Features:

  • Ultralight compressible travel pillow with soft foam filling that packs down small for road trips, plane travel, camping, and backpacking
  • Foam filling expands into a 4-inch thick pillow for head, neck, and back support in tents, cars, planes, and other tough-to-get-comfortable places
  • Compact design packs into a backpack, duffle, suitcase, or tote; drawstring and cord lock keeps pillow securely compressed when not in use
  • Brushed polyester cover is soft against skin for comfort; lofty urethane fill is an upcycled byproduct of Thermarest mattresses
  • Machine washable; made in the USA
Best pillow I've found for a side-sleeper

I tried all the different pillows I could find for backpacking, and this is the one I ended up using. If you try it in the store, you won't like it because it has to be washed first to get it to fully fluff out. Make sure to wash it in the wash machine! I'm a side sleeper, so I need a pillow that has some loft to it and doesn't mash down under the weight of my head like down pillows do. I don't like air pillows because it feels like I'm balancing my head on a balloon and they tend to slip out. The foam-padded Filo pillow is the best of the air pillows, but it weighs a lot and it's still not ideal. This Therm-A-Rest is light, keeps it's loft, and doesn't slip out from under you like other pillows. The cons: it still a little lumpy and it doesn't compress down very small so it takes up a lot of space in your pack.

Know what you want out of the pillow first, but it is awesome.

So, I'm not sure if this will show up verified, because I ended up returning this pillow to exchange it for a Nemo Fillo. The nemo suits my needs better, but I was really reluctant to return this guy because he's pretty awesome. I got the large size because it was actually cheaper and prime at the time in comparison to the more popular medium size, and I wanted to compare it to the medium reviews I've seen. This pillow was awesome. It felt great, slept great, compressed into more than half it's size without too much effort, and if you're car camping or stay over at other peoples' places often this pillow is a great thing to roll up into your car and unpack when needed. Just give it a few for the loft to return to it. I am a side sleeper, and I loved it. I compared this on a camping trip to Exped's compact pillow. They are about as opposite as you can get... The thermarest stayed cool throughout the night while exped being basically a fancy balloon heated up and made my cheek sweaty (nothing a pillow case couldn't fix for comfort), the exped is incredibly light weight and packs down into something the size of my palm while the thermarest is giant even compressed. The mediums are more popular, and there is a size difference, but honestly not that much of one. I'd probably stick with the large if space wasn't a factor at all. The thermarest was more suitable for side sleeping, but the exped did better on airplane rides where one is sitting upright. In comparison to the medium pillow that I tried out at REI, the large has a bit more width and oomph to it, and I like truly being able to switch side to side without having to adjust my pillow to follow my head. To me, if weight/size isn't an issue at all (and really, it probably isn't if you're using this thing) then go ahead and go with the large. The small pillows are actually great for kids and slumber parties, but I'm a small adult and I still think the large offered the right amount of luxury and comfort to packability. To me, the medium and large aren't THAT huge of a difference compressed down, but the large felt more like at home than the medium when expanded. The thing is, if you're camping for size of items this is NOT your thing. I think if you want a good blend of comfort and compression, go with a Nemo Fillo .. more pricey than the thermarest, but there's a layer of memory foam and comfortable fabric with an inflatable element underneath to adjust the softness or firmness. If you're looking for size and compact ultralight, exped was absolutely amazing and I'll write a review of it as well. But if you want comfort in your camping/glamping, a pillow to offer guests that will stow away after, a minimalist that wants their bedding at home to double up on functionality by being more portable, or car camping... this guy is really incredible and will offer a great night's sleep no matter where you are.

Best backpacking pillow

These pillows are amazing! First thing you must do after you get it in the mail is wash and dry it (it fluffs the pillow up substantially). The outer material is so soft and comfortable and the inside has just the right amount of cushion. The fill inside the pillow is made up of bits of foam which seems weird but is actually really comfortable and honestly, after a long & hard day of hiking, there's nothing better than having a pillow to sleep on. We took these (size small) on several multi-day backpacking trips so far and they are reasonably light weight and fit well when packed up with the rest of our gear. It definitely beats using rolled up clothing or inflatable pillows. The pillow packs down into a small enough roll (it takes some practice to get it down) which is great when you're short on space. It does take a little while and/or fluffing to get the pillow back into shape after it's unrolled so it's typically one of the first things I take out of my bag and unroll after setting up the tent. We've been taking these on plane flights too and they've worked great (I'd say they're similar in size to the pillows you might get on a plane but much fluffier).

Great pillows, recommend for backpacking!

These pillows are great! I wanted to specifically add some images to show some scale, because I couldn't decide between the small and medium. The weight difference is only 2oz, but the real difference in size is about 1.5 inches wider and longer. The thickness is just about the same, but like others have mentioned, the small denim color is denser, giving it a slightly firmer feel. I'm not sure if the other colors in small are firmer, or just the denim. I really like both, but will probably use the small more often. I'll keep both, since they're cheap enough to have a backup or loaner. Note, I did not wash these, as others have said! I just fluffed them for about 30 seconds. As a couple of other reviewers have mentioned, the stitching in a couple places looks a bit sketchy (last picture), so I'll probably refrain from machine washing them unless it's a last ditch type of situation. Still, I believe they'll hold up if you're gentle with them. Also, I had to untie and re-tie the compression cord, because it was too tight to allow for easy rolling, and was leading to some fabric stretching and stress on the stitching. It seems much easier to roll and compress now.

