Scarves That Double as Airplane Blankets

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On a recent red-eye to the Dominican Republic, I was more cold on an airplane than I had ever been on any sort of public transportation in my life. Within five minutes I bought a jersey-fabric blanket that JetBlue was shilling for just as many dollars, but I was still so freakishly cold that I kept my laptop on my legs for the duration of the trip, hoping the heat it was generating would warm me up.

Airplanes are miserable, most of the time. Temperatures that fluctuate from frigid to hot and stuffy don’t help. A good blanket — or a large scarf that can double as one — helps. Here are a few worth checking out before your next flight.

The brand White + Warren has a dedicated section on its website for “travel wraps.” They’re expensive, but if you travel a lot or are just always cold, one of these might be worth considering. (Or, asking for as a gift.)

Most of the 100% cashmere wraps are priced at $298, but you can find some on sale right now for $209. They come in a ton of colors and are over six feet long and three feet wide. You are, essentially, buying a blanket that you can wear as a scarf, and not the other way around.

Muji’s Large Wool Cape Stole ($69.95) can be worn draped over the shoulders like a blanket-style scarf, or as an actual (functional) cape, thanks to the armholes.

The Japanese brand has several airport locations that are tremendously helpful for other travel stuff (like neck pillows and earplugs) and beauty products (moisturizer and face masks) that you might have forgotten.

As the name implies, the Travelwrap Company specializes in, well, travel wraps. The brand bills itself as a purveyor of “luxury Scottish cashmere wrap collections,” which means they’re really soft and also really expensive.

The solid-color styles are mostly priced at $282 (some go up to the mid-$300s), but there are a few seasonal colors on sale right now for $145.

Target has a huge selection of wraps and blanket scarves starting at $14.99, like this reversible wrap and this striped blanket scarf. Most of these are made of 100% acrylic, so they’re not going to feel nearly as luxe as the cashmere versions, but they’re a hell of a lot cheaper and are also a bit more practical for everyday. Plus, it won’t be the end of the world if you lose them.