We might earn income from the merchandise accessible on this web page and take part in affiliate packages. Learn More ›
Have you ever been balling up your puffer jacket and calling that your “tenting pillow”? Effectively, I’ve received information: It’s time to improve. You may get the most effective night time’s sleep of your life whereas tenting within the nice outdoor, nevertheless it’s not gonna occur when you’re making do by shoving a bunch of garments into an empty stuff sack and utilizing that to assist your head. After all, the traditional tenting pillow is simply your common pillow (ain’t nothing flawed with that), however when you’re taking a look at restricted house in your setup, you then’ll need one thing that compresses down for journey with out sacrificing consolation at night time. That will help you select the suitable choice in your sleep model, house necessities, and price range, I checked out choices from Therm-a-Relaxation, Hest, Nemo, Sierra Designs, Exped, and extra.
How I Examined the Finest Tenting Pillows
Whereas I’ve examined loads of the best backpacking pillows through the years, when it got here to tenting pillows, I used to be admittedly a little bit skeptical. I’ve been automotive tenting my complete life and I’ve at all times simply introduced the pillow straight off my mattress. However may a pillow designed for tenting enhance the expertise, and avoid wasting house in my overloaded SUV within the course of? To search out out I known as in among the prime choices from HEST, Sierra Designs, Exped, NEMO, Therm-a-Relaxation, Smart Owl, and MEC.
Tenting Pillow | Value | Weight | Kind | Peak | Dimension | Packed Dimension | Ease of Use | Pores and skin Really feel | Consolation |
Hest Pillow | $120 | 2 kilos, 8.8 ounces | Foam solely | 7 inches | 20 x 15 inches | 1/2 precise | Honest | Good | Glorious |
MEC Deluxe Pillow | $40 | 4.2 ounces | Air and foam | 5 inches | 14 x 10 inches | 1/3 precise | Honest | Nice | Good |
Nemo Fillo King | $75 | 14.3 ounces | Air and foam | 7 inches | 17 x 14 inches |
1/3 precise | Tough | Good | Honest |
Sierra Designs DriDown Pillow | $40 | 6 ounces | Down and foam | 4 inches | 13 x 9 inches | 1/2 precise | Honest | Nice | Poor |
Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow Cinch | $47 | 14.5 ounces | Foam solely | 7 inches | 20 x 14 inches | 2/3 precise | Straightforward | Nice | Nice |
Wise Owl Camping Pillow | $28 | 10.4 ounces | Foam solely | 4 inches | 15 x 11 inches | Similar measurement | Straightforward | Honest | Honest |
My dwelling pillow | N/A | 2 kilos, 9.3 ounces | Foam solely | 4.5 inches | 22 x 15 inches | Similar measurement | Straightforward | Honest | Nice |
Along with assessing their consolation, I additionally seemed on the tangible really feel of every pillow, together with when the pillow was chilly. I measured the burden, precise measurement, and packed measurement to verify in opposition to producer specs. Whereas checking these specs, I thought-about the professionals and cons of bringing one in all these pillows on a tenting journey in contrast with merely grabbing the one off my mattress on the best way out the door and planning to swap out my pillow case once I received dwelling once more. Lastly, I took value into consideration.
Finest Tenting Pillows: Evaluations & Suggestions
Finest Total: Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow Cinch
Key Options
- Obtainable Sizes: Small, common, giant
- Compresses to 2/3 the precise measurement
- Accommodates foam
Professionals
- As comfy as my dwelling pillow
- Adjustable top and density
Cons
- Doesn’t pack down in addition to different choices I checked out
The Therm-a-Relaxation Compressible Pillow Cinch hits the candy spot for tenting pillows. It’s about as comfy as the common reminiscence foam pillow, whereas compressing all the way down to a smaller total packed measurement. It’s light-weight sufficient to contemplate for an off-the-cuff backpacking journey however nonetheless reasonably priced sufficient to make it possible for many budgets. I additionally like that it is available in quite a lot of sizes — I examined the biggest.
