GEAR | The Stoov Heated Cushion Is Our Must-Have Camping & Home Pick of The Year

July 19, 2023 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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You might not regard a cushion as something relevant to camping, let alone a fancy heated one, but hear me out. If you like being warm and cosy whether you’re at home or at a campsite, you might be interested to find out more about this little gem of a heated cushion and the rest of the Stoov range…

What is it?

Stoov Ploov Velvet Heated Cushion 45cm x 45cm RRP: £99.95

Stockists

Stoov Ploov Velvet Heating Cushion 45 x 60

Stoov Ploov Woolly Heating Cushion 45 x 60

So who or what on earth are Stoov? If you’ve not seen them all over social media yet, here’s the lowdown. Stoov offer a range of heated products aimed at heating the individual instead of the home. This is more efficient and results in using less energy. Find out more about the Stoov energy saving mission here.

The Stoov range includes the Ploov heated cushion (which I received), as well as heated dog beds, heated pads and electric hot water bottles.

Stoov on a camping trip by the sea — **My Stoov Ploov on a camping trip by the sea**

Having taken my Stoov Ploov on camping and glamping trips and used it at home for the past couple of months, it’s fair to say, you’d have to pry this out of my cold dead hands (or rather less dramatically, buy your own) because I will not part with it.

My camping checklist now goes something like this tent, camp loo, bed, kindle, Stoov, food, kitchen shizzle…oh god, did I remember my Kindle and my Stoov??? …and then everything else.

The fact is, that after having this in my life for just 2 months, it’s now occupying a packing slot that’s as important to me as my Kindle, and that says a lot.

Staying warm when camping

Firstly, I mean, isn’t it pretty normal to not want to be cold when camping right? Secondly though, with a messed up spine and a not-very-fun autoimmune joint condition, low temperatures can really impact my mobility and comfort, so keeping warm is always a priority.

I have a heated Vango sleeping bag (which I’m OBSESSED with), but in the summer, even for me, that’s a bit of overkill.

Better than a hot water bottle

Could I use a hot water bottle instead? Well yeah, of course, and for many years I did, but the big difference I’ve found is that you can’t safely wedge a hot water bottle under your back and lie your whole body weight on top of it.

For the first hour, despite my chunky hand-knitted cover, I find a hot water bottle can still be far too hot. Throw menopause into the mix, and I need to be able to adapt to whatever temperature my body is demanding for comfort at any given time, and trust me when I say this causes me to veer from being shivering-cold to red-hot in a matter of seconds.

Yes I can remove a hot water bottle from my bed or put it down until I want it again, but usually it will have gone cold by then and I’ll have to refill it. The Stoov cushion heats up pretty much instantly and I’m not exaggerating which is what I love most about this fabulously clever little cushion.

Sat by a campfire, but far enough away that I don’t set my ‘fro on fire with a drifting ember, it’s always my lower back that gets chilly and before you come at me, yes, I dress in layers and usually have a blanket wrapped around me too.

By the wee small hours though I’m chilly whether I’m still sat outside talking or curled up in bed. I’m not going to try and justify the price, because I mean, Stoov products really are not cheap and I’m not sure I’d have invested that much, particularly without having seen one in action beforehand.

Using the Stoov cushion

The fact is, these products are beautifully well-made and thought out and they work. The heat settings are perfect with the full setting giving you an immediate boost of heat you can feel even through multiple layers. The middle setting is great for when you get into bed on a chilly evening and the lowest level is ideal for gentle warmth that’ll see you through much of the night.

“I honestly think the Stoov cushion could make a fantastic investment.”

Now, I will say, that on the high setting, you might get 3 hours of run time from the Stoov cushion which might not seem great, but consider how long a hot water bottle would stay red hot for.

You will of course get far longer use out of it on a lower setting, but I found putting in on full for half an hour was all I needed to take the chill off or warm an aching neck or lower back.

If you generally camp using a power station like the Powerness shown above, or you camp with an EHU or have a van, then I honestly think the Stoov cushion could make a fantastic investment.

Don’t forget too that It’s a product that’s designed to look good at home, so you won’t just be investing in something that’s limited to camping trips, but something you’ll make use of at home, helping to ‘heat the person, not the home’ and providing an extra level of snuggly, cosy bliss for those lazy sofa days.

I’ve also taken mine with me to Yoga Nidra and Gong Bath meditations for the snuggliest chill-out sessions imaginable and really have used it far more than I ever expected initially.

**Enjoying a recent meditation session with my Stoov Ploov**

Pros

Great quality materials
Lovely range of colour options
Various heated products to choose from
3 different heat settings

Cons

The Stoov range starts at £89.99

I genuinely love my Stoov Ploov cushion, from the way it looks and feels to ease of use and efficiency, and if you can stretch to the cost and like the idea of it, I suspect you’ll love it too and won’t be disappointed.

You can see the full Stoov products range here.

DISCLOSURE | Thank you to Stoov who supplied the featured product to us to test. We were not paid to write this review.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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