I have always had some form of pillow for use when backpacking and canoeing.  Currently, I'm employing a flannel "envelope" into which I stuff clothing.  

However, in the process of doing a repair on a Pacific Outdoor Equipment (POE) light weight, waterproof, pneumo bag I was wondering if that might be an easy and quick replacement for stuffing my envelop with clothing ... seal, insert, stuff into the envelope and add air to "taste."  It would be another use for one of those "air tight" bags, if it actually will hold air overnight.

Anyone try using one of those bags like this?

dd

dd:

Is that bag slippery, as is common among waterproof gear? If so, I don't think I'd like it. I wrap a favorite sweater around the gear I am going to use as a pillow. I like the flannel sack idea. So much so, I might even steal it.

I've done that with a gallon ziplock bag, maybe a third full of air.
If held the air, but keprt slipping out from under - I gave up on that idea.

 I just use a stuffbag with clothes, or more oftan, just my fleece jacket folded up into a 4 or 5 inch thick pile, with that on top of my spread out PFD.  The pfd is propped up/leaning against the tent well, and that helps keep the bag from contacting the tent wall as well as adding to my "pillow"

I use an older version of this pillow:     (You need to Login or Register

The small version is easily stuffed with the sleeping bag.  Mine has a pocket you can fill with addition soft items for more support.  Typically I fill it with a fleece and my tuque, if I'm not wearing it.

Ancient_Angler wrote on Jul 26^th, 2010 at 12:12pm:

Is that bag slippery, as is common among waterproof gear? If so, I don't think I'd like it.

AA-
Yes,the bag is slippery.  That is why I'd still take the flannel "envelope."  Actually, my wife put this together for me several years ago.  Fashioned it from a flannel pillow case we had laying around the house.  It is VERY comfortable, and by itself, takes up very little space.


Mad_Mat wrote on Jul 26^th, 2010 at 12:52pm:

I've done that with a gallon ziplock bag, maybe a third full of air. If held the air, but kept slipping out from under - I gave up on that idea.    I just use a stuffbag with clothes, or more oftan, just my fleece jacket folded up into a 4 or 5 inch thick pile, with that on top of my spread out PFD.  The pfd is propped up/leaning against the tent well, and that helps keep the bag from contacting the tent wall as well as adding to my "pillow"

MM-

My flannel "pillow case" should take care of slippage.  I was just not confident that a ziplock bag would hold air overnight.

I generally use my rain gear at my head/feet to serve as a waterproof boundary between my bag and tent ... provided it is dry.  It is actually stuffed in one of the pneumo bags I mentioned ... that's what got me thinking about using one as a pillow insert, rather than clothing, which I have to drag out of my clothing stuff sack and re-stuff in the AM.

So, since the pneumo bag (rain gear storage) is commonly laying empty inside my tent, I was considering the possibility of using it overnight.  Sounds like an experiment for my next trip ... not like I don't have clothes to stuff if it doesn't work!  It just that the extra clothes do wind up a bit smelly toward the end of a two-week trip.

BTW:  I did try just using clothing wrapped in a bundle for a pillow.  Guess I'm an active sleeper because the bundle rarely lasted the night.

dd

Ah, smelly clothes. Keeps the woodland  sprites away.

I stuff my fleece into the stuff sack I keep my sleeping bag in - it's already empty and looking to be put to use.  

I do the same pgh does. The smell doesn't bother we already have three guys in  a tent farting and smelling so this way I at least get to smell out stink.

I just grab an old pillow case and stuff it with clothes.   It works fine.

My stuff-sack for my extra clothes becomes my pillow at night.  Some companies make stuff-sacks with a patch of fleece.

My confession is that I just bring a full size down pillow and it doubles as the best item to put against my back in the portage pack. It really takes very little room and is worth it on the portage and on the head. I go fairly light for most things but this is what works best for me. :)

Count me as a 'tweener.  

No full-size down pillow, but I got sick of the lumpy clothes-filled stuff sack.  So I bought a medium-sized Thermarest pillow.  Pretty comfy and compresses to a reasonable size.

I made my own pillow that I take on all my trips. I got some soft material and made a "cover" for my ThermaRest, and then made a pillow from what was left. It works great for me. Not really very minimalist, but I'll sacrifice elsewhere for good sleeping!

Several years ago I picked up a air bed for guests, and it came with two air pillows which work great take very little space and weight next to nothing. I will never goo back to using the clothes filled pillow case again.

DD I'm pretty happy with this.
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Yea I know it's pricey and I had to swallow hard but I have to have a good nights sleep after workin hard all day. It is extremely compressible and very light which were two things I was looking for in a dedicated pillow.

