Do You Want a Pillow for Backpacking?

For those who use a pillow at dwelling, I like to recommend taking a tenting pillow with you in your backpacking journeys. You’ll virtually actually sleep higher when you’ve got one as a result of your physique is used to having the additional help. I realized this the onerous manner myself, attempting all types of the way to cut back my backpacking gear weight by not carrying a pillow, solely to find that I sleep infinitely higher after I carry one on my journeys.

An important factor to search for when shopping for a backpacking pillow is getting one which stays on high of your sleeping pad all evening and doesn’t fall off. You’d suppose that backpacking and tenting pillow producers would have discovered this can be a must-have attribute, however most don’t embrace any type of pad attachment system to maintain the pillow underneath your head all evening.

Personally, I swear by the pillow attachment system that comes with Sea-to-Summit sleeping pads and works with Sea-to-Summit Tenting Pillow. It consists of particular non-abrasive hook-and-loop patches that adhere to your sleeping pad and follow the underside of their pillows. I exploit this pillow attachment system with a 2.5 oz Sea-to-Summit Aeros Down Pillow and a Sea-to-Summit Insulated Etherlight XT Sleeping Pad and sleep like a child on all my journeys.  Please word, this pad attachment system solely comes with Sea-to-Summit sleeping pads and solely works with their pillows.

After I began backpacking, I didn’t carry a devoted pillow so as to scale back my gear weight. As a substitute, I stuffed an insulated jacket right into a stuff sack and used that as a pillow, though it didn’t present the identical help or head top that I most popular when sleeping at dwelling. In hindsight, it was barely satisfactory and by no means stayed in place at evening.

I attempted quite a few different pillows after that together with the Flex Air Ultralight Pillow, the Hyperlight Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow, the NEMO Fillo Pillow, and so forth., however none of them stayed in place both. Consequently, I concluded that the pillow isn’t as vital because the pillow attachment system.

Clearly what’s wanted is a pillow attachment system that’s sleeping pad and pillow impartial. Whereas I haven’t tried it but, the brand new Pillow Strap pillow attachment system seems to be prefer it ought to fulfill that want properly. In fact, you may most likely obtain the identical outcome by utilizing a cutoff pair of pantyhose in a a lot cheaper manner.

SectionHiker is reader-supported. We solely generate income if you buy a product by way of our affiliate hyperlinks. Assist us proceed to check and write unsponsored and impartial gear critiques, newbie FAQs, and free mountaineering guides.