A singular characteristic of the Therm-a-Relaxation Compressible Pillow Cinch is that it’s an all-foam pillow that you could modify the firmness and top of. The insulation inside — cut-up items from Therm-a-Relaxation’s greatest backpacking sleeping pads — could be scrunched collectively utilizing the cinch twine, making a taller, firmer pillow, or a shorter, softer pillow, relying in your choice.
Finest Improve: Hest Pillow
Key Options
- Obtainable Sizes: Small, medium, giant
- Compresses to half its measurement
- Accommodates foam
Professionals
- Extraordinarily comfy
- Packs down surprisingly small
Cons
Hest makes quite a few wonderful merchandise that may take your truck construct from meh to four-star lodge (I’m particularly enamored with their down comforter), so it was no shock that the Hest Pillow was probably the most comfy in my check, much more comfy than the pillow I take advantage of at dwelling. It has simply the suitable top for again sleepers and aspect sleepers alike, and is simply agency sufficient to assist your neck whereas not inflicting any kinks in the midst of the night time. And, not like your pillow at dwelling, it compressed all the way down to in regards to the measurement of a soccer, making it straightforward to journey with.
Learn Subsequent: Best Air Mattresses for Camping
The largest catch right here is the worth: That is far and away the costliest tenting pillow I checked out. It additionally has a barely much less interesting pores and skin really feel when chilly in comparison with different choices I checked out. That’s simply solved with a pillowcase, however one thing to remember earlier than crawling into mattress within the van for the primary time.
Smallest Packed Dimension: MEC Deluxe Pillow
Key Options
- Obtainable Sizes: Medium, giant
- Compresses to 1 third its measurement
- Accommodates foam and air
Professionals
- Very small packed measurement
- Mild sufficient to take backpacking
Cons
- Air fill could also be too agency for some folks
- Slightly troublesome to get into its stuff sack
Whereas I used to be initially suspicious of this air-filled pillow, there are sufficient positives in regards to the MEC Deluxe Pillow to make it an ideal alternative for a automotive tenting setup with restricted house. First off, it’s 5 inches thick — taller than any of the best backpacking pillows I’ve used — making it an ideal alternative for aspect sleepers. The contact of froth on prime of the pillow provides some consolation in addition to heat. However the actual stand-out right here was the material. Placing your cheek in opposition to a cold pillow could be like throwing chilly water over your head proper as you’re about to shut your eyes for the night time, however with the MEC Deluxe I barely registered it in any respect earlier than the pillow warmed proper up.
The draw back to this pillow is that many of the “pillow” is air, which means it’s not on the identical degree, comfort-wise, because the Hest Pillow or the Therm-a-Relaxation Compressive Cinch. Nevertheless it’s miles extra comfy than your common backpacking pillow, whereas nonetheless coming in at an analogous value level, weight, and packed measurement.
Learn Subsequent: Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads
In the event you’re unfamiliar with MEC, that is mainly the REI of Canada. Maintain them in thoughts the subsequent time you’re on the lookout for an ideal worth on model title gear — like REI, their stuff is top quality and sometimes fairly reasonably priced.
Finest Agency: Nemo Fillo King
Key Options
- Obtainable Sizes: One measurement solely
- Compresses to a 3rd its precise measurement
- Accommodates air and foam
Professionals
- Small packed measurement
- Potential to regulate the peak of the pillow
- Agency really feel works effectively for some folks
Cons
- Tough to get it into its stuff sack
- Considerably costly
That is the outsized model of the common Nemo Fillo backpacking pillow, which I reviewed as a part of my overview of the best backpacking pillows. Throughout that check, opinions have been blended. A few of my testers thought this was probably the most comfy pillow of the lot; I ended up with neck kinks that woke me up a number of instances the primary night time I attempted it. I discovered that by solely partially inflating it, I had a greater expertise, however the firmness of this pillow nonetheless felt odd to this side-sleeping gear reviewer. But when you already know you want a agency pillow, or are apt to stack a number of pillows on prime of each other when getting comfy at night time, the 7 inches of agency top on the Nemo Fillo King is one value contemplating.
