November 24, 2022

What Is a Sherpa Blanket? (Here Is What I Didn’t Know)

by Roger

A Sherpa blanket consists of synthetic Sherpa fabric.

It is a unique fabric because it appears and works like sheepskin.

Sherpa blankets are perfect in the winter without adding heavy layers of fabric to your clothing.

Many ask what is a Sherpa Blanket to learn more about the usage of this fabric.


Table of Contents
What Is a Sherpa Blanket
What Is a Sherpa Blanket? (Here Is What I Didn’t Know)

What Is Sherpa?

Sherpa is a synthetic fabric that consists of polyester, acrylic, or cotton material.

Some companies combine these fibers to give different properties to the Sherpa fabric.

Sherpa has two surfaces similar to the sheepskin. It has a flat surface that mimics the inner layer of the sheepskin.

The other side has a layer of fuzzy fibers to mimic the outer layer of the sheepskin.

You can also get it by the term Faux Sheepskin on the market.

What Is Sherpa Fleece Used For?

Sherpa is a type of fleece fabric with unique properties.

It has a flat surface and a fluffy surface.

You can find fleece fabrics in different thicknesses.

Sherpa is one of the soft fleece fabrics with a constant level of fabric thickness.

You can use some fleece fabrics to make the entire clothing item.

It is not the case with the Sherpa fleece because it works best when you add a lining of this fabric to clothing items.

Air will not move out of the clothing when you add a layer of Sherpa fleece on the inner layer of the clothes.

It promotes heat retention.

What Is a Sherpa Blanket?

Sherpa blanket is an excellent fabric because it is easier to maintain than wool.

It has less weight than wool and other fleece fabrics.

These properties make the Sherpa blanket excellent for use in your home and office.

You will get a soft side with a wool-like appearance and a leather-like side.

The Sherpa blanket aims to mimic the appearance and properties of the sheepskin.

Finding a blanket with high heat retention and low weight is hard.

You will get both of these properties in the Sherpa Blankets.

What Are the Benefits of Sherpa Blankets?

People like to add a layer of Sherpa fabric to all clothing items.

It became famous in the 1980s after many fashion brands added it to their winter clothing range.

It is easy to learn what is a Sherpa Blanket when you look at its benefits and properties.

You will get the most crucial advantages of the Sherpa Blanket on this list.

Cruelty-Free Products

Most of us do not want to harm animals.

Some companies introduced animal cruelty-free products to help meet the demands of these people.

Sherpa Blanket is an animal-friendly product because it has synthetic fibers.

It is the synthetic version of sheepskin.

Companies kill sheep to get authentic sheepskin. It is not the case with the Sherpa blanket because there is no need to kill sheep.

Sherpa can have some cotton also. Cotton comes from plants.

Easy to Maintain

You can maintain and care for the Sherpa Blanket because it is suitable to use water to wash it.

Sherpa Blankets can resist water damage.

You can also add a mild detergent to the water to clean it.

It increases the chances of stain removal without damage to the fabric.

Another reason people prefer the Sherpa Blanket is its fast drying.

The fluffy layer of the Sherpa gives the fabric a large surface area.

It promotes the evaporation of water.

It increases the ease of maintenance of the Sherpa.

High-Level Heat Retention

Sherpa Blanket traps heat by preventing air movement.

It has a fluffy layer on one side of the Sherpa Blanket.

The fluffy layer stops the air movement.

Air with body heat does not move from the specific location on the blanket.

It prevents further heat exchange.

Heat retention without adding bulky layers of fabric is an advantage of the Sherpa Blanket.

Low Weight

Most fashion industry companies use Sherpa because of its low weight.

It retains a high level of heat with a thin layer.

There is no need to add many layers of the Sherpa to retain heat.

You can control the Sherpa Blanket’s weight because it is a synthetic fabric.

You can increase or decrease the fabric density to get the material according to your desire.

It dries fast due to its low weight because of the more surface area of the Sherpa Blanket.

No Smell Production

Sherpa is an excellent fabric because it has properties of different natural fabrics.

Breathability is one of the advantages of the Sherpa.

It does not irritate your skin and prevents the smell of products.

High breathability is due to the moisture-wicking properties also.

It removes moisture from your body and promotes its evaporation.

It prevents smell production due to damp internal conditions.

Low Cost

You can get Sherpa Blankets at a low price.

The price is much lower when you compare it to natural sheepskin.

Companies can reduce the cost of blanket production with the use of Sherpa.

It allows them to cover more people from the cold situation without forcing them to pay thousands of dollars.

You will get better heat retention with the Sherpa at a low price.

