View Full Version : Pillows
For those of us who don't like the stuffing unused clothes into a stuff sack or various other backcountry techniques for proping your head to sleep ...
I can't sacrifice comfort when sleeping ... i'm fine with carrying a pillow ...
But i'll wait for those "use your clothes" replies ... :rolleyes:
lets get to the point --
http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bed.Acc/Geoduck.html
Pros ? Cons? And what you do besides a stuff sack full of clothes to sleep lump free and comfy all night ... :banana
ChinMusic
02-17-2009, 17:03
Comfort is an important thing. I carry a Big Agnes Air Core (2.5") pad which weighs near two pounds. I ain't giving it up.
Only you can say if your pack is too heavy. I see nothing wrong with it. Worst thing.........you get to Neels and send it home.
The point is I sleep WAY better with my pillow than a bag stuffed with clothes. That is my #1 luxury item. Do not go hiking with out it.
The point is I sleep WAY better with my pillow than a bag stuffed with clothes. That is my #1 luxury item. Do not go hiking with out it.
What "pillow" type do you use ....?
They range from walmart's 2 lb luxary's to like i posted a 6 ounce 700 fill down compression pillow ... I'm lookin for lightweight options with alot of loft .... I know i can't leave home without it .. but right now i don't have one to not leave home without ....
Replacing the bulky one i have now is what i wanna do ... :)
I started bring one that I had on my bed. But I bought one that is down from target its a full size pillow. I LOVE IT.
rusty075
02-17-2009, 17:50
I use one of these: BackpackingLight inflatable pillow. (http://http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/flexair_dual_ultralight_pillow.html) Weighs about an ounce, and takes up zero space in the pack. i just roll mine up with the sleeping pad.
I love my Montbell Inflatable Pillow (http://www.prolitegear.com/cgi-bin/prolitegear/montbell_ul_comfort_system_pillow)! It offers a lot of comfort at just 2.3 ounces. :banana
Blissful
02-17-2009, 19:23
Nothing better than the Cocoon travel pillows - got two at Campmor and carried them the whole hike. Forget the stuffing clothes method, ugh. :)
I was just searching around the web and happened to stumble on this link -
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/guide/pillows.html
Good bit of reading on down and synthetic backpacking/camping pillows.
GitRdone
02-17-2009, 20:48
I have the WM Cloudrest which I purchased same time as buying my WM Down bag. Have used it a few times and it works ok. Depends on the weather as frankly stuffing my North Face Fleece in a stuff sack along with some other clothes seems to be more comfortable. I really don't find inflatable pillows to be very comfortable.
yeah, i've tried the inflatable pillow thing ... i'm looking for down type pillow ... looking at the WM cloudrest also .... but if i need to wear my fleece or other layers i wanna know i'm sleeping good in or out of my extras ... the clothes in the stuff sack will prolly end up the in between the legs pillow ... lol
Nightwalker
02-17-2009, 20:53
I used to use a kid's water wing, cut to be flat instead of a circle. I've since went back to just clothes stuffed in a bag. :)
SGT Rock
02-17-2009, 20:54
I've tried various pillows. Always end back up with the clothing bag.
MintakaCat
02-17-2009, 21:09
I’ve had pretty good success with a small pillow case from home. I fold my fleece jack just right and put it in the lower half of the pillow case and fold the other half under. That was so much better than using a stuff sack.
theinfamousj
02-17-2009, 21:41
Let's see ... I've used a Thermarest Pillow. Bulky but not heavy. Unfortunately it is very lumpy if you make camp shortly before you expect to use your pillow. In the morning, all the fibers will be unfurled and it will be comfy, but you don't get a pillow for the morning.
Then I tried stuffing clothes into a fleece-on-one-side stuff sack (coincidentally, it doubles as my Thermarest pad stuff sack). Nice fleecy material on my face, but I don't tend to bring extra clothing so it was lumpy/flat.
