Reviews > Sleep Gear > Accessories > FlexAir Travel Pillow > Jamie DeBenedetto > Initial Report

Little Rapids FlexAir™ Pillows

Initial Report - April 23rd, 2006

Reviewer's Information

Background/Experience

I am a native of Arizona. I began backpacking eighteen years ago with the outdoor club at my high school. At present I hike in some capacity about fifteen times a month, most of which is in Arizona with either the Canine Hiking Club of AZ or with my family. I prefer to sleep in a hammock and I gravitate toward multifunctional gear that will enhance my comfort level for minimal weight. I consider myself a lightweight packer but not ultralight. My total pack weight is rarely above 25 lbs (11 kg) for outings of two to three days.

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Product Information

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Product Description

The FlexAir pillow is a lightweight, inflatable, disposable pillow. At one corner of the pillow is a self sealing valve, which incorporates a plastic straw as the inflation/deflation device. The valve is a flexible, thin plastic sleeve about 6 in (15 cm) long on the interior of the pillow that allows air to enter the pillow body. Once inflated, air pressure from inside the pillow presses against this plastic chamber and it seals so air cannot escape. The air hole at the base of the plastic piece is only large enough for the straw or a similarly sized object. The small and large pillows have one air chamber while the dual-chambered pillow has two running side by side along its length.

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Arrival Condition and Informational Material

On April 16th, 2006 I received three types of pillows from FlexAir. Two "Original" FlexAir™ pillows, the 150, which is the smallest and the 240 Plus, which is a bit larger, and a recently added type called dual-chambered, which is very close in size to the 240 Plus. They sent three of each type for the test. All arrived in good condition as far as I can tell. I have inflated one of each type so far to see how they look and to take pictures for this report. I haven't experienced any problems with inflation at this point.

Included in the package with the nine pillows was a single sheet of paper from FlexAir. This was more of a letter to me as a tester rather than instructional material but given the simplicity of this item detailed instructions really aren't needed. The letter gives a short history of the original market the pillows were created for and why FlexAir is introducing them to the backpacking market. There is also information about each type of pillow and some suggestions for use.

The manufacturer says the Original FlexAir™ models are "designed for resting more than sleeping" and they suggest "wrapping the pillow inside a sweatshirt or t-shirt to make the experience more comfortable and quiet". According to their research these models are best suited for people who sleep on their sides, whereas the dual-chambered pillow was created for back or stomach sleepers. Additionally, they say it is best not to inflate any of the pillows to their maximum level as this is less comfortable and makes them more difficult to deflate. Inflation and deflation is easier with the included straw but not necessary. The user can accomplish inflation by putting their mouth over the valve and blowing air into the pillow. Deflation without the straw requires a similarly sized object to be inserted into the valve to break the air seal. The user should be able to inflate and deflate the pillows "over and over again".

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Expectations and First Impressions

The manufacturer's webpage has a pretty good description and a couple of pictures of the Original pillows and since I have used similar pillows during air travel I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I was not expecting FlexAir to send the additional dual-chambered pillows, however, that was a surprise. A nice one too I might add since I am very much a back sleeper.

The pillows are softer than I had guessed they would be. They are actually quite silky to the touch and slightly fuzzy feeling. Somewhere on the website I had read the comment about using extra clothing to wrap the pillow so given that, I was anticipating the exterior of the pillows to have more of a paper texture and feel somewhat crunchy. They do not feel crunchy until inflated and then they produce a similar sound to a candy wrapper being tussled with.

With the included straw they are very easy to blow up, quickly done in just a few seconds. Without the straw it didn't take much longer. Deflation, however, is pretty much impossible without the straw or a similar device. The end of the valve sleeve is much too long to reach with a finger and the only thing I have similar in my pack is a pencil, however, it's not much longer than my finger so that did not work either. I'll try my spork handle on my first field test then try finding help from Ma Nature as an experiment to see what other potentially available items can be substituted.

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Expected Field Test Locations and Conditions

It looks like the majority of the testing period will take place in our summer months. I have a couple of backpacking and a few car camping trips lined up for April, May and June, all of which will take place in Arizona. Elevation on these trips will range from around 2,000 ft (600 m) up to as high as 7,500 ft (2,300 m) on the Mogollon Rim in north central Arizona. I expect overnight temperatures to stay above 40 F (4 C) on all outings. Weather conditions are impossible to predict but I would imagine I will get cool and dry, hot and dry, and warm and humid conditions for the most part.

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Proposed Test Strategy for the Next Four Months

Well I think the obvious test of using the pillows at night under my head is a given. In addition to this I plan to use one under or between my knees while sleeping. I often have knee pain and I use a body pillow at home for this reason. I will be judging the comfort level of the pillows based on how they perform in these two ways. The website states "Users can easily inflate and deflate to desired firmness". I will test this as well and play around with different firmness levels to see how they affect comfort.

Durability is a second area I will be watching. I plan to use one of the pillows as the test dummy to see what kind of stress it can take before it doesn't hold air anymore. I will also play around with puncture hazards to see what it takes to poke through the pillow material.

The FlexAir website lists several uses for the pillows, I will endeavour to try what they have listed as well as any other ideas I conjure up. Unfortunately, the webpage is a little lacking in details, in my opinion, which leaves me with several other questions. For instance, is the fabric absorbent at all? They say the pillows are 100% waterproof, does that mean water will not be absorbed by the exterior nonwoven material? How well will the pillows insulate. Will they work like an air mattress and trap heat from my head in the air chamber? Do they have any alternate uses, like water storage/collection, washing dishes, etc…? I like versatile gear and the idea of a disposable pillow that can double as my pot cleaner or a hand towel for morning clean up would be really cool. Over the test period I plan to answer all these questions and any others that come up during the inaugural outings with the pillows.

Thank you BGT and FlexAir for the opportunity to be part of this test series.

Jamie J. DeBenedetto
April 23rd, 2006

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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Accessories > FlexAir Travel Pillow > Jamie DeBenedetto > Initial Report