Under the Stars or on the Couch, Get Cozy with These Alpaca Wool Blankets

Welcome to another WildLands gear grab, where we highlight a piece of equipment you should absolutely be getting your hands on. We only recommend things we love. If you buy something through our site, we might earn a commission.

The bulk of our gear reviews dispersed under the WildLands banner focus on items built for the backcountry—those key to survival in the rugged environs in which some of us are prone to immersing. This is not one of those reviews.

The progression of age, I’ve concluded, has been such that most off-grid excursions are even more enjoyable when incentivized with the promise of subsequent soft comforts—or, the now-overused Scandinavian concept of hygge. (Find “Hygge” signs in HomeGoods in the aisle adjacent to the “Live, Laugh, Love” paraphernalia.)

This review, then, is an ode to softness, and few luxuries exude more snug, agreeable comforts than the handcrafted alpaca wool blankets courtesy of Alpaca Threadz.

Brandon and LeAnn Morris first arrived at the idea for the gear-for-good company following a series of tumbling dominos that began when their new international travel company, Flashpacker Connect, was put on hold due to the pandemic. The Colorado couple’s travel enterprise had been inspired by their own off-grid adventures through Andean cultural hubs like Ecuador and Peru. But when international border openings came to a screeching halt, the duo began exploring alternative measures to support the neighborhoods they had fallen in love with, communities that rely heavily on the economic boost that international tourism provides.

After brainstorming with a Peruvian family they became close with during a trip years prior, the couple arrived at the conclusion that they would try to sell select handcrafted items that could supplement the income traditionally garnered via in-person tourism. Alpaca Threadz—and its line of Indigenous-crafted, alpaca wool items—was born.

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In just the short time since the pandemic recalibrated travel plans from sea to shining sea, Alpaca Threadz blossomed well beyond the scope of what anyone first anticipated. Today, the meticulously-designed blankets woven by members of the Quechuan people are sold all over the world, the product of a tradition that dates back thousands of years. For generations, farms built at high altitudes have created mutually beneficial relationships between the alpaca, by way of their wool, and the Quechuan, whose expansive farms provide the alpaca with care and protection from predators.

Alpaca Threadz employs ethical and fair trade practices to support such communities and the textile prowess for which they’re renowned. Alpaca Threadz also endeavors to bridge clients and retailers with Indigenous communities to provide direct support, and 10% of every purchase is given to local families where the products are sourced.

Whether cozying up on the couch, enjoying a bonfire, setting up for a picnic, or even sleeping under the stars with the company’s Camp Blanket, a layer from Alpaca Threadz is a superbly soft addition (and especially nice after sleeping in a bag in the dirt).

Check out the full line of blankets; snag one and support Andean communities in the process.