Missing Lakeland's Heated Poncho? You'll love the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw (it's actually better)

You know when something is so warm you just want to climb inside? That's exactly what you can do with the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw. I did it for weeks and, quite frankly, I'm reluctant to crawl back out.

Last year, the woman&home team declared Lakeland’s Heated Poncho to be the best electric blanket on the market. All the team wore theirs all winter long (because electric blankets cost pennies to run). So, you can only imagine my horror when, one day, I clicked on the link for the poncho to see the words ‘product discontinued’. Why? How? What am I/we supposed to do to keep warm now?

The answers to all those questions lie in the release of the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw. They've taken the heated throw and made it wearable. Imagine if your dressing gown has a glow up and you've got this. It's a snuggly, lovely, undeniable improvement on last year's design.

I've been cosying up in The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw for weeks. I've been reading in it, drinking tea in it, watching films in it. Heck, I've even been baking in it. In short, I’ve lived in this since I opened it. Have I worn it to the office yet? No. Will I? Give it a few months.

Specifications

Unboxing the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw

When you buy a wearable electric blanket, you want to know that the texture suits and the way that you like to lounge. Lakeland leaves a space in the box for the fleece to pop through, so you can touch the plush, velvet texture. It’s undeniably gorgeous. Some might even say it's snuggly (no guesses why they names it 'The Snuggler').

Getting this out of the box was as simple as unwrapping it, flattening the cardboard and plugging it in. All aspects of the packaging are recyclable and this comes ready to wear. It’s gorgeous. 

Who would the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw suit?

Whilst we all like to wrap up in heated throws, there are some that give you a little more to work with than others. This is designed specifically to be worn (even though my partner and I can both cosy up under it if we want to), so it’s great if you know you’ll want to wrap up and read, sip a cup of tea, or do some work. The sleeves give your hands a lot more freedom to move around than if you had a normal heated throw wrapped around you.

With that in mind, this is perfect for people who want a warmer dressing gown. I’d generally recommend it to individual people, especially since the arms don’t make this the most pleasing sofa throw. However, as you can see in the picture above, if you lie it flat, The Snuggler is capable of spreading across the width of a full kingsized bed.

Of all the blankets I tested, this was the quickest to heat up and nicest to stay wrapped up in. It’s a great gift and certainly gives you the premium experience. It's also really cheap to run. So, if you're holding out on cranking up the heating, this is a great way to still enjoy being at home without freezing. 

What is the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw like to use?

I’ve mentioned already that wearing The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw is almost identical to slipping on a dressing gown. You put your arms in the sleeves and you can hook your feet onto the pouch at the bottom. I’m five foot tall, so this absolutely swamped me, but in that cosy, nostalgic I'm-wearing-dad’s-jumper kind of way. I could still drink tea, read, and potter around at home. I just had more material to work with. 

Once you're wearing The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw, you’ll need to plug it in. The lead is shorter than most other electric blankets, which limits where you can use it. I would recommend getting an extension cord (such as this one from Argos) if you don’t have lots of plugs near your sofa and workstation. Then you won’t feel tied to sitting like a statue.  

As for heating, you get three different settings to scroll between and three different timers for how long you want the blanket on for. Of course, you can control whether it's on or off manually too, but it's nice to know that you can fall asleep without the blanket becoming a fire hazard. Although, whilst I'm on the topic of cautions, Lakeland recommends speaking to your doctor before using this if you have a pacemaker.

I started Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw out on the lowest setting and wrapped myself up. The material itself made me feel warm straightaway. I’d happily have it as a blanket without the heat. However, after half an hour, wrapped up in this, I was very cosy. I didn’t overheat and I think I could keep it on that low temperature for a long time, but there was a notable difference between being wrapped up in that and being wrapped up in a normal blanket. 

