I was recently given the opportunity to test out a Monkey Mat. And with a 3, 6, and 8, year old monkey kid of my own at home, it seemed like the perfect summer product to test out. But – before I got it – I honestly couldn’t figure out why anyone would want one of these… after all, it’s like a blanket, right?
Well, sort of, but not really. Once again, someone has come up with a variation on a classic standby (picnic blanket) that – once you use it – you can’t live without it.
The Monkey Mat was dreamed up by Christie Barany (@MonkeyMatMama) after unenthusiastically watching her kids playing around on the dirty airport floor during an unanticipated multi-hour layover. Wouldn’t it be great if there were some… thing… kind of like a blanket that would pack down small, look cool, clean easily, etc.?
And so Christie got to work, and… here we are. Voila, the Monkey Mat!
My kids were super curious, as kids tend to be, when this thing arrived in the mail. “What is it? What is it for? Can we play with it?!” Yes, yes you can. I let them have at it. Run around the yard with it, take it to the playground, dump ketchup on it, use it outside as a cape, a blanket, a roof. Basically, beat the living daylights out of it. After all, if you’re going to shell out $40 retail for this than it’d better be pretty good, right?
Well, it is that good. For anyone who spends time with outdoor camping gear, they know that parachute nylon is good, good stuff. Takes a beating, strong as an ox, packs down small, weighs nothing. That’s what the Monkey Mat is made out of. It’s colorful (which the kids love!). And it has these clever loops on the corners so you can stake it down if needed, or even string it up as a sunshield, rain roof or windblock if needed out camping with the kids. VERY versatile! The corners are also weighted so that it won’t blow around. Very clever.
It’s also water repellant (liquid beads right up and rolls off of it!) as well as very washable (just hose it off and leave it in the sun – dries almost instantly).
So, was I skeptical at first? Yup. Am I now? Nope. This thing now resides in the glove box of our car and has been getting A LOT of use!
Website / Ordering: MONKEY MAT – www.MonkeyMat.com
You can also check out more pics of the #MonkeyMat in action over on my Instagram page: Instagram/AthleteDad
Disclosure: FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.
Be First to Comment