Pillow recommendations

Mike 338

WKR
Joined
Dec 28, 2012
Messages
626
Location
Idaho
Sea to Summit here. Frankly, I don't sleep well the first night or two. Nothing to do with the pillow. Experiment with putting your pillow in your bag instead of outside. Less slippage. This pillow is not the answer to all my problems. It does support my head better than a coat.
 

Mike 338

WKR
Joined
Dec 28, 2012
Messages
626
Location
Idaho
I get headaches if I don’t have the right firmness and “elevation” pillow. I sewed up some flannel bags with zippers, and stuff my puffy coat and or pants into them at night. The weight of the empty bag is minimal and I have the perfect pillow every time. Been using this happily for about a decade.

I thought I had pictures but can’t find them this morning. I will keep looking.

I had a long history of headaches when hunting/camping. Seems to have gone away somewhat. Lately I've been using a hammock. Perhaps the slight elevation of head/neck with a pillow is helping. Maybe my brain cells just don't work so no more pain! Still, I'm not one to complain.
 

Rican0624

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 23, 2018
Messages
193
I’ve had the sea to summit premium forever now and have always liked it. I bought my wife a trekology ultralight pillow off Amazon for like $15 because she just wanted to try backpacking. It ended up be more comfortable to me and that is what I took on all my hunting trips this past season. Can’t speak for long term durability but it seems well made.
 

530Chukar

WKR
Joined
Jun 27, 2016
Messages
418
Location
Out West
I’ve used several inflatables and hate them. This past season I took a old pillow case and cut it down to 10x10. My wife was throwing out an old memory foam pillow so I cut part of that up into 1 inch cubes and stuffed that into the case that I made and finished sewing it up. This has been the most comfortable pillow I’ve ever used. Big, warm and it still packs down very small.


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Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Messages
3
Location
Central Coast, California
Ive tried quite a few.
I think the Thermarest compressible pillow is the most comfortable but is bulky and takes awhile to decompress.
Weight / bulk wise I really the the Klymit X pillow but don't like the material so I usually wrap a tee shirt or shemagh over it. This is my current go to because the weight and size mostly, but I will say the X design does keep your head on the pillow really well throughout the night.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2013
Messages
1,112
I’ve used several inflatables and hate them. This past season I took a old pillow case and cut it down to 10x10. My wife was throwing out an old memory foam pillow so I cut part of that up into 1 inch cubes and stuffed that into the case that I made and finished sewing it up. This has been the most comfortable pillow I’ve ever used. Big, warm and it still packs down very small.


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This is basically what a my pillow travel size pillow is except the my pillow is around 15 inches in length. I used it last year And it gave me the best performance over past inflatable types.. I’m considering shortening the length a bit this year with the sewing machine.
 

Jalliston

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 11, 2018
Messages
171
I have Nemo Elite luxury, S2S Aeros Premium Large, and just got in a Klymit Luxe from mass drop. I have wide shoulders and sleep on my side so the thicker the better. My preference is Klymit, S2S, then Nemo. I may take a combo of the Klymit and Nemo this year and stack. I give zero craps about weight on my sleep system. I'll cut elsewhere to sleep like a baby.

Nemo has the best cover, followed by Klymit and then S2S.
Thickness is Klymit, S2S, then Nemo
Weight is S2S, Nemo, Klymit (lightest to heaviest) *I think*
 

harry

FNG
Joined
Mar 10, 2019
Messages
18
Location
IA
Have the sea to summit. It’s fine. I have read interesting commentary on the My Pillow travel pillow and its kind of intriguing.
Got a My Pillow travel pillow for Christmas this year. Never even occurred to me to use it backpacking. Thanks for the suggestion, I will try it out.
 

vanniek71

FNG
Joined
Mar 23, 2018
Messages
36
Location
WI
I’ve tried inflatables as well, for me they are ok, but when it gets cold they tend to suck. Might try that tiny pillow case idea just to have something over the plastic
 

Nick87

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
127
Whatever you decide don't forget to put it in your pack! Nothing worse than using a roller up jacket !
 

epicaaron

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
114
Location
Der-town, WA
I have tried several blow-ups, including the exped with a goosefeet gear down pillow topper - this is the best ultralight option I have found, and the down topper/bag makes a nice stuff sack pillow if you are trying to save weight.

But... I picked up a peregrine pro-stretch pillow for my wife last year on a whim, and it is by far the best backcountry pillow that i have ever found, bar none. The small is 7.7 0z, so while not ultralight, totally worth carrying if it makes a difference in how you sleep. As an added bonus, these make pretty good rear shooting bags for the back country, and while a 7oz pillow is not ultralight, a 7oz rear bag is....

link to the large pillow:
https://peregrineequipment.com/cata...s/peregrine-pro-stretch-pillow-l/category/39/
 

Trial153

WKR
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
8,187
Location
NY
I am on a pillow mission this summer. I have yet to find one I like. Picked up a thermarest ...not crazy about the support to weight ratio. It's like 7 oz and doenst do enough for me. Also have got a kylmit x pillow to try out and I will pick up the sea to summit and the Nemo as well.
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
5,843
Rolled up clothing in a stuff sack.

As someone above wrote, I am a side sleeper with wide shoulders so I look for height and roll my own pillow so to speak:

- kifaru compression Stuff sack for my sleeping bag and gear turned inside out and turned on it’s side
- I put my inflated sea to summit Aeros pillow inside on the bottom.
- I stuff clothes on top of the pillow inside the stuff sack
- I sometimes wrap the whole thing in a fleece or something soft
- depending on the pad I am running or my sleep set up, I can also put the whole thing on top of my pack laid flat and turned so I am on the lumbar pad.

I sounds complicated but it is actually easy and quick. what I end up with is nice pillow the size of my stuff sack that gives me the height to side sleep with a straight neck and in relative comfort.
 

hunt1up

WKR
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
1,622
Location
Central Illinois
Got a My Pillow travel pillow for Christmas this year. Never even occurred to me to use it backpacking. Thanks for the suggestion, I will try it out.

I read good things about the My Pillow travel pillow so I ordered one the other day. It's surprisingly comfy and gives you that real pillow feel in a small size. I've given up on trying to find the perfect inflatable. Every one from cheap to expensive feels like a balloon to me. So I think I've found the winner with the small My Pillow.
 
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