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LuxuryLite Travel Pillow
Initial Report October 1, 2005
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc@hotmail.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: 4 oz (100 g)
**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
Expected Field Conditions:
Rain, Rain, and more Rain. The average precipitation for October is 6+ inches (15+ cm) and the average rainfall increases from there over the next couple of months. Most of my hiking takes place in the foothills of the Cascades in places such as Tiger Mountain State Park, Cougar Mountain State Park, and the Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest. Average temperatures for the late fall to early winter range from highs in the 60's F to lows in the 30's F (18 C - 1 C) Elevation may vary from sea level to 14,000 ft (4267 m) although a winter summit attempt of Mt Rainer is highly unlikely.
Product Description:
This product consists of three pieces, an outer nylon shell, a piece of open cell foam and an air bladder. The shell is made of rip stop nylon that feels nice to the touch and is sewn on all four sides except for a small, 5 ½" (14 cm) size opening, on the top where the foam and air bladder can be inserted into the nylon shell.
The open cell foam is not rectangular cut like I expected but is instead cut in an "X" pattern. My initial thought on the "X" shape is that it cuts down on the weight, and also allows the foam to be stuffed into the corners of the nylon shell easier.
The air bladder is made of a thin crinkly type of plastic laminate that according to the manufacturer should never burst a seam even if you sit on it. Speaking of seams, the seams are welded on the bag and are in good condition. On one side of the air bladder there is another piece of plastic that is welded into an opening in the bag. This is the inflation point for the pillow. There is a small point where a normal drinking straw can be inserted into the tube to inflate the pillow. The pillow can be inflated without the straw, but it is very difficult. Additionally, I was not able to deflate the pillow without the straw.
Initial Impressions/Use:
COOL!!!! A pillow that is light, packs down small and inflates tall enough for me to be able to sleep on my side! Is there really a pillow that can do all of these things? Yes, the LuxuryLite Pillow can.
The pillow was packaged very simply. It came deflated and held into a rolled position by a piece of advertising paper. The instructions for use are printed on the back of that piece of paper and provide information on pillow use and care.
It is fairly simple to inflate the pillow. Insert the straw into the inflation tube until the straw is just inside of the opening into the air bladder and blow. Once the pillow is inflated to the desired height pull the straw out of the tube and the pillow is ready to be used.
To deflate the pillow insert the straw back into the inflation tube until the straw is just inside the air bladder and squeeze. The air will rush out of the pillow. Once the pillow is deflated remove the straw. Then the pillow can be stored.
One thing I want to comment on is that the manufacturer says that they foam will eventually flatten after several uses. They recommend washing the foam to restore its loft. This was not mentioned on the website, just on the instructions that came with the pillow.
One of the things to note is that my measurements are a little different than what the listed measurements are. It is not something that affects the overall performance of the pillow, just something I wanted to point out.
Improvements:
None at the moment.
Testing Plan:
I will look at the following characteristics over the next four months:
My answers are in 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?
- 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?
- 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. The more I think about it though; I could use my platypus hose to inflate the bag too, if I did not have a drinking straw.
Reticulated Open Cell Foam
- How durable is the reticulated open cell foam?
- Is it comfy enough to sit on with the air bag deflated?
- 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?
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?
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
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