Horizon Hound Down Review
Cons: Slippery material, thin-feeling, unimpressive durability
Manufacturer: Horizon Hound
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Horizon Hound Down | |||||
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| Awards |  |  |  | ||
| Price | $65 List | $99.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $61.70 at Amazon | $39.35 at Amazon | $24.95 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Impressively lightweight, compresses small, great weather resistance, becomes a poncho, quite affordable | Softer underbelly, weather-resistant, great features, feels warm, easy to clean | Quite warm and puffy, fairly weather-resistant, comfortable, reasonably affordable | Solid insulation, light and packable, compression stuff sack, large size, affordable | Very soft underside, comfortable, simple stuff sack, reasonable size/weight, inexpensive |
| Cons | Slippery material, thin-feeling, unimpressive durability | A bit large and bulky | Very large and bulky, a bit slick, not home washable | No cross-stitching, not weatherproof | On the small side, not super warm, not particularly technical |
| Bottom Line | A packable, portable blanket with a fairly low price tag but a little lacking in durability | Though a little bulky, this blanket is comfortable and provides serious warmth and weather protection | A cozy, warm blanket that's great on cold days, but it's a bit large for most travel | This blanket is a solid performer for a seriously great price | A good, comfortable option for pretty much any casual cozying |
| Rating Categories | Horizon Hound Down | NEMO Puffin | Wavelength | Snugpak Jungle | Kelty Bestie |
| Comfort (30%) | |||||
| Warmth (25%) | |||||
| Versatility (20%) | |||||
| Packed Size (15%) | |||||
| Features & Design (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Horizon Hound Down | NEMO Puffin | Wavelength | Snugpak Jungle | Kelty Bestie |
| Filling Type | Down | Synthetic | Synthetic | Synthetic | Synthetic |
| Measured Blanket Size | 50" x 76" | 54" x 78" | 51" x 73" | 62" x 74" | 42" x 74" |
| Compressed Size | 2.1 L | 4 L | 11 L | 3.5 L | 3.5 L |
| Weather Resistance | DWR treatment (water resistance) |
DWR treatment (water resistance) |
water resistant | windproof & MicroDiamond (light water resistance) |
none |
| Weight | 17 oz | 36 oz | 40 oz | 26 oz | 24 oz |
| Stuff Sack | Y - roll-top | Y - zippered | Y - drawstring | Y - compression | Y - drawstring |
| Exterior Material | 20D ripstop nylon | 30D nylon micro-ripstop | 20D nylon | 100% polyester with Paratex antibacterial treatment | 75 D polyester taffeta top 190T polyester pungee bottom |
| Insulation Material | 650-fill RDS duck down (80/20 down/feathers) |
600G Stratofiber (synthetic) | TechLoft Silver (synthetic - resinated polyester fiber) | Travelsoft (synthetic - resinated polyester fiber) | 9.5 oz Cloudloft (synthetic) |
| Manufacturer Temp Rating (F) | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | 45°F | Not specified |
| No | Yes - 1 zippered near feet | No | No | No | |
| Machine Washable | Yes - front load only | Yes - front load only | No - commercial washer only | Yes - front load only | Yes - front load only |
| Available Sizes | One size only | 1-person (tested), 2-person | One size only | Regular (tested), X-Large | One size only |
| Additional Features | Can become a poncho, has handles for wrapping around body or hanging, sewn through boxes hold down in place | Foot Nook foot box created by three buttons and holes, outwardly curved edges, sewn through in horizontal bars, contrast-colored top edge | Sewn through in horizontal bars | None | Softer bottom layer, sewn through boxes hold insulation in place |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Horizon Hound Down blanket is stuffed with 650-fill RDS (responsible down standard) in an 80% down, 20% feather mixture. It comes in a few colors and one slightly larger, thicker size.
Performance Comparison
Comfort
The Horizon Hound is made of 20D ripstop nylon that, like several others we tested, feels quite cool and slippery against your skin. It's so lightweight that it can easily fall off your lap or sleeping body. It does warm up quickly on your body but starts off with that slightly jarring cold feeling. The slippery fabric is also a bit on the "loud" side for a blanket. Five snaps turn this blanket into a poncho that you can wear with all the snaps closed against the cold or a few left open to free your hands for making dinner (or doling out high fives to your fellow adventurers). Measuring 50" x 76", it's a decent single-person sized blanket, though a bit on the small side among the competition. It's perfect for stuffing inside your sleeping bag on a particularly cold night or wrapping around your shoulders during a chilly fall tailgate.
Warmth
Though it claims to have the highest amount of down filling of the down models we tested, it is by far the thinnest option, fully lofted, which affects comfort and warmth. In our heat loss insulation testing, it performed below average and inconsistently across tests. We think this is likely due to the extra space between layers that may or may not be filled with insulation. This patchy coverage gives erratic warmth and insulation, and presumably will only become more pronounced as the down continues to age over the blanket's life span. Unfortunately, it's not a blanket we'd be willing to rely solely on for any truly cold activity.
Versatility
The Horizon Hound is treated with a DWR finish that does an excellent job repelling water even when left to soak for prolonged periods. It also does a pretty solid job of blocking wind, though it isn't the most impressive of the bunch. Its wearability and low weight make it a versatile use blanket, from international travel to backyard hammocking. The slippery fabric sheds dirt and pet hair and keeps it cleaner-looking for longer. However, it loses a fair amount of credibility when it comes to durability. The edges and seams aren't particularly impressive or sturdy, appearing sloppy in several places on the one we tested. The snaps that create the poncho also need a fair amount of caution when using them. They're not located on seams or otherwise reinforced and can easily rip through the fabric with regular or rough treatment. In fact, ours did actually rip from normal use of the snaps during our several month testing period. Based on how easily this blanket broke and the lack of attention to detail in the assembly that we observed, we're just not convinced that this blanket is going to last through serious outdoor adventuring.
Packed Size
The shining glory of this blanket can be seen in how impressively lightweight and packable it is. It's the lightest blanket we tested and packs down into the smallest size. Based on this alone, it's a backpacker's dream; however, any durability concerns prevent us from being able to truly recommend it as a blanket that can handle the heavy use associated with backpacking. But if you don't mind taking a gamble on longevity, this 17 ounce blanket can be squeezed down into a space that's hardly larger than two liters, which is pretty impressive in our book! Its stuff sack is also a roll-top bag that can easily be used to help compress contents to fit into small spaces.
Features & Design
Cross-stitching in both horizontal and vertical rows helps keep the down in place, and two "handles" let you hang it up to air out or store the blanket. It is machine washable in a front-loading washer on a delicate setting and can be re-fluffed with clean tennis balls in a dryer with a no heat setting. The Horizon Hound also backs their products with a one year warranty against defects in manufacturing.
Value
Compared to other down models we tested, this one is the cheapest. It offers a decent level of performance for the price, but we aren't confident about its longevity. However if you're ready to be careful with your camping blanket, the price of this option is pretty hard to beat.
Conclusion
We love the impressively small weight and tiny packed size. It's easy to travel with, and a good usable size for outdoor adventures; plus, the poncho snaps are always appreciated. However, we find it to be lacking a few of the creature comforts and durability features we'd like to see. Fortunately, it's one of the lowest prices for a down blanket, making it a decent choice for a little extra layer of warmth and protection.
— Maggie Brandenburg