LuxuryLite Travel Pillow
Field Report November 26, 2005
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U. S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 17 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. I have just moved to the Pacific Northwest and have been exploring the new area and learning new places to backpack and camp.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: LuxuryLite
Model: Pillow
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: www.LuxuryLite.com
Listed weight: under 4 oz (100 g)
Measured weight: I have to go to the post office; I will get this before the html is posted.
**Disclaimer: the closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces**
Listed Dimensions: 19" x 15" x up to 6" (48 cm x 38 cm x up to 15 cm)
Measured Dimensions: 18 ¾" x 13 ¾" x 7" (48 cm x 35 cm x 18 cm)
MSRP: $39.00 US
Country of Manufacture: USA
Product Description:
This is the second of three reports. For more information please see my initial report.
Field Conditions:
I have used the pillow on three overnight trips over the last two months.
Trip 1 was an overnight trip to the Olympic Wilderness Coast near La Push, Washington. Temperatures ranged from 59 F to 40 F (15 C to 4 C) and the weather was slightly windy with a few showers.
Trip 2 was up to Myrtle Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness part of the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Temperatures ranged from 55 F to 40 F (13 C to 4 C) and the weather was mostly clear with a few sprinkles. Elevation at Myrtle Lake was 3780' (1152 m).
Trip 3 was up to Talapus and Ollalie Lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness part of Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Temperatures ranged from 32 F to 28 F (0 C to -2 C) with about 8" (20 cm) of snow on the ground and another 12" (30 cm) snow accumulation through the night. Elevation at Ollalie Lake was 3780' (1152 m).
Summary:
I am still undecided on the pillow. It is a good idea, but I have not yet been able to find the perfect position of use.
Field Test Results:
Comfort is the key to a good night's sleep. For me comfort means being able to sleep on my side and on my back and easily switching back and forth between the two. Unfortunately I have not been able to do both well with the pillow. I have found that if I inflate the pillow high enough so that it is comfortable to lie on my side that it is too high to lie on my back. If I only inflate it enough so that it is comfortable to lie on my back it does not have enough loft for me to lie on my side. One compromise I have tried is to inflate the pillow so that it is comfortable while lying on my back and then add a fleece on top of the pillow when I lie on my side. This has worked ok.
The other thing I have had problems with is remembering the straw. My first trip with it, I forgot a straw and snagged one from an espresso stand on the way to the trailhead. On my second trip, I forgot one completely and used my platypus hose to inflate and deflate the pillow. This worked in a pinch, but it is not the optimum setup. On my third trip, I finally remembered the straw and just left it in the nylon case.
Everything else has been great though with the pillow. The nylon cover and foam are soft and comfortable. I have had no problems with leaks, or the durability of the internal air bag.
Improvements:
A built in straw or inflation/deflation device.
Testing Plan:
I will look at the following characteristics over the next four months:
(My answers are in parenthesis and italics.)
Inflatable Air Bag
My main concern with this item is the inflatable air bag that makes up the majority of the depth of this pillow.
- How durable is the air bag? (So far great.)
- Can I use it during lunch breaks where I am just laying down on a flat spot in the sun somewhere or do I have to use it only in the tent/shelter? (I have sat on it in my tent with no issues. I have not had any relaxing lunch breaks yet though.)
- The LuxuryLite website mentions that the bag can be inflated by the flexible vinyl inflation tube or a "soda straw"; but can it be inflated by other means? (Yes it can be inflated, but I was unable to deflate the pillow without a straw. It can be inflated by a hose from a hydration system in a pinch.)
Reticulated Open Cell Foam
- How durable is the reticulated open cell foam?
- Is it comfy enough to sit on with the air bag deflated? (Yes it is comfortable to sit on with the air bag slightly inflated.)
- Does the reticulated open cell foam hold water when it gets wet?
- Can I just wring it out if it gets wet?
- Is it thick enough to really conform to my face as the website claims? (It is comfortable, but I don't feel it conforms to my face.)
Nylon Cover
- How soft and comfortable is the breathable nylon cover?
- Why does the cover need to breathe?
Compressibility
- The website shows it rolled up and approximately the size of soda can is this true? (Yes, it can be rolled up very small.)
- How easy is it to achieve this size? (Not difficult at all if the air bag is deflated completely.)
- Is it like pulling a folded up tent out of the bag and never being able to fold it up and get it back in or is it easily compressed? (It is easy.)
Comfort
- This is the main characteristic… is this thing comfortable or not? (Verdict is still pending.)
Thanks to BackpackGearTest and LuxuryLite for the opportunity to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of LuxuryLite gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
| 