Then someone suggested stuffing a fleece top into its sleeve (I think they said to use the left sleeve). I tried that and it creates a rather flat, and very small, but lovely fleece feeling and quite firm pillow. I'm trying to adapt this method to the stuff sack above. Perhaps if I pre-stuff a few tops into their pockets/sleeves/etc and then put them in the stuff sack, that my pillow will be plump but firm.
I'm with Tagless ... Montbell pillow, which toggle-connects to various sizes of Montbell inflatable pads; I use their 35" torso pad with their pillow and am happy with that combo.
2Questions
02-17-2009, 22:34
I use a fleece cylinder stuffed with my down camp jacket. It has a velcro closure. It is not only warm, sealing off air leakage around my neck, but allows me to turn my head in any direction and have the support of a down pillow.
2Questions
02-17-2009, 22:35
Oh, yeah, there is a picture of it in my gallery.
I've tried various pillows. Always end back up with the clothing bag.
so true.
Ive tried others. They all have weird downfalls that annoy the piss out of you. Not right away but that small thing starts to get annoying after 3 weeks.
interesting topic, as i'm exploring this myself. inflatables don't work for me either. my head pushes it off my pad while i'm sleeping and it's uncomfortable stuffed into my hood :( please keep the options coming
i'm intrigued by the down jacket into a sack, but would worry about unnecessarily compressing my 2nd most expensive piece of kit. also wouldn't work in summer b/c i won't be carrying it
Tennessee Viking
02-17-2009, 23:37
For those of us who don't like the stuffing unused clothes into a stuff sack or various other backcountry techniques for proping your head to sleep ...
I can't sacrifice comfort when sleeping ... i'm fine with carrying a pillow ...
But i'll wait for those "use your clothes" replies ... :rolleyes:
lets get to the point --
http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bed.Acc/Geoduck.html
Pros ? Cons? And what you do besides a stuff sack full of clothes to sleep lump free and comfy all night ... :bananaLook into getting an inflatiable pillow or neck cushion. I use a blow up neck cushion, and love it on trail.
OldStormcrow
02-18-2009, 11:17
I have the WM Cloudrest which I purchased same time as buying my WM Down bag. Have used it a few times and it works ok. Depends on the weather as frankly stuffing my North Face Fleece in a stuff sack along with some other clothes seems to be more comfortable. I really don't find inflatable pillows to be very comfortable.
I've just started carrying the WM Cloudrest and have found it to be extremely comfortable, but still not quite thick enough. With that, my full length thermarest and my thermarest stadium seat-sized pad under it all it's just about enough.
Look into getting an inflatiable pillow or neck cushion. I use a blow up neck cushion, and love it on trail.
How's that work out for ya side sleeping?
Last night i was laying in bed and realized i like alot of soft loft where as i can grab the corner of the pillow and just bunch it right under my head an neck ...
I'm starting to roll around the idea of ordering fill, and putting my old school high school sewing class skills to use ... its been over 15 years since i've even see a sewing machine ... but eh, might be worth the trial an error to make my own .... dimensions and fill controled by ... me!
Alot of people i've noticed like the down pillows over inflatable .. as do i, problem i've noticed in reading around is that the fill is slacking often enough and just lets your head sink straight down ....
I dunno, just exploring options ...
i saw some video where some guy used a big block of foam and then cored out holes through it to make it look like swiss cheese. it was really light, compressible, and looked like it would be pretty comfy. i forget where i saw it and what kind of foam he used though
The bag inside the boxed wine with a fleece cover. I am not a fan of inflatable ones but I wanna give this one a try.
The bag inside the boxed wine with a fleece cover. I am not a fan of inflatable ones but I wanna give this one a try.After consuming the entire bag of wine, what difference will a pillow make? :eek: :p
"How's that work out for ya side sleeping?"
Recognizing that this is yet another area where everyone is different, an inflatable pillow works fine for me side sleeping. A little experience in finding a personal sweet spot in terms of the right level of inflation is helpful --- not fully inflated, but not too under-inflated either.
