Field Report

Field Report - LuxuryLite Travel Pillow

Date: December 20, 2005

Reviewer
Name: Scott Downard
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft (1.83 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Email address: rookthepagan@verizon.net
City, State, Country: Apple Valley, California, U.S.

Backpacking Background
    As a teenager I did a lot of backpacking and hiking with the Boy Scouts. After I turned 18 and I left the Scouts I abandoned backpacking. When I was 28, I started getting interested in backpacking again. I started buying gear to replace the old stuff from my teenage years. I hike in the local mountains and desert areas. I hike mostly in the spring and fall in moderate weather. Some rain is encountered. I primarily do day hiking and short term (i.e. one to four nights) backpacking excursions with some five day trips. I like to hike fast and light while backpacking.

Product Information
Manufacturer: LuxuryLite
Manufacturer URL: http://www.luxurylite.com
Year of Manufacture: 2005
MSRP: $39.00 USD
Country of Manufacture: USA
Color: Black
Listed weight: under 4 oz (100 g)
Actual weight: 3 oz (85 g)
Quoted Dimensions: 19 x 15 x 6 in (48 x 38 x 15 cm)
Measured Dimensions: 18 x 14 in (46 x 36 cm)
Materials Used:
                Pillow - Material used not known.
                Foam - reticulated open-cell
                Bladder - plastic
Features:
                Small pack size
                Large usable size
                Breathable foam and cover
                Ordinary straw is used to inflate/deflate

Product Overview:
See my Initial Report for more detail.
    The Travel Pillow consists of a black, breathable cover, plastic air bladder, and a fast food restaurant straw. The air bladder can be inflated by using the straw. The Travel Pillow is a light weight, compact way to carry a pillow on backpacking trips.

Testing Conditions:
    The Travel Pillow was used over a a four day family car camping trip to the Kern River and a two night backpacking trip in Toulumne Meadows within Yosemite National Park. I will cover each trip separately. Weather conditions ranged from mild night time temps [50 F (10 C)] while car camping down to below freezing [32 F (0 C)] on my backpacking trip. Elevation ranged between 3,000 ft (900 m) and 9,000 ft (2,750 m).
    I used the Travel Pillow with a rectangular 40 F (4.5 C) sleeping bag. I used a fast food restaurant drinking straw to inflate the air bladder. I had to place a finger into the opening of the air bladder to keep it open while I inserted the straw. Once the straw was in, I blew a few puffs of air into it and then removed the straw. The air bladder sealed itself once I removed the straw. With only a few puffs of air, the pillow inflated to approximately 2 in (5 cm) in height. This is sufficient for my needs. At this height my head is cradled in the center of the pillow while lying on my back. I was able to sleep with this pillow and not experience any sweaty spots from the pillow. The one draw back is that my wife complained of the noise generated by the air bladder when I adjusted my head position on the pillow. She called it, "Annoying." I believe that the noise could be annoying to a tent mate on back country trips. The noise for me was somewhat bothersome until I found a comfortable position for my head and I did not move around anymore.
    On my backpacking trip, the pillow was used on the inside and the outside of a Montbell Down Hugger 32 F (0 C) sleeping bag. I found that the pillow fits inside the hood of my sleeping bag only when I don't cinch the hood snug. I quickly ran out of room in the hood of my bag once I pulled on the draw cords to keep the night chill out. I pulled the pillow out of the bag and placed it on top of my sleep pad where my head would be once I cinched the hood closed. I was able to lay comfortably on the pillow in this fashion. However, I did have to reposition the pillow a few times during the night as the pillow would slide along the slick surface of my sleep pad and sleeping bag. On a particularly cold morning (it was below freezing) my pillow had ice crystals inside the air bladder. I laid the pillow on a rock in the sun and allowed the ice to melt before I deflated the bladder.

Things I will be looking for and questions I'll be asking and answering:

Is the 18 x 14 in (46 x 36 cm) size large enough that my head does not loll to one side or roll off as well as being small enough to fit inside the hood of my Montbell Alpine Down Hugger #3 sleeping bag? Will I need to use it under my sleeping bag?
The pillow is large enough for me to lay my head comfortably on. When I place my head in the center of the pillow it does not loll to one side. As stated earlier, the pillow fit inside my sleeping bag until I needed to cinch it up to keep out the cold.

What is my preferred pillow height while sleeping on my back and on my side?
I like my pillow height to be approximately 2 in (5 cm).

Will the breathable cover and open cell foam soak up whatever drool it may encounter and become “yucky”, or does it repel it? If it does soak it up, is it easy to rinse out while on the trail?
To date, I have not had a problem with the open cell foam or the cover becoming "yucky" from drool.

How long will it take for the cover and/or foam to dry?
On a sunny day with a slight breeze, my cover dried within 10 minutes.

The website states that the foam does not hold water and that it can be wrung out and used. Will the foam degrade and tear if I wring it out?
I have experienced no degradation of the foam insert. It has not seen excessive abuse, however.

Since I will be using my own breath to inflate the pillow, will the moist air cause a lot of condensation to build up over time inside the air bladder and add weight?
I have noticed considerable condensation within the air bladder. The condensation has turned to ice on particularly cold nights where I have used the pillow on the outside of my sleeping bag. I have found no practical way to air out the bladder at this time.

Does the air bladder deflate easily, allowing me to repeatedly roll it into a tight package, or does it retain some air and not allow it to roll to its original unused size?
I have been able to deflate the air bladder easily with a bit of practice. If I rushed myself while deflating the pillow, a lot of air was left inside the bladder. This made it difficult to roll the bladder into a small package. When I took my time while deflating, I was able to evacuate most of the air from the bladder. The pillow did not come with anything to keep it rolled into a small package. I used a strip of Velcro fabric to secure around the pillow for storage.

Will the valve seal tightly throughout the testing period or will it develop a leak?
The valve still seals itself once I remove the straw.

If my inflation straw gets damaged, is there any other way to inflate the air bag while in the back country?
I experimented with a small stick to inflate the air bladder. I used a straight, fairly smooth twig to hold the valve open while I blow into it. This technique worked, but did take several attempts and minutes to perfect. I also had to inflate the pillow more than my desired height to allow some air to escape while I removed the twig.

Do larger diameter straws work better than smaller diameter ones?
I found a McDonald's or Burger King straw to be ideal for my use. These tend to be larger diameter straws.

If the air bladder develops a leak while on in the back country, can I stuff articles of clothing inside the cover and under the foam and still be comfortable?
I have not tested this yet.

Things I like:

Small pack size
Light weight
Comfort

Things I didn't like:

The plastic air bladder is noisy when inflated
It did not come with a strap or something to keep it packed small

I thank Backpackgeartest and LuxuryLite for letting me test this item.

Read more reviews of LuxuryLite gear
Read more gear reviews by Scott Downard

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Accessories > LuxuryLite Travel Pillow > Scott Downard > Field Report

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