Ultralight Pillow Pro Tips & Expanded Criteria

Expanded Criteria for the Best Backpacking Pillow

Weigh 3 oz or less: While there is no universal definition for how light a backpacking pillow should be, we feel three ounces or less is all the weight most people need carry to score a great ultralight pillow that improves the quality of their sleep. Because so many comfortable options exist at or below the three ounce line, there is simply no reason to go with anything heavier unless strictly necessary.

4″ tall or higher: The average inflatable backpacking pillow is 3.5″ high when fully inflated. However, side sleeper will also prefer slightly more volume for proper neck support, which is why our guide focuses on models that are at least 4″ or higher. If you find the extra height to be uncomfortable, you can still use it, only slightly deflated.

4 stars or greater average user review: A backpacking pillow is such a simple object that aggregating mass-user reviews will tell a better story of how good the product is than expert commentary. Thousands of everyday testers writing reviews will be more likely to catch manufacturing error trends and allow shoppers to see the trees for the forest. Because higher ratings correlate with higher durability and comfort, we feel that vetting average user reviews scores is an important check to assuring you have a good backpacking pillow.

How to Choose an Ultralight Backpacking Pillow

Once you understand the above criteria, choosing an ultralight backpacking pillow can be something of a decisions tree.

1. First try out a stuff sack style pillow like the ones made by Hyperlite Mountain Gear and Zpacks. This is the only style that serves dual purposes – pillow and dry bag, which makes them almost weight-neutral, since you will likely be bringing stuff sacks anyway and they can also fill that role, zeroing out the weight of a stuff sack that you would have already packed instead.
2. If you don’t find stuff sack style pillows to be comfortable, or may require the ability to wear your puffy jacket to bed, your next step should be a size regular inflatable pillow. Any of the ones on this list are a good option, it just depends on what benefits you prioritize.
3. If you don’t find a size regular inflatable ultralight pillow to be comfortable, your next step is to diagnose the problem.
   1. If you have trouble with your ultralight inflatable pillow sliding around during the night, next time, choose a model with a strap system.
   2. Is it because your pillow is too small? Next time, try a size large
   3. Is it because the surface isn’t comfortable on your skin? See our tips on the next section for a comfier skin-on-pillow experience.
4. If you still aren’t getting good sleep and have tried all of the above, you may not be able to use an ultralight pillow after all. In that case, your next choice will be foam-based designs, or foam-inflatable hybrids. These typically weight 6-12 oz, which is anti-ultralight, but may be worthwhile if it’s necessary for good sleep. That being said, we do think an overwhelming majority of people can be be quite comfortable with something that’s three ounces or less, whether inflatable or stuff sack style.

Ultralight Pillow Pro Tips For Comfier Skin Contact

These tips are for strategically using gear that you are already likely to be bringing, in order to enhance the surface comfort of your backpacking pillow. Put another way, these tips allow any pillow to do a good impression of the heralded brushed surface of our comfort award winner, Sea to Summit Aeros Premium.

• Sleep with a sun hoody on, hood up. This creates an additional thin fabric layer to prevent your cheek from resting directly on the flat plastic-y nylon or polyester surface, which can get sweaty. You may of course supplement with a midlayer hoodie in cold weather, but a sun hoodie is the baseline for most nights.
• Sandwich your pillow inside a fleece or spare shirt to create a more comfortable sleeping surface on which to rest your cheek, without having to wear your hood.