Best travel pillow in the history of travel pillows.

I travel extensively and own a dozen different types of travel pillows. I just bought this and returned yesterday from a trip to Spain. I slept for the first time in decades on my flight, with turbulence, both there and back. The reason is because this pillow expands and puffs up when unrolled. That puff factor fills the space between the window and your head or on the tray if you lean forward or if you put it on your neck and lean your head to the side- what ever position. All that puffy thickness is the key that no blow-up pillow or donut-shaped neck pillow can offer. Awesome invention and I hope the company sells millions of them because they deserve it. Washes easily and the fabric is super soft. I just clipped it to the outside of my carry-on using a little travel bag of my own so it didn't take up space like all my other pillows that I'm giving away to the Good Will now that I found the golden travel pillow.

Excellent for airplane!

My dad originally purchased one of these for a camping pillow and told me about it when I recently complained about not sleeping well on an airplane. I purchased one for my return flight and I was so happy I did!!!!!! I just put it up against the wall (window seat) and slept like a baby! I ordered the medium size and was surprised at how small it rolled up. It was nice to place behind my back when I wasn’t sleeping. I’ve included a picture of it rolled up. Salad dressing bottle for size reference.

New favorite travel pillow - by far

This is my favorite travel pillow. On the plane, I use it as a back support, and it is sublimely comfortable. It is by far more comfortable than any other back support I have tried on the airplane. There is plenty of bulk to support almost my entire lower back, not just one spot. It is soft and conforms to the shape of my back and the shape of the seat. I can even get a little sleep with this pillow behind my back on overnight coach flights. For me, it works better than blankets, bean bags, and my previous favorite self inflating bladder from OPTP. It is a little too thick to use for my head while seated on the plane. And even when compressed, it is still a little bulky, either inside my bag or dangling on the outside - but it is worth it for me. At my destination, this works as a bed pillow. I like thin pillows generally, and most hotel pillows are too thick or contain down which can cause allergies. So it's great to know I have a reasonably comfortable pillow with me no matter what I find at the hotel. At home, this is my favorite knee pillow. I have tried a few hourglass shaped knee pillows, but I like this one better. It has the right amount of thickness for my legs. And it is less bulky and easier to turn over with than the hourglass shaped knee pillows. I bought a second one to use at home! The self contained stuff bag is a great idea and works well! Even when stuffed it is still a little bulky and awkward to carry, but less than the other travel pillows sold in the airports. This review is based on the small size. Suggestions for improvement: -- Include a means to attach securely to the outside of my bag - perhaps a well fastened soft cloth loop with a detachable carabiner. Currently, I use the draw string, but the knot can come undone and I would never hear this pillow fall on the floor behind me in the airport. -- Consider a model thinner than the current small size. This would be useful as a head pillow on the plane.

Great Backpacking Pillow

I purchased two pillows - the Red is a Large and the Purple is a Small. We go on many different types of camping (car camping, backpacking, canoe camping) so these pillows have come in handy. I like the size Large for car camping but when it comes to backpacking the small works best for me. However, the large would work as well depending on how much you pack. You can also clip them to the outside when "compressed". After the pillow comes out of compression it takes a little bit for it to "fill up" and the cotton inside will expand. I freaked out when I first got it out of the mail and it was all limp...don't worry it will poof up. NOTE: I placed my women's size 8.5 Chaco next to the small pillow so you can get an idea of the size. So far this has been my favorite pillow to take when I can't have my regular foam pillow. I've used a variety of other types of backpacking pillows and this is my favorite yet.

Perfect Traveling Pillows!

When these pillows arrive, they are so small from being vacuum-packed it's hard to believe they become standard sized, but follow the instructions to wash and dry and you will be amazed. Then it's hard to believe they will compress again, but roll them into the attached pocket and they are about 1/4 of their uncompressed size, less if you roll and pull the string hard. Not quite as small as their vacuum-packed size, but small enough to take a couple for traveling. Because of back issues I travel with extra pillows to support my legs at night and I hate arriving with over-sized luggage to accommodate my pillows, now I can pack like a regular person and still sleep at night. As other reviewers have reported, being made with foam chips instead of fiber fill, they are surprisingly firm.

Let me take the best nap on a flight!

My husband kept telling me we needed to get these for our camping trip and I kept telling him he was silly for wanting to pay $20 for this tiny weird pillow. Well he buys it anyway and we took them camping and while I wasn’t the biggest fan then, I became a believer when we took a flight with them and I opened mine up and leaned against my husband to take a nap. I have NEVER....I mean NEVERRR slept as good as I did during that trip with this pillow. The picture says it all. Dude. Buy it. So worth it! And if you don’t have a husband to lean it on, become really good friends with the person next to you. Or get a window seat. :P

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