Someone else commented that inflatables are good for 3 weeks or so but not after that; I used mine last year for months and was happy with it. Again, everyone is different.
The ultralight BPL (inflate with a straw, three-to-a pack) pillows don't last long enough for me (a few nights and then wake up with head on hard ground and un-inflated pillow). The Montbell pillow so far has lasted a few months worth of sleeping on, no patching necessary to date, and it seems to still be in good shape.
flemdawg1
02-19-2009, 12:42
I normally use a sack-o-clothes, but when I have room/weight to spare:
http://www.rei.com/product/733361
Kinda bulky, but very thick and firm. 12oz.
Funkmeister
02-19-2009, 13:00
Sly Dog and I are on the same page here. The wine bladder is light, compresses well, and is adjustable to one's preference sizewise when in use. Wrap it with something fleecy, and it works perfectly.
It's a bit expensive at ~$20, but it comes with five liters of free wine.
The only disadvantage is that my tarpmates/sheltermates think it's noisy with it's plastic noise. Nothing that a nightcap won't solve, however. And there's that hint of shiraz odor when you deflate it in the morning.
Funkmeister
02-19-2009, 13:28
Oops: Correction...It comes with five bottles of wine, three liters.
when i have the space in my pack i bring a 9 inch squish pillow i found on ebay. they are awsome and pretty lightweight
Just bought the Western Mountaineering Pillow... when it arrives, I'll write a little review. I've been searching for a comfy lightweight pillow for a while now (damn the clothes in a bag solution!) :rolleyes:
I ended up using my 2+L Platy bottle as a pillow. Cheap ($10), light (1 oz), and multi-purpose (holds water too!). It slid around on me, but so did everything else.
http://www.platy.com/product_detail.aspx?ProdID=36&CategoryID=8
Might want to drain it of water before getting it near your sleeping bag though.
i tried blowing up a freezer baggy with great success. just put it in a tee shirt.
Slo-go'en
02-20-2009, 18:33
I use one of the fleece lined stuff stacks, then cinch it to the hood of my sleeping bag to keep it in place. Only time that doesn't work is when its real cold out.
Got the WM pillow today in the mail... I haven't used it yet but I can see what you mean by becoming flat. I think it should be ok if I just fold it in half. It is very comfortable!
Darkage, was that a joke about a pillow called a geoduck?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoduck
Personally I wouldn't put my head on anything called a geoduck! :D
(writing from Puget Sound, home of geoducks among other things).
I've tried small travel size down pillows and didn't find them comfortable. In fact, I've tied almsot everything that was less then 8oz. I even tried those air sacks that they sometimes use in shipping packages. I then tried my Gossamer Gear Sit Pad on top of my clothing sack and found it the most comfortable pillow that I've tried while Backpacking. No more do I wake up due to an uncomfortable head.
Big Dawg
02-21-2009, 20:48
I use the luxurylite pillow. 3 ozs & comfy! works for me. I need control of the loft,, and usually don't have much clothes left to stuff a sack.
OutdoorsMan
02-21-2009, 21:49
Pillows?? For backpacking?? Are we car camping or backpacking?? Are our troops issued pillows when in the field? Do bears use pillows? How is a pillow going to help you get to Katahdin?
sheepdog
02-21-2009, 22:13
After consuming the entire bag of wine, what difference will a pillow make? :eek: :p
keeps your face from sticking to the vomit:D;)
Pillows?? For backpacking?? Are we car camping or backpacking?? Are our troops issued pillows when in the field? Do bears use pillows? How is a pillow going to help you get to Katahdin?Sounds like you aren't a HYOH advocate. If comfort isn't important to you, great! For some of us, it is the difference between enjoying what you do and not! :eek:
I spent 20 years in the military . . . how about you? I know lots of GIs who improvised for comfort. The ones whom comfort mattered did . . . the ones who could care less didn't. What's your point? :confused:
keeps your face from sticking to the vomit:D;)TMI! :eek: :p
OutdoorsMan
02-21-2009, 23:28
Sounds like you aren't a HYOH advocate. If comfort isn't important to you, great! For some of us, it is the difference between enjoying what you do and not! :eek:
I spent 20 years in the military . . . how about you? I know lots of GIs who improvised for comfort. The ones whom comfort mattered did . . . the ones who could care less didn't. What's your point? :confused:
I spent plenty of time in the USMC as an 0302. I guess that my intended sarcasm or attempt to be humorous didn't succeed. I am definately a HYOH advocate. I use a stuff sack with fleece on one side stuffed with clothing most of the time.
