The telephone hadn’t been invented yet when Faribault Mill started weaving blankets. That was 1865 — the year the Civil War ended — in a small town along the Cannon River in southern Minnesota. The mill is still there. The looms are still running. Some of the machines date to 1892.
If you want a wool blanket you’ll pass down to your kids, this is where to start.
Why Wool Is the Only BIFL Fabric for Blankets
A $30 fleece blanket pills after 18 months, starts shedding microplastics in the wash, and loses loft after 3-5 years. You replace it. You replace the replacement. Over 20 years, you’ve spent $120-200 on something you now own nothing of.
A $175-275 wool blanket from Faribault: hypoallergenic, fire-resistant (wool self-extinguishes rather than melting), odor-resistant, and temperature-regulating year-round. It stays warm even when wet — critical for camping or drafty apartments. The r/BuyItForLife community has been recommending Faribault since at least 2015, and the recurring comment is multi-generational: “my mother has several, my grandmother has several. They are all amazing. Their merino is worth it.”
Wool doesn’t get worse with washing. It gets softer.
What Faribault Mill Actually Is
Most American textile brands have outsourced to Asia at some point. Faribault is one of the last holdouts — and how they make blankets is worth understanding before you see the price.
They’re a “vertical” mill: raw fiber comes in one end, finished blankets come out the other. No separate spinning mill, no separate weaving facility, no separate finishing plant. Everything happens on-site in Faribault, Minnesota, by fifth-generation craftspeople using a mix of century-old machines and modern equipment. That level of quality control is genuinely rare. Most American-branded textiles are sewn in the US from foreign fabric, or assembled here from imported components. Faribault does the whole process themselves.
The “new” mill building went up in 1892. They’ve supplied blankets to U.S. troops in both World Wars, survived the Great Depression, and outlasted the collapse of American textile manufacturing in the 1970s-2000s. In 2022, they expanded by acquiring Brahms Mount, a Maine-based cotton weaving mill with its own 100+ year legacy.
That history matters because it’s a real operating track record — not a marketing story.
The Product Lineup and What to Buy
Faribault Pure & Simple Wool Blanket — $275
The flagship. NYT Wirecutter named this their #1 best blanket and has kept it there since 2018 — seven years of testing across dozens of competing blankets. The writer has had the same blanket on her guest-room bed since 2018. Still mint condition.
Available in twin, full, queen, and king. Seven solid colors plus seasonal prints. Machine-washable AND dryer-safe on low heat — which is rare for wool. Most wool blankets require air drying; Faribault’s processing makes it fully machine-friendly. Check current availability on Amazon.
Fair warning: this blanket was backordered across all colors in late 2025 after the NYTimes coverage drove a surge of orders. A December 2025 r/BuyItForLife thread noted “Faribault seems a little overrun with orders since the NYTimes chose them as best in show.” Plan ahead, or check the clearance section on their website directly.
Faribault Cabin Wool Throw — $175 (50″ × 72″)
100% merino wool with classic stripe patterns. At 50″ × 72″ it’s throw-sized rather than bed-sized, but at $175 vs. $275 it’s the right entry point if you want Faribault quality without the full bed-blanket price. Interior designers use it for couches and chairs. Search Amazon for Faribault throws.
Faribault Frontier Throw — $175 (50″ × 72″)
This specific design has been in production for over 150 years. There are Frontier Throws in use that someone’s grandparent bought. The Frontier isn’t trying to be a luxury product — it’s trying to be useful wool with an American West aesthetic. Same quality as everything else they make.
Faribault Ashby Wool Throw — ~$175
The lightweight designer option. Twill weave, slightly dressier look. Works as both a functional blanket and a home décor piece. Frequently on backorder.
Honest Take: The Downsides
Wool scratches. Faribault’s Pure & Simple is softer than most — Wirecutter called it “not prickly” — but it’s not cashmere. If you run cold and sleep directly under it without a sheet layer, you’ll feel the texture.
Pet hair is a real problem. Multiple r/BuyItForLife users flagged it specifically: “pet hair gets trapped in my wool blankets and it’s difficult to remove.” Cats and dogs on your couch mean a constant lint-rolling situation. Not a dealbreaker, but know going in.
The wet-animal smell is real when damp — it’s just what wool does. It disappears completely when dry. After years of use, most owners stop noticing it.
And $275 for a queen blanket is a serious purchase. If that’s outside the budget right now, there are legitimate alternatives (see below).
