MYOG Pillow

[jeremy duncan]

I know what you're thinking. "Sleep on you clothes". Not bad advice, but I already use my clothes (w/stuff sack) for something else. SO…I am making a pillow.

I bought some super cheap fabric from Walmart for a blanket, and I have just enough left over to make a nice little camp pillow (I honestly don';t know what the stuff its -it almost feels like satin). I need to decide. DOWN or SYNTHETIC.

DESIRED PILLOW SIZE: 10"x15" with about 3/4" loft

BUDGET: $5 (I already have the shell material)

I know DOWN compresses better and is warmer. I don't care at all about warmth, but I do want it to be light and compress as small as possible. There are a couple things that turn me off about down, though. Down takes a long time to dry, and if it might wet from condensation (or drool). Also, I don't know if this material will hold down. Down leaks out of some materials. I have an expensive Nautica down ski coat and the down leaks right through the lining. Also, I don't know where to get that small a amount of down. I was going to buy a down jacket or comforter from a thrift store and just rip it open, but even the childrens jackets were $10+ at Goodwill. I need cheaper!

I am leaning towards the SYNTHETIC, unless anyone can give me a compelling reason to use down. Which synthetic idea do you think is best? Keep in mind I like a soft, fluffy pillow.

-buy a $2.50 pillow and use the stuffing out of it
-buy a $30 bag of poly-fill from Walmart
-use a triple up a few leftover scraps form the sheet of synthetic I used in my sleeping bag (the cheap Walmart stuff)

Or do you have any better ideas?

My pillow weighs about a pound. If I bought the $2.50 one and used half the filling, it should be about 8oz. I can live with that, but I really want something that would be a little more compact. I tried rolling my pillow up real small and it was way more than twice the size of something I'd want to carry.

Oh yeah, don't want an inflatable one. They don't fold, and I that's a quality I need. Plus they are uncomfortable.

Discuss…

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Jeremy

Not BPL, but…
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/DIY_RNCDesigns.htm#Pillows

Cheers

[jeremy duncan]

Wow, that a pretty cool idea.

I am not familiar with that type of foam. Do they sell it online? Is it similar to Tempur-pedia or memory foam? If not, how is is different?

I have a memory foam pillow that I hate, because it is too hard. Wonder if I drill holes in it, if it will soften up. It still seems a little heavier (in terms of weight) than what you are using there.

I just go done hanging some clothes rods in my closet, that I had to trim a section off. If I sharpened the edged, they might work. I don't have a drill press. Wonder if I could still run them through by hand…

Haha. Sorry for all the questions.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Jeremy

Ordinary open-cell PU foam from local shop.
Tube drill with sharp edge in drill press (MYOG, tricky).
One core at a time, stop drill each time and remove core.
Sharpen tube from inside outwards.
Beware of 'grab' when the whole lot starts spinning.
Keep fingers AWAY from spinning tube end!!!
Could you run the tube drill through by hand? Yes, but it would be tiring by the end!

Cheers

[Franco Darioli]

Wet the foam ,then put it in the freezer.
Franco

[Patrick Caulder]

Roger how thick is that foam, because it looks pretty thick? Where might I find some foam like that? The inflatables are alright, but I still wake up with a sore neck no matter how I blow it up.

[jeremy duncan]

thanx,m I really like this idea and think I am going to try it. I dont have a drill press, though, so wish me luck

Does it compress into something pretty small? Id be curious to see how you carry it. Compression sack?

[Roger Caffin]

Patrick

The foam can be bought in slabs up to 8' x 4' x 4' or bigger. Ask around. I think I used 4" thick foam. You can cut it with a sharp carving knife – with care.

Jeremy

The foam can be compressed – especially with all those holes, but I don't go to any great lengths to do so. What matters to me is the weight. In fact, when it is only half compressed it makes good packing inside my pack for other more fragile stuff, and the low density helps keep my pack density down so my pack floats very well.

To pack it is sqash it down and stick it into an ordinary tall plastic bag (not a ziploc). While keeping it squashed down I twist the top of the plas bag shut, to stop air getting in. This keeps the pillow squashed – for a while. Then I stuff it into a silnylon stuff sack and tie that up to keep the pillow from expanding. I do not bother with the weight of a compression sack with all its straps – overkill.

In fact, why bother coring the foam? Well, it reduces the weight, makes it easier to crush down, and I used the hole diameter and hole density to adjust the stiffness of the foam to match what I wanted in a pillow. Uncored foam is too stiff for my liking.

Our pillows must be … 10+ years old now.

Cheers

[jeremy duncan]

Someone just showed me this video from Tinny at MiniBullDesign on how to make one. Looks really easy. Now I just need to find that foam.

[Roger Caffin]

Yep, Tinny's video shows the same method. I saw it when he first published it. I don't know whether Tinny had read my description before he made the video, but I think it very likely as we had been in correspondence.

Cheers

[jeremy duncan]

I decided to merge two of my myog projects. I made a fleece vest and used the leftover material to make a pillowcase for it. I made the case a little big, so I could stuff some extras in there, too.

I will carry this "pillow case" in addition to my regular waterproof clothes stuff sack. I have seen fleece (or other soft material) lined stuff sacks that you flip inside out to use as a pillow, but, if you think about it, that really doesn't save any space or weight. It would just make the inside material slip around on the silnylon.

It is a little thin with just the fleece in it, but if I throw some other clothes in it, it should be ok.

Oh, btw, it cost me $11 for 2 1/2 yards of fleece with plenty of extra.

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