Blissful
02-21-2009, 23:36
How is a pillow going to help you get to Katahdin?
Giving your tired, overworked body the rest it needs so you can hike over 2,000 miles has a lot to do with it...
:D
Transient Being
02-22-2009, 13:16
I got a thermarest pillow. I've only been out once for four days with it, but it seemed good to me.
see the problem for me is that i need something that's kind of thick, b/c i usually sleep on my side (at least start out like that), which means my neck and side of my head are way further off the ground than if i slept on my back. so i need something substantial as far as that goes. but don't want the weight. blowing up something plastic sucks b/c they are all slippy and work great until the moment i shift my head or body - not practical at all for me. the clothes idea works great in theory for me too. 2 hangups w/ the clothes theory...
#1. what if it's freezing out and i need those clothes to stay warm?
#2. stink. i'd rather not sleep as if my nose were stuck in my armpit
i think i'm in the same boat as you dark
#2. stink. i'd rather not sleep as if my nose were stuck in my armpit
Use your shorts!:D
I'm sort of in the same boat. I used the clothes-in-a-sack before, but since my brain surgery my head is much more sensitive in the area of my scar and I have a really difficult time getting comfortable without a decent pillow. I have tried inflatable stuff without success, they slide out from under my head and they don't support me when I sleep on my side (which is most of the time).
I am just loathe to add extra weight..
Desert Reprobate
02-23-2009, 23:19
Truck stops carry a small down pillow for the cab that seems pretty compressable
Desert Reprobate
02-23-2009, 23:19
Maybe just feathers
ChinMusic
02-23-2009, 23:30
#2. stink. i'd rather not sleep as if my nose were stuck in my armpit
wear wool
wool smells less, but still smells when your nose is right next to it
karoberts
02-24-2009, 00:11
I made my own pillow. It weighs 7 oz. I sewed a 12 inch by 8 inch square of fabric, but left a hole to fill it. Then I filled it with polyester fill until I got it to a comfortable amount and sewed it up completely.
I stuff it into my compression sack with my sleeping bag and it gets very small. When I take it out, it re-fluffs easily.
The weights bothers me slightly, because 7 oz is not a small matter. But it is worth it for a good night sleep.
bonsaihiker
02-24-2009, 00:48
For me, the right pillow is the difference between a restful night's sleep and a lot of pain. I have neck problems and headaches, especially when I don't sleep well and when my neck is not well supported. Even with regular pillows for my bed at home, it is very difficult to find a pillow that will work well for me.
I've tried a lot of different techniques for a camp pillow, but by far the best and most comfortable pillow I've tried is the Thermarest pillow (medium). It has (for me) just the right amount of firmness coupled with just the right amount of moldablility to make me very comfortable. I'd prefer the large size for side sleeping in a tent, but it's pretty easy to just stick a folded jacket or something under it if needed. Actually, now that I mostly sleep in a hammock, I have no problems with side sleeping with the pillow alone. I do wish it would pack down better, but for the comfort it gives, I'll sacrifice pack space any day.
I bought a few ounces of 800+ from seven wonders and sewed it up. Works good, compress nice, didn't cost but 25 bucks
troglobil
02-24-2009, 10:53
Exactly what bonsaihiker said. If space is an issue I bring the small size and wrap it in my fleece vest. A goood pillow means the difference in severe neck pain or not.