I buy an inexpensive regular bed pillow made of quilt batting and saw it in half crosswise with a large knife.  Then I make a half size pillow case of cotton or flannel for it, put one half the pillow in and sew up the open end loosely.  If I do it with the other half as well, I have pillows for the next two camping seasons.

I usually just take a worn-out pillow case and stuff with a towel from my pack.  Or if there is room I will take a very worn-out normal pillow that has lost most of its loft.

I have a stuff sack that at one time came with a tent, long and maybe a foot in diameter. Into the sack I stuff my PFD, which will become my pillow. Using the extra sack material that is longer than what is required to hold the pfd, I gather the extra something like the ends of a sausage, tie it closed and loop the rope around my sleeping pads. (I use two pads to cushion these old bones.) Granted the sleeping pads will flex in under the rope but with two or three loops I find the pillow stays put. Then the next morning the pads will go into the ex-tent stuff sack for travel.
Works for me anyway.
Best Wishes, Rob

My PFD goes under the end of the sleeping pad to get some lift and my pillow is this one   (You need to Login or Register from REI.  It compresses near flat and goes in with the bag and air mattress.  The shape keeps your head cradled, you can adjust the inflation amount, it has a soft feel fabric, and the bottom has rubber strips to keep it from moving around in the bag.  There are two things I'm willing to spend extra on for my comfort - sleep gear and rain gear.  Nothing beats a good night's sleep.

pd

portage dog wrote on Jun 21^st, 2012 at 1:05am:

My PFD goes under the end of the sleeping pad to get some lift and my pillow is this one   (You need to Login or Register from REI.  It compresses near flat and goes in with the bag and air mattress.  The shape keeps your head cradled, you can adjust the inflation amount, it has a soft feel fabric, and the bottom has rubber strips to keep it from moving around in the bag.  There are two things I'm willing to spend extra on for my comfort - sleep gear and rain gear.  Nothing beats a good night's sleep. pd

I'll be stopping by the REI to check out/purchase this.

Thanks for the excuse to take the kids shopping there!

I saw a guy portaging on Singing Brook portage with a pillow with his gear - "that's odd" I thought. 

It was one of those horseshoe kind that people use on airplanes.  didn't give it much thought, but seemed odd that it was not in a pack.  Then I guessed that he must be using it for additional padding on his portage yoke, which made sense and might work pretty well (I didn't actually see him using it).

either that, or his hemerhoids were acting up and he used it on his canoe seat - anyways, I guess it could double as a nighttime pillow

Hmmm, that's actually a good idea, I think. For long portages, a little cushion for the old shoulders sounds nice. 

I learn something on every trip, from people and events I least expect!

Someone on this forum I think talked about packing a pillowcase, then putting their clothes, etc in it.  I tried it this year, and loved it!  Nothing like the pillowcase fabric to sleep on. 

I might try the travel pillow idea.

prouboy

I use my fleece jacket for my pillow.  My sleeping bag comes with a little pocket at the head of the bag to stuff your clothes in to use for a pillow...or to stuff your pillow in if you must, I suppose.  Turns out the fleece jacket fits perfectly and does a pretty fair job of mimicking my pillow at home.

I used to use my life jacket but just never could get comfortable with it.  And when I switched to using clothes, that worked reasonably well early in the trip, but the later in the trip it got, the smellier they got.  By trip's end, it was usually back to using the lifejacket.  ;D

But that heavy fleece jacket really does the trick and it's a double-duty item on cool-weather trips as well.  On hot trips, I bring it anyway 'cause with the weather up there, you just never know...

I never thought the little flap at the end of the sleeping bag (I have one too) was for stuffing things inside it!  I thought it was a hood to stuff your head into during cold nights.  Maybe it's both, but it takes someone to mention this to get me thinking "outside my hood."  Great idea.  I'll try that too!

prouboy

I received an Exped pillow for Christmas last year and I like it for when I’m on the ground.  Packs up to nothing and better than a stuff sack with clothes in it.

The problem is I have started to hang in a hammock and I find that I don’t need much of a pillow in the hammock.  I only put about a half a breath of air into the pillow then vs. two full ones when on the ground. 

KevinL wrote on Jul 5^th, 2012 at 12:12pm:

I received an Exped pillow for Christmas last year and I like it for when I’m on the ground.  Packs up to nothing and better than a stuff sack with clothes in it. The problem is I have started to hang in a hammock and I find that I don’t need much of a pillow in the hammock.  I only put about a half a breath of air into the pillow then vs. two full ones when on the ground.

Easy solution -- get back into a tent!

prouboy