Next, I wanted to try the extreme. I have Reynauds, which means that I regularly lose circulation in my hands and feet. One morning, after being outside in the cold, I had lost circulation, so I thought it was a great opportunity to test out the full heat of the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw. I cranked it up to ten, and snuggled in to read my book. After ten minutes, I was cosy. The circulation had just about come back and I wasn’t sure that I could take much more heat. After another five, I definitely couldn’t sustain the heat, so I switched the blanket off, and sat in the warmth. It stayed hot for hours, with my body heat keeping the blanket topped up. I know I'm not alone here, because I've read lots of reviews of people who found the hottest setting to be too warm for them. So, to all my cold friends out there, this will buy you happiness, or the thing that’s closest to it. 

So, the Lakeland can do the extremes, but what if you want to be kept comfortably cosy? It’s simple. The mid-heat setting is actually quite warm, but a three is lovely. It’s like sitting by the radiator or by the fire, but you don’t have to burn any fuel.

How do you clean the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw?

As a surrogate dressing gown, I can imagine lots of chocolate, wine, and tea getting dropped onto the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw. Luckily for you, it’s easy to keep clean, no matter how messy you are. The controls and plug clip out of the blanket, so that you can load it into the washing machine. Lakeland recommends washing at 30°C and I’d ask throw in another precaution. Use Ecover or Method laundry liquid and fabric softener. These will be more gentle on the fibres meaning that you can keep using your throw for longer without it getting patchy or stiff. It isn’t safe to tumble dry, but when I washed mine, I hung it on the heated airer and it was dry within a few hours. 

We have a whole page dedicated to giving you advice on how to clean an electric blanket, if you need some more help and advice.

How does the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw compare?

Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw is my favourite wearable electric blanket out there. The only other heated blanket that is really worth considering is the M&S Heavyeight Fleece Electric Blanket. Its new to the market this year and I’m yet to test it, but it has 4.5 out of 5 stars on the M&S website. 

People generally say that it is warm and comfortable. They like the pouch, which is a feature that the Lakeland throw doesn't have and they say that it's great for wearing when you don't want to turn the heating on. However, some people say that the controls are harder to disconnect (for washing) and that it feels a bit bulky. One of the beautiful aspects of the Lakeland Heated Throw is its versatility. You're not tied to wearing it as a dressing gown if you don't want to. It also has space for your feet, which the M&S poncho lacks. So, if I had to choose, I would spend the extra £20 on the Lakeland Heated Throw.

If you're not fussed about it being wearable. my second favourite heated throw is The Beurer Wellbeing Heated Overblanket. This has a similarly warming feel and it can spread over two people without leaving any air gaps. It heats up quicky (though not quite as fast as the Lakeland one) and it easy to machine wash. It's even a little cheaper than the Lakeland Heated Throw, but that's probably because it's not as easy to wrap around and wear if you're working from home.

Should you buy the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw?

If you're someone who gets very cold, or you want to work form home without having the heating on high, the Lakeland The Snuggler Sleeved Heated Throw is a worthwhile investment (electric blankets are a great way to save money). It feels like a big, warm hug. Who can put a price on that? Not me.

How we test

I've been testing all the electric blankets for woman&home, so I've set up a foolproof test system to make sure that we score all of them fairly and consistently for our reviews and our buying guide to the best electric blankets.

I always make sure to do my research before any testing, so my days consist of a lot of deep diving into electric blankets. As soon as there's a new model on the market, I make sure to know everything you'd want to know about it. If I think it's a good fit for us, I call it in to test.

Once the electric blanket is in my home, I make notes on everything. From unboxing and cleaning the electric blanket to what it's like to use. I'll include the texture, the fit, any care instructions, as well as the settings. I like to test and time how long it takes to warm up, how well it stays at temperature, and I'll also check any timers and pre-sets too. Essentially, once I've finished, I'm more than familiar with the electric blanket.

Given that I've tested all the models for woman&home, I can't help but compare between different electric blankets. That means that I have a section dedicated to placing the electric blanket amongst its fiercest competitors. I'll let you know whether it's good value, what else is out there, and who it suits (and well as who it doesn't). Overall, you'll come away from the review knowing everything you need to. If you don't, you can always email be your questions too.