Ah, the Slanket ... a blanket with sleeves. It's not on my Christmas list yet, but it does intrigue me so I did some research.
First, do I really need one? Probably not, but the value proposition of staying warm and comfortable, yet still having my hands free for eating, drinking and remote controlling is compelling.
I don't use blankets regularly since putting on a sweatshirt usually does the trick. So, why buy a Slanket? Well, it sounds cool and different, which is usually good enough to hook my consumer-centric personality.
Here's the story from Gary, the creator: "One sub-zero night in 1998 during my first semester of college I could not escape Maine's winter bite. While watching 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' I decided I needed to tear a hole in my sleeping bag so I could keep my upper body warm as I channel surfed during the commercial breaks. During Christmas vacation I commissioned the first Slanket to be made by my mother ... and it was born."
Kinda one of those, "why didn't I think about this" things, isn't it?
Anyway, it's available in 10 colors and runs $44.95, which seems a bit high. There are, though, competitors available including a $15 Snuggie and several other "generic" models.
Anyone out there have a Slanket? Please let me know before I write my letter to Santa.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