Finest Finances: Wise Owl Camping Pillow
Key Options
- Obtainable Sizes: Small, medium
- Doesn’t compress
- Accommodates foam
Professionals
- Least costly tenting pillow I checked out
- OK alternative for again sleepers
Cons
- Doesn’t compress
- Not sufficient top for aspect sleepers
This can be a little bit of a misnomer: The most effective price range tenting pillow is your property pillow. That one is free; possibly buy a second pillowcase for it when you don’t have already got one for some motive. However when you will need to have a devoted tenting pillow and you might be on a price range, this Amazon-only pillow is ok. It’s fairly comfy for again sleepers and it’s received a small packed measurement. It felt OK to my cheek when chilly. It doesn’t compress in any respect, nevertheless it’s additionally not all that large, so it gained’t take up a lot house. It’s positive.
The Remainder of the Subject
I wished to love the Sierra Designs DriDown Pillow, which has down on prime of froth, to maximise each cushion and heat; certainly, it had one of the crucial nice pores and skin feels of something I checked out, regardless of not having a cloth cowl. However its lack of top made it uncomfortable each as a again sleeper and aspect sleeper. Whereas the pillow does have a pocket within the again so as to stash some garments into it and enhance the peak, this has at all times resulted in a lumpy pillow for me. Additionally the entire level of a devoted tenting pillow is to not must fold up your additional garments beneath your head. I want this pillow spent one other ounce so as to add in an air valve in order that you would enhance the peak, or add many extra ounces to get sufficient foam to get the peak above 5 inches — it’s already received some components of luxurious and that might make it a very luxurious tenting pillow.
What to Think about When Selecting the Finest Tenting Pillow
Consolation
The entire level of an ideal tenting pillow is that will help you get an ideal night time’s sleep. Whereas there are many situations the place I feel that selecting a cheaper product is simply in addition to a dearer one (like a tenting plate), an ideal tenting pillow could be the distinction between having fun with your break day within the woods and tossing and turning in the midst of the night time, dreaming of dwelling.
Packed Dimension
The one actual downside with having your property pillow play double-duty is its measurement. 4 relations’ pillows can add up shortly, taking over an inordinate quantity of house in your journey car. Devoted tenting pillows are sometimes designed to shrink all the way down to half their usable measurement, generally even much less.
Value
Tenting pillows can range wildly in value, from lower than $10 to effectively over $100. As with all the pieces, you get what you pay for. The least costly tenting pillows are little greater than luggage of nylon, stuffed with both air or skinny strips of froth, whereas the costliest tenting pillows will rival what you will have at dwelling.
FAQs
Actually, no, tenting pillows should not mandatory. There isn’t a motive to not simply deliver your private pillow tenting. Simply plan to vary the pillowcase on the finish of your journey.
It isn’t essential to get a tenting pillow with a detachable cowl, as long as the pillow itself is machine cleanable.
Sure, you need to use an everyday pillow for tenting. Simply plan to vary out your pillowcase if you get dwelling.
Reminiscence foam pillows are nice for tenting, however do take up lots of house in packed automobiles.
In case you are a aspect sleeper, ensure you get a pillow with sufficient top to assist your head in your aspect. In the event you aren’t certain, take a second to measure your property pillow and verify it in opposition to the above top specs for every pillow. I like to recommend a minimum of 5 inches of top, extra when you’ve got particularly broad shoulders.
Ultimate Ideas
I’m going to degree with you: You don’t really want to buy a tenting pillow. Most individuals simply use their current pillows and swap out the pillow instances once they get dwelling. In the event you’re going to spend additional on a devoted tenting pillow, be sure it’s delivering some actual bang in your buck. The Hest pillow is a superb choice for anybody with a kitted-out sprinter van trying to avoid wasting house when they’re in go mode, whereas the Therm-a-Relaxation Compressible Pillow Cinch has an analogous consolation degree to plain reminiscence foam pillows whereas squashing all the way down to a greater packed measurement.