket again!
Our Tip Tips
* When you purchase your PACMAT also buy a set of groundsheet pegs.
* Always store your groundsheet pegs with or attached to your PACMAT, that way you'll always know where the pegs are!
* Read the care advice, especially before washing your PACMAT.
We are so grateful to the lovely people at Rubbastuff for giving us a discount code to share with you. Enter code: ChaoticCVS at checkout to get an amazing 12% discount off of PACMATs. This code does not apply to accessories, however, we would recommend that that you do also buy the groundsheet pegs as they are really useful.
Thank you so much for reading our review. Don't forget to check out our PACMAT Vlog Review on our YouTube channel. If you would like to find out more about Rubbastuff, check out their story here. If you'd like to know more about The Chaotic Campervaners, then please follow this link.
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