Bucky Jersey Stripe Travel Comfort, Blanket Scarf, Black Stripe (551253)

Why it's worth it

It's a 48-by-56-inch fleece that wears as a scarf on the jet bridge and unfolds as a blanket at cruising altitude. It weighs half a pound, folds into its own pouch, and washes cold in a machine, which covers the basics without any fuss.

You can wear it instead of packing it. Draped as a scarf, the Bucky doesn't count against anything, and it's warm on a cold jet bridge at six in the morning. Once you're seated, it opens to 48 by 56 inches, enough for your lap and shoulders. That's the trick budget-minded packers use to keep a blanket out of the bag math entirely.

Fleece gives you the most warmth per ounce for the money, and this is a plain, unpretentious version of it. It's 100 percent polyester, machine wash cold, tumble dry low. No insulation, no technical shell, no compression system. What you get is a soft layer that handles a chilly cabin and costs a fraction of what the puffy blankets do, which is the whole point.

From our review of 5 travel blankets for airplanes

What we like

• +You can wear it instead of packing it
• +Fleece gives you the most warmth per ounce for the money, and this is a plain, unpretentious version of it
• +The pouch matters more here than the fabric does

What to know

• –It's the smallest coverage of our picks
• –There's no pillow function and no compression strap