Faribault vs. The Competition
Faribault vs. Pendleton
Both are legitimate American wool brands with real histories. The r/BuyItForLife consensus: “Faribault is softer and cozier, while Pendleton is better at protecting against drafts.” If you’re using it as a bed blanket, Faribault wins. If you’re layering over other blankets in a cold room, Pendleton does the job just as well and can be found cheaper — Pendleton factory stores have sold king blankets for $99. Pendleton’s National Parks designs are attractive; others are dated. Faribault’s palette is more consistently refined. Pendleton wool blankets on Amazon.
Faribault vs. Hudson Bay Company 4-Point Blanket
The HBC blanket is iconic — those primary-color stripes date to the 1700s fur trade. Current pricing runs $200-500+ depending on size, and they’re woven in Witney, England, which has its own centuries-long weaving tradition. Quality is genuinely excellent. But HBC exited the US retail market, meaning import shipping is now the only route for American buyers. Unless you’re Canadian or near the border, Faribault is more practical. Search Amazon for HBC blankets.
MacAusland Woolen Mills (Best Budget Option)
If $175-275 is too much right now, a December 2025 r/BuyItForLife thread surfaced MacAusland Woolen Mills — a small Canadian mill making blankets “on old equipment they have at their mill in Canada” in the same tradition as Pendleton and Woolrich from the 1980s. Queen size runs around $100 USD plus shipping. The buyer who recommended them described them as “thick, heavy, and soft — with some scratchiness that’s a given with wool.” They make to order, so expect a wait. Worth a direct call; apparently very nice on the phone.
Arcturus Military Wool Blanket ($40 — Budget Entry)
50% wool blend rather than 100% wool, loom-woven, machine-washable, and reviewers say it gets softer with each wash. Not BIFL — it won’t last 50 years — but a legitimate wool-blend option for camping or situations where the blanket might get destroyed. At $40, it’s the gateway drug. Arcturus Military Wool Blanket on Amazon.
How to Care for a Wool Blanket (So It Lasts 50+ Years)
Faribault’s machine-washable design is their biggest practical advantage. Most competitor wool blankets require dry cleaning or careful cold-water hand-washing. Faribault’s can go in a regular machine on gentle/cold and in the dryer on low heat.
For any wool blanket:
- Wash 1-3 times per year, not after every use
- Cedar blocks in storage (never mothballs — the smell is permanent; cedar works just as well). Cedar storage blocks on Amazon
- Store folded, not compressed — sustained compression damages fiber structure over years
- Spot-clean between washes — a damp cloth handles most spills without running a full cycle
The wet-animal smell on first wash is normal. Disappears when fully dry. Goes away mostly after a few washes.
The Cost Math
Over 20 years, here’s what different blanket strategies actually cost:
- Cheap polyester throw ($30-50, replaced every 3-5 years): $120-200 total, own nothing
- Mid-range polyester/blend ($75-100, 5-8 years): $190-400 total, own nothing
- Faribault Cabin Throw ($175, 25-50+ year lifespan): $3.50-7/year — cheaper per year than a cheap throw
- Faribault Pure & Simple ($275, 25-50+ year lifespan): $5.50-11/year
Wirecutter’s writer has had the same blanket since 2018 — seven years, still mint condition. If that blanket lasts 30 years (conservative for a well-cared-for wool blanket), the Pure & Simple costs $9/year. That’s cheaper than replacing a Costco blanket twice a decade.
The Verdict
Buy the Faribault Cabin Throw at $175 if you want in the door — 100% merino wool, machine-washable, made by the same process in the same Minnesota mill that’s been running since before the telephone. It’ll outlast every fleece blanket you currently own.
Buy the Pure & Simple at $275 if you want what Wirecutter has called the best blanket for seven straight years and you need bed-sized coverage.
Buy MacAusland if $175 is genuinely too much right now. Same philosophy — real wool mill tradition, lower price point, slightly more patience required for ordering.
Skip cheap blends unless you’re buying for camping where you expect the blanket to get wrecked. At that point, the Arcturus at $40 is honest about what it is.
Wool blankets are one of the few categories where the old brands with century-plus histories genuinely make better products than modern alternatives. Faribault has been proving it since 1865 — which is about as long as any American product gets to make that claim.
More BIFL textile picks: the best BIFL slippers (Glerups and Kyrgies), the best BIFL rain jacket (Patagonia Torrentshell 3L), and brands with lifetime warranties that actually honor them.