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Long Term Report: LuxuryLite Travel
Pillow
Date: January 23, 2006
Tester
Information:
Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in
(1.65 m)
Weight: 165 lb (77
kg)
E-mail address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western
West Virginia, U.S.A.
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Backpacking Background:
As spring 2006 looms on the horizon, I'm
beginning my third year of
backpacking, and I continue to love it. So far, I've progressed
from day-hiking and single overnights to weekend trips, and I'm
planning a longer trip for spring '06. Hopefully it will be a
section hike of the Appalachian Trail! I
hike and backpack
mainly in
the
hills and valleys of West Virginia, and use a hammock sleeping system.
For a
two-day trip my typical pack weighs 22-30 lb (10-14 kg) including
consumables, and I’m
striving to
lighten that a bit.
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Product
Information
Manufacturer: LuxuryLite
Year of manufacture: 2005
Date of Delivery: September 17, 2005
Listed weight: less than 4 oz (113 g)
Weight as delivered: 3.9 oz (111 g)
Listed Dimensions: 19 in x 15 in (48 cm x 38 cm)
Dimensions as delivered: 18 in x 14 in (46 cm x 36 cm)
Color: Black
Manufacturer Website: http://www.luxurylite.com
MSRP: $39.00
US
Components:
Fabric cover (measured weight: 1.7 oz or 48 g)
Foam Insert (measured weight: 1.7 oz or 48 g)
Inflatable plastic insert (measured weight: 0.5 oz or 14 g)
Inflation straw (measured weight less than 0.1 oz or 3 g)
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Features:
Light weight
Packs small
Two layer internal structure (foam and air bag)
Fits inside mummy bag hood (verified by tester)
Inflates up to 6 in (15 cm) high (per manufacturer)
Non allergenic
Breathable cover
Inflate and deflate with ordinary soda straw |
The
LuxuryLite travel pillow consists of a black fabric cover with a short
opening in the center of one of the long sides, a 3/4 in (2 cm) thick
foam
insert, and a plastic air bag. The pillow shipped with a bright
pink straw for inflating the air bag. Inflating the pillow is
simple - just unsnap the opening, pull out the valve of the air bag,
insert the straw, and blow the air bag up to the desired level.
For a detailed description of the components, packaging, and
instructions, please see my Initial
Report.
 Field
Information
This report covers my use of the pillow during the final phase of the
overall test period. For information on field conditions and use
during the first phase of the test period, please see my Field
Report.
The LuxuryLite Travel Pillow was used in my hammock on two consecutive
nights during this portion of the test period, at an
elevation of approximately 900 ft (300 m). Sleeping temperature
on
both nights was approximately 50 F. There
was a light
breeze both nights, and some light rain toward morning on the second
night.
Use
Due to family commitments during the holiday season, and unseasonably
cold weather and a new grandson in December, I was unable to take an
additional backpacking trip with the LuxuryLite Travel Pillow during
this phase of the test, however I did use the pillow camping out in my
back yard during January for a bit more experience. One night I
slept with it using the Undercover and Underpad under my Hennessy
Hammock, and the second night I used the Undercover and a closed cell
foam RidgeRest pad inside the hammock without using the open cell foam
Underpad.
On both nights I filled the pillow with about 2 in (5 cm) of air, and
found it comfortable, but it did tend to slide out from under my head
several times both nights. The components of the pillow don't
shift around, so it's a simple matter to reach up and slide it
back underneath me. On both nights I experienced minor
condensation on the inside and outside of the air bag, but none
noticeable in the foam insert.
I also threw the pillow in my day pack to take along for a Girl Scout
overnight mall lock-in, thinking I would catch a few hours sleep using
it
the next morning at a nearby friend's home before driving back to my
house, but decided I was in good enough shape to drive home and ended
up not sleeping on the pillow. I did enjoy the fact that the
pillow packs so small that it's feasible to take it along for these
"just in case" times.
I also tested inflating the pillow with my water bladder drinking tube
(Platypus brand), and found the pillow inflated and deflated easily
using the hydration system tube. The only down side to this was
that the moist air from the tube created a lot of condensation inside
the air bag. Although the original straw provided remains
serviceable, I also used a regular drinking straw to inflate the
pillow, which works fine, as advertised. I have found that I can
remove interior condensation from the air bag by inserting a drinking
straw in the opening valve, then directing air from a fan against
it. The light condensation I've experienced so far is gone within
an hour using this method.
Finally, I washed the pillow. This simply involved removing the
air bladder and throwing the pillow in the washing machine with my
normal detergent and a few clothes. The pillow came out with the
foam bent around and the seams of the case twisted around a bit, but
with a little smoothing and rearranging, the pillow was soon in its
original shape. There was no damage of any kind noticeable on the
insert or the case, and the pillow dried within a couple of hours.
Customer Service/Warranty
Near the end of the field test phase of the test the air
bag in my pillow developed a slow leak that made it deflate during the
night. I contacted the manufacturer for replacement under the
lifetime warranty, and with a simple brief phone call my problem was
taken care of. I received two new air bags within just a few
days. So far the replacement bag is working fine.
Final Conclusions
The LuxuryLite Travel Pillow is comfortable, light
weight, and packs small enough to easily go almost anywhere. The
pillow is easy to inflate, just taking a few breaths, about like
blowing up a large balloon. Other than the deflating bags, I
haven't had any trouble with the pillow. The fabric cover looks
nearly new with no fraying or deterioration.
The one really annoying thing about the pillow is the crinkly noise it
makes everytime I move my head on it. I would really love this
pillow if an air bag that were less noisy could be used. Another
improvement I would like to see made is for a larger opening in the
pillow that would allow clothing to be stored inside instead of (or in
addition to) the air bag. This would be especially handy to keep
small items like hats and gloves where I could find them easily during
the night if needed.
At this point in time, I am probably going to go back to using a folded
jacket for a pillow for my next few trips for a slight weight
savings. Due to the curved body of my hammock, I just don't feel
I need a pillow as much as I do while sleeping in a tent. I may
alter the opening of the LuxuryLite Travel Pillow to allow use of
clothing inside and see if I find that more soothing to sleep on than
the crinkly plastic air bag, in which case, the pillow may go along
again, doing double duty as a clothing stuff bag in my pack and
cushioning my head at night.
Overall the LuxuryLite Travel Pillow is well made and comfortable and
if I ever go back to tent camping instead of hammocking, I will give it
another try. For now, the annoyance of the crinkly air bag
outweighs the benefit of a pillow in my hammock.
| Likes
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Compressible and easily packed
Light weight
Comfortable
Great customer service
Durable cover and foam insert
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Dislikes
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Crinkly noise when moving my head on the pillow
Condensation sometimes develops inside (and outside) the air bladder
Opening too small to allow adding clothes
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Thanks to LuxuryLite and BackpackGearTest
for
the
opportunity to test the Travel Pillow.
Read more reviews of LuxuryLite gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
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