Smartpak Deluxe blankets quality and sizing?

[SRA]

Hi everyone! Smartpak is having a deal today where if you buy a deluxe blanket, you get a sheet free.

Does anyone have experience with this blanket? Does the quality hold up?

And how’s the sizing? My new horse is between sizes (75 and 78) so I’m not sure which to get.

[Pico_Banana]

I haven’t had a Deluxe in years, but they used to be made out of a much heavier material than most other blankets. More canvas-like than a tech fabric. Sizing was a tad on the smaller side, so I’d size up. It was a good blanket, though.

[Demerara_Stables]

I exclusively have SP blankets, and a handful of deluxes. Absolutely love them except the waterproofing goes pretty quickly (like in a couple seasons). Sizing is accurate. I’ve had a few with the warranty (is that the deluxe? can’t remember) that they’ve replaced when the waterproofing went, but you can also just re waterproof them. Go for it!

[skipollo]

I’ve had a few and still use a really old one (sheet) as a backup.

They’re decent, not AMAZING but not bad either. The neck rug attachments are meh because they let the base of the neck rug flip up when their heads are down eating, but overall the waterproofing/hardware/materials have been solid for me. They breathe well too, better than my Ultimate sheet. I’ve never had an issue with them rubbing either, and they seem true to size.

[HiJumpGrrl]

Make sure you know that the Deluxe don’t come with the 10yr warranty that the Ultimates do. The blankets are fairly similar, though, and run true to size. One of my mares measures a 76, the other a 78, both are in 78s comfortably.

[MissAriel]

I agree that they are nice blankets for the price. I have one going on 7 years on a horse that doesn’t rip blankets, but does love to roll! I redo waterproofing every other year.
I felt sizing was accurate and the fit was good for a warmblood body with average withers

[skipollo]

Oh I guess I forgot to include, as far as fitting well and not rubbing, my horse is a medium bone OTTB gelding with big withers, and they fit his body type well.

Here’s his chest/wither shape:

I need to get him another sheet and will be getting another Deluxe because they’re good for the price and fit well.

[dmveventer]

I would size up. My horse is a consistent 78 with room to spare in other brands but the Smartpak deluxe sheet was too narrow in his chest, and he’s not particularly broad. It fit well everywhere else so I decided to go with a different brand instead of trying to size up. Otherwise it seemed like a nice sheet.

[kaya842]

I have the Ultimate not the Deluxe so YMMV. The sheet is fine/ decent. No tears or holes but it’s only been one season (now going on 2). It does fit tight in the chest as noted above and my TB is not super wide upfront. I’d pass or size up AND buy a chest extender if you have a stock type or wide chested WB.

I bought the SP sheet on sale and bought a Schneider’s sheet for my other horse (both sheets were each respective company’s most warrantied/ strongest sheet). The Schneider’s is undeniably higher quality. It breathes better, the lining is so soft and nice, and the hardware is all hefty and solid when compared to the SP. So. The SP is fine. But I wouldn’t buy it again unless it was on super sale.

[Aces_N_Eights]

I have one I bought on sale. I agree with sizing up. On my cow bred QHs it runs narrower than my Schneider blankets.
Also can verify the waterproofing isn’t the best. After the first couple of seasons I needed to redo it.

[outerbanks77]

I’ve gotten rid of all of my SP blankets (except the ones made by Shires). The shoulder gussets are not well designed, so I always felt they were tight in the shoulders. I did use the replacement policy a couple times and they were really nice about it (though one was out of stock so it took several months to get a replacement). At the same time I got a replacement from Schneider’s Nordlund (10-year warranty) where the stitching on one of the shoulder gussets had just fallen out when the blanket was <1 year old, and they were not nearly as happy to send a replacement. I really prefer the fit of the Schneider’s blankets over SP though, and they are sized in 2" increments, which is nice for horses that tend to be between sizes. Agree the SP tend to run a bit smaller - my mare’s butt outgrew her 78" SP but she still has plenty of room in her 78" Shires.