Montbell inflatable pillows are now in the US

..and the pillow toggles to the 120cm solid closed cell foam inflatable mat, which toggles to the 30cm sit pad to make a full length 180cm set which is lighter than a Thermarest Prolite3 or any other 180cm inflatable I have seen (and more versitile because each component can be multi-used throughout the hike instead of just carrying a dedicated mat). Montbell ideas such as the toggles, sleeping bag “super-stretch” baffles, and 240gm zelt tents have really grabbed my interest. I just bought the Light Alpine down jacket and it is so nice.

Sorry, meant to say solid (ie no waffle type cutouts) OPEN cell foam mat.. Those waffle cutouts in Prolites and most other mats do not insulate as well as foam obviously, or we would not be using the foam.

Yeow! $29 — gulp.

https://www2.montbell.com/america/asp/products/Spg_shosai.asp?cat=&hinban=1124290

I guess I’ll put that on my Christmas list :)

Yeah – I want one of these bad! I can’t get a good night’s sleep without a nice pillow. This might do the trick.

This pillow will go good with the U.L.Comfort System Pad 90 a 10.2oz self inflating pad with a 35 x 20 x 1 dimension from Montbell.

Dondo, did you try the Luxury Lite pillow? I have one, a bit disappointed considering that it is also $29. Nice construction, but even with only a few puffs of air, my head rolls around on it like a beach ball.

Does the Montbell pillow support your head without the rolling-ball effect? If the Montbell pillow has a foam core, like the sleeping pad, it should be just the ticket for a decent night’s sleep in camp. $29 seems cheap when you can’t sleep! Now, what to do with the Luxury Lite pillow?

james: I also have the luxurylite pillow and have the same issue with it. Any air pillow has to have at least two chambers or it will be uncomfortable. My solution was very simple. I got a bunch of FlexAir pillows and sewed two together with my sewing machine… making what is essentially a huge water wing pillow. Works like a charm… it’s very comfy… and your head does not roll around… on the contrary… you head is nicely craddled… for just 1.2 oz.

Here’s my ‘giant water wing pillow’ thread… with pictures.

James, I didn’t try the Luxury Lite pillow because I knew from past experimments that my head would be rolling around on it. The Montbell pillow is constructed so that there is a four inch section in the middle that is lower than the rest of the pillow and effectively keeps your head cradled there. There is no foam core; I used my hat and sleeping bag hood for additionaly cushioning. To get the optimal level of comfort I inflate the Montbell pillow to the max,close the valve, put my head on the pillow and slowly let air out until it feels just right. I’m mostly a side sleeper and extending the pillow beyond the mat as shown in the Montbell catalog didn’t give me enough height. So I slept with it on top of my pad. I’m considering adding litte loops to all my pads to mate with the toggles on the Montbell pillow to keep it locked in place.

David’s idea looks like another ingenious and workable solution.

Dale, that was also my reaction to the price as I was handing my credit card over to the sales clerk. But with the long hours of darkness and a snow storm heading in that evening I knew that I’d be spending long hours inside the tent and wanted to be comfortable. Thanks, in part, to the pillow I was able to sleep most of the fourteen hours I was inside.

The MontBell pillow is a neat product. I just couldn’t cope with the weight! Ha. But it cradles your head well enough – as long as your head doesn’t roll side to side. It’s GREAT for a back sleeper, less great for a side sleeper, because of that low section in the middle.

I also use the 2-section Flexair pillow. My gripe with any of these air only pillows is the lack of nice “pillow” feel. So, I put my flexair into a stuff sack (or pack liner), then add a small bit of clothes to the top of it for more tactile cushioning. My favorite is my Possumdown vest or Cocoon pullover, but my Cocoon is often worn with me in the bag, so that’s not always an option. The clothes go inside the stuff sack. Since I sleep with a jacket hood or hat, laying directly on the stuff sack is not a big deal. If it’s warm, and I’m not wearing a hat, I will put the clothes on the outside of the stuff sack (the stuff sack is “wearing the clothes” so to speak) because my bare head feels nicer on clothes than on silnylon or cuben fiber!

Pillows are such an individual thing. A good pillow is one item where I’m willing to carry extra weight. Great ideas with the Flexlite double, David. Ryan’s combo of clothing and pillow sounds workable, as long as the “midnight call” jacket isn’t also the pillow. Better to experiment with the Flexlites, using the Luxury Lite case, than to spend another $29 on the Montbell!

As James S. said, “Pillows are such an individual thing” – certainly true words.

