"I purchased this for the Chicago summer park, beach and picnic trips with my 2 boys (3 & 11 months). I purchased it before in the spring where I paid $14 for it. I see now the price is $23. It is for sure worth every penny of my $14 I spent but I were to purchase one now, I think I would go with one of the cloth mats like the JJ brand or Ralph Lauren. Another mom/friend of ours pulled out her Ralph Lauren mat at the park last week and I was in love with it. I actually was jealous I didn't pay $10 more to get the cloth. My 11 month old was so comfortable with that one, he almost feel asleep on the mat. The only issue I had with hers was it was too small. Honestly, I would pay up to $20 for this! Camco mat: Pros: -LARGE- It fit myself (5'3 -130), my 11 month old, my 3.5 y/o and another mom and her 3.5 y/o son. we still had room for toys and food. - Easy to pack up. It has creases so you can fold in in a hurry and velco it to close it. - Easy to clean. It feels like straw but it's plastic. I cleaned it with vinegar and water in a spray bottle. - Weather ready- It got rained on and it was easy to wipe off and go! If I had the JJ mat (cloth) I would have had to put it in a plastic bag or something. Cons: - It could be more comfortable but it works fine if you don't have to sit on it for a long time. - a bit bulky. I put it in our double stroller so it takes up a lot of room and it won't bend like a cloth one would. NEither PRO or CON: the color. I don't love it and I don't dislike it!!! If you want to be hidden in the park or beach, don't bring this. If you want to make sure your kids find where you are in the park or beach, they will find you with this color mat."
Camco 42805 60" x 78" Handy Mat with Strap (Compare Deals from $21.14)
"I am a vine member but I did not receive this for free; I purchased it myself and took it along on a recent family vacation to the beach. I used it on three occasions and each time, loved that I had something like this. First off, the size is ample. It's roomy enough that a couple of adults can fully stretch out and sleep on it. It's also low maintenance. I've had it covered with sand on the beach. A few shakes before folding it up got rid of most of it. My son also got it wet, which was no problem at all since it is plastic. I especially like that it folds up so neatly to the size of a tote and it has pockets that you can put your beach read book, sunglasses and sunscreen into. The only drawback is, due to its large size, I found it difficult to fold by myself. (I'm five feet tall) I could do it, it just wasn't easy. My husband, who is approx. 6 feet tall, had no trouble folding it himself. I guess it's just a great excuse for him to be in charge of clean up then. :-)"
"We bought this based on the high users reviews and we were not disappointed. This is very light weight, durable mat this is very easy to clean and to fold back into its original shape to carry. We've only used it at the beach so I can't comment on how it holds up on other surfaces. Since this mat is very light weight, a slight wind will lift the corners up VERY easily. So I highly recommend anchoring it with something heavy on each side of the mat on a windy day. When we get home, I unfold it and hose it down with water. I let it dry overnight in the garage and by the next day, it's clean and ready to fold back up in order to take along for the next beach adventure."
"This is the perfect size picnic blanket. It's so big and exactly what I wanted/needed! I wasn't sure how big this thing was going to be but I took it to the park to study a bit there. It was very comfortable and very easy to roll up and use. I love the colors and it's very fun, convenient to pack up and comfortable to carry. It can hold a few people on it--which is perfect for a summer picnic or an outdoor music festival. You can easily wipe off anything since it's easy-clean. This is a great picnic blanket!"
"the texture was rough - when it arrived i immediately noted the velcro strap had strings dangling and when i tried to un-velcro the mat to open it, the velcro ripped all the way off. it must not have been sewn properly. It's a good size, definitely would fit a family of 4, easily. I also think the material would be great for sand to shake off, although it's more rough than i had hoped. I have returned due to the defect and purchased one that is more "blanket material" at my local store."
"Looks great in person! Haven't used yet (bought for our annual beach trip) but it looks like this will work better than towels have in the past and hopefully be lots less messy as well!"
"I bought this for a recent beach trip. It is easy to transport, and it was great to sit on a sand free surface, but still allowed the kids to dig in the sand right next to them. It never got hot, and when we were done we just picked it up and folded it. The sand didnt stick to it at all."
Camco 42805 60" x 78" Handy Mat with Strap (Compare Deals from $21.14)
