I agree! The Thermarest compressible pillow is my favorite pillow. I have tried to like the inflatable pillows but I feel like I am sleeping on a brick. I am also a side sleeper and I need a real pillow to get sleep in the backcountry. Great video! Hope you are doing well!
I used to be a slide sleeper, always had my lower arm stretched out and my pillow between my arm and head. For 30 years I slept this way, but then my hands started going numb, especially when I wasn’t sleeping in my home bed. It started getting so bad that I had to force myself to sleep on my back. Surprisingly it was only hard for about 1 week, and now I fall asleep fast and stay on my back all night no problem. Every once in a while I will want to turn on my side but don’t do it. The best part is that when I used to sleep on my side I would wake up with bad back pain, but now I don’t have any pain at all in the morning.
Wanna know an Army Reservists' opinion on what the best camping pillow is? Well, all I ended up taking on a bivouac is a very nice cotton pillowcase from home, and upon arriving at camp and setting up for sleep, I would stuff it with my folded jacket as a first layer and softer undergarments as a top layer where my head rests against - My idea caught on so well that the rest of the regiment began doing this, considering it has the added benefit of warming up your next day's clothing. The other big plus is that it only costs as much as a cotton pillowcase which folds down VERY small into your bergen.
I really appreciate your candid, friendly, but also serious style and excellent information in your videos. Definitely one of the top reviewers I’ve seen. Thank you!
I did the same routine as you. Side sleeper as well. Went through 5 inflatable pillows before I got the thermarest. The thermarest was a game changer! I have the small and the medium sizes. The medium is much better, more filling. I count ounces on everything else in my pack but when it comes to my pillow, I'll make it fit. It's that good!
I love the thermarest compressible pillow! I bought it before I went to iceland (where I slept on it for 2 weeks) and I love it! Great for backpacking, as well as airplane rides. Definitely worth the space and weight in my pack!
The thermarest didn't provide my neck nearly enough support to side sleep with it. It compressed too easily. I much prefer the sea to summit foamcore pillow. But either way, I've ditched both because they're just too big. If I was car camping, sure, I'd bring them.
I use one of those Thermarest pillows every night at home, between my knees! It's the perfect size and keeps my ankles from flaring up. Interesting thing... I'm a side sleeper at home in bed, on the trail, in my hammock, I'm a back sleeper, no problem. Seems to be a common thing. In the hammock I use the Aero pillow. I agree with you, I think that would be both too hard and too low sleeping on my side on the ground. At 63 I don't want to do that anymore. I'm a hammock convert!
@@DanGoesHiking Check out Shugemery's channel or Backpacking With a Hammock. Both excellent sources of info. And be patient (Shug's advice). It takes a bit of time to get the hang of it (pun intended)! Not cheap either but I've been out twice with it now and even not doing it 100% right it's been the most comfortable night in the woods ever. I've got the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC, Wookie zero degree underquilt, Superfly tarp, and various other bits... those are the critical ones. I use a quilt vs. sleeping bag which is better both on the ground and in a hammock. Good luck!
I wound up getting the REI Trailbreak Foam Pillow. I went and tried the thermarest and it was nice for sure, but the chunks started to bug a bit and I knew would wake me at night. The REI pillow is solid foam and compraible in size/weight (10oz for the regular). This is my one luxury item, but with it, I'm a happy camper :) I got to this pillow from your review and thoughts so THANK YOU.
Good vid man. I have been on a longer pillow searching journey than you have. I must have 10 pillows or more that I have tried... and you know what ! I have ended up with the same pillow as you. The Thermarest compressible foam pillow - but in Medium size at 250grams. I am still conflicted about carrying that much weight for a pillow. I would love to carry an inflatable pillow but I just can’t sleep on any sort of inflatable pillow, not for the reason you state(sore ear) but they are all too high for me(I side sleep to but strangely need a low pillow!?) and when you let some air out of any inflatable pillow to reduce its height it becomes very wobbly and unstable, so my mind can’t trust it and I just can’t fall asleep at all. Doughhh...
I have the same wobbly issue with the Cocoon. It would be nice if thermarest released a version of the compressible pillow using an ultralight face fabric. As much as I like the fabric they use, it's gotta be fairly heavy and probably accounts for a good portion of its weight.
@@DanGoesHiking Yes I completely agree. I have thought about making my own shell and removing the foam inside of the thermarest and using that instead.