I’ve tried Flex-Air pillows but don’t really like them for the reason that DrJ mentioned. I don’t have much in the way of spare clothing as i’m wearing my spare socks when i sleep and drying the others on my chest. I’ve tried wrapping it in a dry pack towel (if one is dry at the time i turn in) or a windshirt (if it’s dry). I’ve used half-filled Platys and placed them under the mummy-cut sleeping bag hood or wrapping it and placing it in the bag hood. Have also placed the Flex-Air pillows there. Workable for sure, but i guess i can be pretty picky about a pillow’s feel.

As a back sleeper, my pillow requirements are really quite minimal. Something small, that’s maybe 1.5-2.0 inches thick uncompressed. If it raises my head just slightly, that’s all i need to not feel like the blood is rushing to me head – a feeling that i just don’t like.

So, what do i choose to use for a pillow? I’ve stolen something from the “kids” (my wife’s two pups). It’s a nearly round (7.5″x8″) deep pile “Sherpa” fleece covered foam disk, weighing in at 1.6oz. I can place it in the bag’s hood with me so my head doesn’t roll off of it. I can shift my head to either side without it moving or my head coming off of it. It has a nicer feel than a Platy or a Flex-Air, IMHO. Works for me.

The downside is that it’s largely a single use item. I suppose i might try using it to dry a Platy after refilling as long as it has time to dry before turning in. I don’t want to use it to wipe sweat from my brow as i’d need to wash and dry it before turning it. Anyways, it’s not too absorbent, but it does wick or draw up some moisture.

Anyone have any thoughts on a second use for this pillow of mine?

>It’s a nearly round (7.5″x8″) deep pile “Sherpa” fleece covered foam disk, […] Anyone have any thoughts on a second use for this pillow of mine?

Sew on two strings, and use it as a hat? ;-)

“Sew on two strings, and use it as a hat? ;-)”

hmmm…, good thinking, it might go well with the “Gimli garb”?

It’s GREAT for a back sleeper, less great for a side sleeper, because of that low section in the middle

I’ve been using the Mont-Bell pillow since last May (when they were first available here in Japan), on five multi-day backpacking trips and I found that low section in the middle exactly what I’ve wanted. It the low section that allowed me, a fitful, side sleeper, to sleep better than I have in a long time, precisely because it kept my head from rolling around (other solutions have always slipped out from under my head, especially on silnylon floors). The only problem I had was that the non-breathable material would stop air from flowing through my ear canal and produce an uncomfortable “plugged ear” effect. To stop this I pulled my fleece cap over my ears.

Another “pillow” I use is a rolled up (but flattened), half-inflated Thermarest Lite Seat, which I also use as an extention to my torso pad, a seat while on the trail or sitting about camp, an airplane and train pillow, and while walking, wrapped around my camera for protection.

Hey PJ, long time no speak!

When not using it in “hat” mode, you can use the two strings to tie it around your thighs and hold the foam disk against your butt, making a ready-made bum pad for sitting on cold rock or snow!

(oJo)/”

Miguel, is your avatar modeling that idea?

Ryan, my experience with the Montbell pillow is very similar to Miguel’s. Placed on top of a pad, it’s just the right height for side sleeping. The way it cradles my head, I would have to make an effort to roll off of it. And with the toggles attaching it to a pad, it’s impossible for it to slip away. I understand that 2.4 oz.for a pillow must seem monstrously out of line for you SULers.:-}. With the Flexair Dual Chamber you save 1.4 oz. But I imagine that the Montbell is far more durable. Plus you don’t have those little straws to fiddle with and keep track of.

I’ve got to get this pillow for my wife. While i’m in the RJ SUL camp I’m pretty sure this is a tiny weight addition that would increase her comfort a lot. We’ve made big strides in camping comfort this year while still keeping her pack pretty light. I’m hoping for a SUL couples trip next year with a tarptent.

Miguel, is your avatar modeling that idea?

PJ, must be! I often have a hard time distinguishing between up and down and head and butt… especially when my brain can’t get around dual function for a pillow!

I just purchased an exped pump pillow:

http://tinyurl.com/3qwqj

I haven’t used it camping yet, but it seems very comfortable. Plus, it also will inflate your downmat, instead of using the clumsy pumpsack. As an added bonus, it comes with an adapter (for older downmats) which is compatible with Big Agnes mats. So I can inflate my insulated airmat with my pillow instead of hyperventilating when I blow into it.

Benjamin,
I felt bad hijacking that thread, so I jumped over here.. Actually I will be in CA (SF area) second week of January, and I can drop a pillow into USPS snail mail for a couple bucks postage. You have time to decide if you want me to buy it or not. No reply is necessary..

I extend the same offer for any other BPL member.

BTW, No, my boss doesn't read this site, he 'roughs it' with his family in a lodge once a year. Nice if you can afford it.

PM sent.