I have over 30 years backpacking experience, starting with Scouting as a youth. I am currently the High Adventure Leader for a Scout Troop. I try to get out once or twice a month, plus at least one week-long trek each year. My trips are of two types. First, I am hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in sections, and generally use a lightweight approach on these typically solo trips. Other trips with family involve more traditional backpacking equipment. Terrain varies from sea level to 14,000 feet (4,300 m), desert to mountain, and trail to cross country, occasionally including snow travel.

This is the final of three reports of the FlexAir Pillows based on use over four months. The first report described the headlamp in more detail.

Product Description:

FlexAir Disposable Pillows www.flexair.com
Manufactured by Little Rapids Corporation www.littlerapids.com
Received new April 18, 2006
Inflatable, adjustable, disposable pillow
Nonwoven poly fabric with a soft finish
Three models:

FlexAir 150 FlexAir 240 Plus FlexAir Dual-Chambered
Size per manufacturer 14.5 x 10.5 in (36.8 x 26.7 cm) 19 x 12.5 in (48.3 x 31.8 cm) N/A
Size as measured (uninflated) 14.5 x 10.5 in (36.8 x 26.7 cm) 18.9 x 12.5 in (48.0 x 31.8 cm) 18.9 x 12.5 in (48.0 x 31.8 cm)
Approx. measured height (fully inflated) 5 in (12.7 cm) 7 in (17.8 cm) 4 in (10.2 cm)
Weight, measured 0.6 oz (18 g) 0.8 oz (25 g) 1.1 oz (32 g)
Weight limit 50 lb (23 kg) 150 lb (68 kg) N/A
MSRP (USD) $26.71/case of 50 $36.17/case of 50 N/A

FlexAir 150 and 240 Plus (top) and Dual-Chambered (bottom). Fully inflated (more than necessary).

Long Term Test:

I have used one or more of these pillows on several overnight trips as well as extensively both at home and on road trips. Most trips were in the foothills of Southern California, elevation 750 to 4,000 feet (200 to 1,200 meters), temperatures 40 to 85 degrees F (4 to 29 C), with a recent trip to the Sierra Nevada, sleeping at approximately 7,000 feet (2,100 meters).

My experiences with these pillows has not revealed much different from my last report. Briefly:

Inflation: Inflating and deflatings these pillows is very easy, just blow firmly into the pillow and it inflates. The valve closes by itself and I appreciate no valve stem to poke me in the eye in the middle of the night. Deflating is a simple matter of inserting a common drinking straw and squeezing the air out gently. Inflating and deflating each take me only a couple seconds.

Comfort: The Dual-Chambered pillow is still my favorite, by far, whether sleeping on my side or my back, with my head nestled in the depression and my neck supported by the near side. I have found that I am most comfortable when I inflate these pillows just enough so my head is supported just barely off the ground. Still, I do find myself rolling off them easily during the night, as my head pushes the air to one side and I slide off the other. While wrapping the pillow in a jacket helps, it's not perfect, and I found myself wanting to just use my jacket in a stuff sack for a pillow. Still, as these pillows are so light weight, I can justify carrying them for when I am wearing all my clothes to bed and still want a pillow.

The larger single-chambered pillow works fairly well as a body pillow between my knees. The small pillow stays in my truck to use as lumbar support on long drives. Again, just slightly inflating the pillow works best in both of these uses.

Fabric: On warm and humid nights I find the fabric a bit sticky or clammy if the pillow is not wrapped in something soft.

Noise: The noise of the pillow directly next to my ear does annoy me sometimes, even when the pillow is wrapped in a jacket. I do need quiet to sleep well, but also found myself self-conscious when others were around, fearing I'd keep them awake. The noise is much less of a bother when the pillow is used between my knees, because of the distance from my ears and the insulation from my sleeping bag.

Durability: After a couple dozen nights use over four months, the flocking on the fabric is starting to look a little thinner, but it feels fuzzier. The seams and valves all are intact. I have only had a loss of air one time during use in the car for lumbar support. As a further test, I stood on the larger single-chambered pillow, that had been used for four months, while half inflated and again while fully inflated. While the specifications suggest it should have broken, it held my weight (half again as much as the pillow was designed for), even as I rocked on it half a minute. I then sat on it for five minutes, during which the air finally escaped through a thin spot in the fabric. In my opinion, although the manufacturer calls these disposable, these are pretty tough pillows.

Summary: For a few cents out of the wallet and just a few grams in the backpack, the FlexAir Disposable Pillows are very functional pillows. Their rustling noise and squishy/bouncy nature did lessen my comfort somewhat.

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Read more gear reviews by Bill Jeffrey

Long Term Report

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