LuxuryLite Travel Pillow
Long Term Report January 29, 2006
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. Most of my hiking and backpacking takes place in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington!
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
Product Description:
The LuxuryLite travel pillow is an inflatable/foam pillow designed for use backpacking. This is the third of three reports, for more product information please see my initial report and my field report.
Long Term Conditions:
The pillow has been used in all types of conditions over the past six months. I have experienced all types of precipitation from snow to rain, and the occasional sunny day. The pillow has been used on an overnight trip and a two night weekend trip since my field report. The weekend trip took place in the Buckhorn Wilderness in the Olympic National Forest. The overnight trip took place on the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie in the Mt Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest. Elevation ranged from 1000’ to 4950’ (305 m - 1590 m). Temperatures ranged from 45 F to 26 F (7 C to -3).
Summary:
The pillow is a neat idea, but for me doesn’t meet my needs to sleep both on my back and on my side. It works really great for one or the other. The workmanship/durability of the pillow has been good.
Long Term Test Results:
As I have said previously comfort is the key to a good nights sleep. For me that means being able to sleep on my back and on my side. I have not been able to sleep both ways with the pillow. I find it comfortable to lie on my back with the pillow only slightly inflated. However with the pillow in this condition there is not enough support for me to sleep on my side. When I have the pillow fully inflated there is plenty of support for me to sleep comfortably on my side, but it puts my neck at an uncomfortable angle if I were to try to lie on my back. That being said it has been the best solution so far in my quest to find a comfortable pillow.
It does make a comfortable cushy seat when used in my Crazy Creek chair. However, I have not used the pillow to sit on just the ground. I just inflate the seat a little and place it in the Crazy Creek.
I have not noticed any durability issues with any of the components of the pillow whether through normal use or use as a seat. I was also concerned whether the nylon cover would hold smells. I have been pleasantly surprised that the nylon cover and foam do not retain any smell.
I only have one other nit pick with the pillow; noise! The air bag makes quite a bit of noise when I am shifting about to get to comfortable for the night. It has not annoyed my backpacking partners too much, but I am conscious of it.
Improvements:
I still think a built in straw or inflation/deflation device would be a good addition. Also maybe thicker foam would allow for both side and back sleeping.
Pillow Characteristics:
These are the characteristics of the pillow that I have examined over the past 4 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? (I have experienced no problems with 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? (I have sat on it in my tent and in my Crazy Creek with no problems.)
- 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? (It has been good over the past four months. It shows no signs or breaking down or any indentions from repeated use.)
- 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? (I never got it wet over the course of the test period.)
- 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? (It is nice and soft against my face.)
- Why does the cover need to breathe? (Never really figured this out.)
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? (Yes, for either side or back sleeping, but not both.)
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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