It retains more heat than wool.

How to Care for a Sherpa Blanket

The washing method for Sherpa Blanket depends on the blanket size.

If you have a small blanket, you can put it in cold water and wash your hands.

It is hard to wash large blankets by hand.

It is better to use a washing machine to wash the Sherpa blanket.

You should not use the water heating option and set the machine on light settings.

It will help you clean the Sherpa Blanket without causing damage to the fabric.

Some experts suggest adding a blanket to the laundry bag to prevent fabric damage.

You can find the most common causes of Sherpa Blanket damage and the ways to avoid them.

Cause of DamageDamage Avoiding Method
Fabric stretch due to hot waterAir dry Sherpa and only use cold water
Slime covering the Sherpa fibersAvoid using bleach and softeners
Lint production on Sherpa surfaceDo not mix Sherpa with other clothes while washing
Fabric pillingDo not tumble-dry the Sherpa Blanket

How Many Types of Fleece Are There?

You can consider many factors when selecting Sherpa Blanket.

Size is one of the most crucial factors.

Some like to get small blankets for their babies or put blankets on their laps.

You have to make a different choice when you want a blanket for a king-sized bed.

Fleece thickness is another crucial factor.

You may need a fleece blanket with high thickness when going to colder conditions.

There are several types of fleece.

You can select one of the fleece products from the list below.

Cotton or Polycotton Fleece

Some people do not want to use fabric entirely made of synthetic fibers.

It can be due to allergies or personal preference.

Cotton fleece is a perfect choice for these people.

You can identify this type of fleece due to the lack of shine on the fleece surface.

Most athletic wear fleece consists of polycotton fleece.

Cotton-containing fabric is softer than the other types.

Microfleece

You can use the microfleece fabric to enhance the insulation.

A high level of heat retention is due to fluffy material on both sides of the fabric.

When you have a fluffy layer on one side, you will get heat retention benefits on one side.

Microfleece fabric is better due to both fluffy surfaces.

Another reason to use the microfleece fabric is its lightweight.

As it has fluffy fibers on both sides, you only need a little weight to produce a high heat retention effect.

Polyester Fleece

If you live in an area with a lot of rainfall, you can use polyester fleece.

This fabric has some excellent properties.

Water-repelling is one of the more beneficial properties of polyester fleece.

You can identify this fabric with the sheen on the fluffy surface.

The fluffy surfaces reflect a lot of light to appear like the fibers are glowing.

It is an excellent choice for people looking for something stylish and durable.

Stretch Fleece

Fleece fabric has a moderate level of stretch.

It is unsuitable when you want something more stretchable.

It is possible to increase the stretchability of the fleece fabric by adding spandex to the polyester material.

You can get a lot of flexibility in this fabric.

The spandex is the material to add stretch to the fabrics.

You can find it in sportswear.

Slub Fleece

It is not a warm fleece because it does not have a thick fluffy surface.

Most companies use this fleece to make decorative products.

You may find it in some parts of the clothing items to enhance style.

Because of low heat retention, you cannot make a blanket from the slub fleece.

French Terry Fleece

It is the only fleece fabric without any fluffy surface.

Some believe adding it to the fleece fabric category is inaccurate.

One of the reasons people do not want to add it to the fleece category is the lack of excellent heat retention properties.

It is hard to see any blankets consisting of French terry fleece because it does not have a fluffy surface.

Polar Fleece

It is one of the thickest fleece fabrics.

As the name suggests, people of colder regions use this fabric.

It has similar heat retention properties to the authentic Sherpa fabric.

You may have to carry more weight when using clothing made of synthetic fabric.

Most blankets consist of Polar Fleece due to its heat retention properties.

To Summarize: What Is a Sherpa Blanket

Sherpa fleece is a cheap alternative to sheepskin.

If you do not know what is a Sherpa blanket, you can find information on these points.

These points will help you learn more about the Sherpa blankets.

  • Sherpa blankets are perfect for retaining heat without adding more weight.
  • It is better to add a layer of Sherpa fleece to a clothing item rather than make an entire clothing product from it.
  • Sherpa fleece can retain more heat with less weight.
  • You can wash the Sherpa blanket in the washing machine with cold water.
  • Hot water can damage the Sherpa Blankets.
  • There are several types of fleece fabrics for different functions.

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Last Updated on March 14, 2023 by Roger

About the author

Roger

Roger was born into a family of climbers. As the youngest of his siblings, he was also the most ardent climber of them. Small and agile, he practiced climbing all day. Today, Roger teaches children how to climb the large rock walls safely.

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