I'm a side/tummy sleeper and very rarely get good sleep out on the trail. I used the stuff sack/clothes solution for years (and hated it) but then I got the same Thermarest pillow a few years ago and liked it a lot. I got caught up in counting grams and moved to a Trekology inflatable last summer and... well, now I'm thinking I should go back to the Thermarest, grams be damned! Great video, Dan!
Do you mean bag or pad? For bags, they generally don't matter for side vs back sleepers as long as they're wide enough to fit your torso when you're on your side. For pads, I feel the thicker the better when it comes to side sleeping. I personally love Exped pads for this reason. I use an Exped AirMat HL in summer and a UL Winter for cold weather. I've also heard great things about the Sea to Summit Ether Light in terms of comfort, and of course the Therma-a-Rest NeoAir pads are arguably among the most popular for backpackers.
Sorry you don't like it! I do wish it had a little more stuffing. It'd be nice if it were made with an opening so you can add or remove as much foam as you'd like.
Dan... I am a side sleeper and need a pillow too. Just a thought, I just watched this video: ruclips.net/video/ff4hYyIdq2Y/видео.html and then I watched yours on the Opsak oder proof bag. Besides the bear proofing use the guy in the other video said he uses his filled with air as a travel pillow. The pillow idea sounds good, the bag is very light weight to carry. He carries a small pillow slip cover to put the Opsak in to make it feel nicer on the skin. I might try one of mine that way next time I'm out. He carries water in one too. Nice back-up canteen. And for those who travel "on" water it could perhaps be used in an emergency as a flotation device when filled with air I would imagine. Nice multi-use item. Thanks for the videos.
![5 TOP-RATED Amazon Camping & Backpacking PILLOWS [Put to the Test]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/K3CDWosHoPE/mqdefault.jpg)
I agree! The Thermarest compressible pillow is my favorite pillow. I have tried to like the inflatable pillows but I feel like I am sleeping on a brick. I am also a side sleeper and I need a real pillow to get sleep in the backcountry. Great video! Hope you are doing well!
Haw haw! I'll keep my old Thermarest pillow! Thanks for the great fun video.
I used to be a slide sleeper, always had my lower arm stretched out and my pillow between my arm and head. For 30 years I slept this way, but then my hands started going numb, especially when I wasn’t sleeping in my home bed. It started getting so bad that I had to force myself to sleep on my back. Surprisingly it was only hard for about 1 week, and now I fall asleep fast and stay on my back all night no problem. Every once in a while I will want to turn on my side but don’t do it. The best part is that when I used to sleep on my side I would wake up with bad back pain, but now I don’t have any pain at all in the morning.
Wanna know an Army Reservists' opinion on what the best camping pillow is? Well, all I ended up taking on a bivouac is a very nice cotton pillowcase from home, and upon arriving at camp and setting up for sleep, I would stuff it with my folded jacket as a first layer and softer undergarments as a top layer where my head rests against - My idea caught on so well that the rest of the regiment began doing this, considering it has the added benefit of warming up your next day's clothing. The other big plus is that it only costs as much as a cotton pillowcase which folds down VERY small into your bergen.
I really appreciate your candid, friendly, but also serious style and excellent information in your videos. Definitely one of the top reviewers I’ve seen. Thank you!
I did the same routine as you. Side sleeper as well. Went through 5 inflatable pillows before I got the thermarest. The thermarest was a game changer! I have the small and the medium sizes. The medium is much better, more filling. I count ounces on everything else in my pack but when it comes to my pillow, I'll make it fit. It's that good!
Steve Scope did you try the nemo fillo?
No I haven't. I'll check it out. Tough to beat the comfort of the thermarest. Would be nice if it packed smaller and lighter.
I can relate to all your experience! The ear pain is the worst! Cant beat pillows with no air..most comfortable
I've used that same foam thermarest model for about 5 years and it makes a great pillow for hammock camping as well.
I love the thermarest compressible pillow! I bought it before I went to iceland (where I slept on it for 2 weeks) and I love it! Great for backpacking, as well as airplane rides. Definitely worth the space and weight in my pack!
Nice video. Good choices of pillows. Great information ✌️
The thermarest didn't provide my neck nearly enough support to side sleep with it. It compressed too easily. I much prefer the sea to summit foamcore pillow.
But either way, I've ditched both because they're just too big. If I was car camping, sure, I'd bring them.
:D Found your video entertaining, including the bloopers at the end. Thanks for sharing your analysis!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
I use one of those Thermarest pillows every night at home, between my knees! It's the perfect size and keeps my ankles from flaring up. Interesting thing... I'm a side sleeper at home in bed, on the trail, in my hammock, I'm a back sleeper, no problem. Seems to be a common thing. In the hammock I use the Aero pillow. I agree with you, I think that would be both too hard and too low sleeping on my side on the ground. At 63 I don't want to do that anymore. I'm a hammock convert!
