Sleeping with a pillow can help you get a good night’s sleep, but if you’re one of those backpackers who don’t pack one, you might be struggling to find a way to support your head and neck.
You have to find another way to get your comfort while sleeping under the stars since bringing a full-size pillow into the mountains isn’t exactly practical.
There are plenty of ways backpackers have come up with to ensure that they have a pillow while hiking in the backcountry thanks to their resourcefulness and creativity. In the following list, we list the most popular pillows used by backpackers.
Top 3 methods backpackers use for a pillow:
1. Purpose-Built Camping Pillows
You can buy a purpose-built backpacking pillow in a store, which is probably the easiest. There are many different types and sizes of camping pillows. A good example is the Exped Ultra Pillow, which is ultralightweight and inflatable, or the Thermarest Compressible Pillow Cinch, which is a foam option.
Models made of foam are generally more comfortable than those made of inflatable materials, but they are nearly always heavier and bulkier.
Also Read: Best User-Friendly Backpacks
2. Folded-Up Clothes Method
You can always make a camping pillow from some of your extra clothes if you don’t want to buy one. Many people find that they can use their fleece jackets as pillows while they sleep by folding them up. It’s an excellent way to save weight and money, but if you have to wear all of your spare clothes at night, the method is not very useful.
Folding clothes up into stuff sacks is basically the same as folding them up in a bag. You can use this method by taking an extra stuff sack and filling it with spare clothes. Your stuff sack can also be used at night as a pillow.
If you want something with some fleece on it for added comfort, you can buy a specially-designed stuff sack like the Thermarest Stuff Sack Pillow. However, we also encounter the same issues with the stuff sack method as we do with folded-up clothes. Your pillow will be unable to keep you warm if all your clothes are being used to keep you warm. Oh my gosh!
3. No Pillow Method
If you want to camp without a pillow, you can do so. As most of us are used to sleeping with a pillow, this method isn’t particularly common. It’s just as uncomfortable as it sounds, but some people opt not to bring a pillow and prop their heads on their backpacks.
A superpower we truly wish we possessed would be to sleep without a pillow, which is another type of person that cannot sleep without a pillow.
Is a Pillow Necessary For Backpacking?
It’s important to talk about whether backpackers even need pillows now that we know the most common methods backpackers use for pillows.
Pillows are essential for many campers, as they can’t sleep without them. While others don’t care about the pillow, their sleeping bags allow them to fall asleep immediately once they zip them up.
FAQs
What does this mean for backpacking? Do you need a pillow?
The answer is no. You have to decide if using a pillow will enhance your camping experience. Using one on a backpacking trip may be a good idea if you normally have difficulty sleeping outside, but there’s no guarantee it will be a solution to all your problems.
How Do You Keep a Pillow in Place While Camping?
Is there anything you can do? Do you have any tips for keeping your pillow in place while camping? There are a few ways to cope with this age-old struggle that many campers experience. In order to avoid sleeping directly on your sleeping pad, you can place your pillow inside the hood of your sleeping bag.
The idea is to keep your pillow from sliding around by tying it to the hood of your sleeping bag. If you are using a sleeping pad with a pillow attached, you can attach the pillow to the pad. You can attach a shock cord to most commercially made camping pillows using the loops on the side.
If you move around a lot at night and the shock cord is tight, this method should be fairly effective. The thin foam ones do not have enough girth for you to effectively wrap a shock cord around, so this option usually only works with inflatable sleeping pads.
Backpacking Pillows: Essential Gear or Added Luxury?
You’d probably get a wide range of answers if you asked backpackers how much they use pillows during their adventures. A pillow is a necessity for many people, but it might not be thought of by other people when they are camping.
The choice is ultimately yours to make whether you view a backpacking pillow as a necessity or a luxury. The article should have given you a better understanding of the different pillow options available to you for your outdoor adventures.
Closing Thoughts
It’s not necessary to feel uncomfortable while backpacking. Most people are disappointed when asked how well they sleep in the mountains. While backpacking, many people struggle to get a good night’s sleep because their heads and neck aren’t properly supported by their pillows.
The greater outdoors might not be the ideal place for carrying a full-sized pillow, but there are still ways to sleep well. What kind of pillow do backpackers use? Here’s what we need to know: Whether you choose to bring a backpacking pillow or fold up clothes to make your own is up to you.
But most backpackers either do bring one or do without. The most comfortable backpacking pillows are purpose-built, but not everyone is willing to carry around the extra weight or spend money on them.
It’s difficult to find one backpacking pillow that will work for everyone since there are many different schools of thought out there. Decide which option will best serve your needs by trying out a few of the creative ways campers use pillows in the backcountry.
Leave a Reply