I hope to give hammock camping a try soon! It would be awesome to be able to sleep on my back.
@@DanGoesHiking Check out Shugemery's channel or Backpacking With a Hammock. Both excellent sources of info. And be patient (Shug's advice). It takes a bit of time to get the hang of it (pun intended)! Not cheap either but I've been out twice with it now and even not doing it 100% right it's been the most comfortable night in the woods ever. I've got the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC, Wookie zero degree underquilt, Superfly tarp, and various other bits... those are the critical ones. I use a quilt vs. sleeping bag which is better both on the ground and in a hammock. Good luck!
I wound up getting the REI Trailbreak Foam Pillow. I went and tried the thermarest and it was nice for sure, but the chunks started to bug a bit and I knew would wake me at night. The REI pillow is solid foam and compraible in size/weight (10oz for the regular). This is my one luxury item, but with it, I'm a happy camper :) I got to this pillow from your review and thoughts so THANK YOU.
Glad it worked out! The solid foam sounds nice. As much as I prefer the thermarest over air pillows I'm not in love with the foam pieces.
Good vid man. I have been on a longer pillow searching journey than you have. I must have 10 pillows or more that I have tried... and you know what ! I have ended up with the same pillow as you. The Thermarest compressible foam pillow - but in Medium size at 250grams. I am still conflicted about carrying that much weight for a pillow. I would love to carry an inflatable pillow but I just can’t sleep on any sort of inflatable pillow, not for the reason you state(sore ear) but they are all too high for me(I side sleep to but strangely need a low pillow!?) and when you let some air out of any inflatable pillow to reduce its height it becomes very wobbly and unstable, so my mind can’t trust it and I just can’t fall asleep at all. Doughhh...
I have the same wobbly issue with the Cocoon. It would be nice if thermarest released a version of the compressible pillow using an ultralight face fabric. As much as I like the fabric they use, it's gotta be fairly heavy and probably accounts for a good portion of its weight.
@@DanGoesHiking Yes I completely agree. I have thought about making my own shell and removing the foam inside of the thermarest and using that instead.
I'm a side/tummy sleeper and very rarely get good sleep out on the trail. I used the stuff sack/clothes solution for years (and hated it) but then I got the same Thermarest pillow a few years ago and liked it a lot. I got caught up in counting grams and moved to a Trekology inflatable last summer and... well, now I'm thinking I should go back to the Thermarest, grams be damned! Great video, Dan!
A better night's sleep is worth those extra grams! I wouldn't be surprised if I one day start bringing my 5lb feather pillow from home...sigh...
You remind me of a combination of Don Knotts and Steve Buscemi. Because of this I'll sub to your channel.
Haha! 😂😂 I like both of those people so I'll take that as a compliment 😁
@@DanGoesHiking What type of sleeping bag would you recommend for side sleepers?
Do you mean bag or pad? For bags, they generally don't matter for side vs back sleepers as long as they're wide enough to fit your torso when you're on your side. For pads, I feel the thicker the better when it comes to side sleeping. I personally love Exped pads for this reason. I use an Exped AirMat HL in summer and a UL Winter for cold weather. I've also heard great things about the Sea to Summit Ether Light in terms of comfort, and of course the Therma-a-Rest NeoAir pads are arguably among the most popular for backpackers.
@@DanGoesHiking thanks for the info!
No - I have this pillow & it’s crap. Not nearly enough stuffing inside.
Sorry you don't like it! I do wish it had a little more stuffing. It'd be nice if it were made with an opening so you can add or remove as much foam as you'd like.
Sucks not enough height for side sleeper
Dan... I am a side sleeper and need a pillow too. Just a thought, I just watched this video:
ruclips.net/video/ff4hYyIdq2Y/видео.html
and then I watched yours on the Opsak oder proof bag. Besides the bear proofing use the guy in the other video said he uses his filled with air as a travel pillow. The pillow idea sounds good, the bag is very light weight to carry. He carries a small pillow slip cover to put the Opsak in to make it feel nicer on the skin. I might try one of mine that way next time I'm out. He carries water in one too. Nice back-up canteen. And for those who travel "on" water it could perhaps be used in an emergency as a flotation device when filled with air I would imagine. Nice multi-use item. Thanks for the videos.
"Schnozzle"