Best 21 Camping Pillows
BEST INFLATABLE CAMPING & BACKPACKING PILLOWS
First in our guide is the ingenious inflatable pillow from Klymit called Pillow X, which has been designed for backpacking, hunting, backpacking, camping and other outdoor pursuits. Durable and rugged, the biggest draw is the special X-design that centers itself into position and give your head stable cradling it needs wherever you are. It’s made from polyester, with 30D in the top and 75D in the bottom for superior protection against wear and tear.
You can adjust the pressure and height easily by adding or releasing air to suit and is even compatible with mummy-style sleeping bags. For easy transport and storage, it folds down to the same size as a standard lighter and weighs under 2-ounces.
Specs
- Dimensions 15 x 11 x 4-inches
- Material 75D Bottom/30D Top Polyester
- Weight 1.95oz
From Lavcare, as part of their Hand Press Series, comes the company’s entry to the inflatable pillow market. This has been designed using brush polyester (30D) and has a special ergonomic shape to give you the best possible support and comfort. With a smart grey and blue color, this will always look good whether you’re hiking, hunting or just setting up camp in the middle of a forest somewhere.
What’s more, thanks to the hand press pump incorporated into its design, you don’t have to use your breath to inflate. When you’re ready to go home or done, the Lavcare folds smaller than even the average soda can.
Specs
- Dimensions 18.5 x 13.5 x 3-inches
- Material Polyester-knit with TPU Lamination on interior
- Weight 2.2oz
How about something a bit different from the previous 2 we’ve looked at? Why not try something that looks even more luxurious, with an inviting velvet-style covering and intriguing angled-shape. It may not look like much, but it’s able to hold a maximum of 310-pounds and has handles at either side. Whether it’s for comfort in those chilly nights or for carrying it, they are a great addition.
Inflating and deflating the pillow can be easily done with the air-sealed valve. Stylish and lightweight, this is a great investment for any kind of trip.
Specs
- Dimensions 17.3 x 24.8 x 3.5-inches
- Material PVC
- Weight 1.05oz
Inflatable pillow number 4 in our guide is this awesomely versatile inflatable pillow from RikkiTikki. Not only does this cotton fleece pillow have a generous size when its fully inflated but it can be used in several different ways. As well as a headrest to ensure you get a good sleep at night, you can also use it to support your back when sat upright.
The easy-to-use valve makes it quick to inflate, requiring only 3 to 4 breaths. For easy storage, the pillow includes a sewn-in bag that you fold it into like you would socks at the end of your trip. Once folded, it’s tubular-shaped like a coke can.
Specs
- Dimensions 5.2 x 3.9 x 2-inches
- Material Cotton, Polyester, TPU
- Weight 4oz
With this bright and vibrant orange inflatable pillow from Off the Grid, you’re not likely to get lost. Aside from the perfect-for-an-emergency coloring, comfort and a peaceful night’s sleep are the main agenda behind the company’s design. The slick and thoughtful curved structure gives you the support you need where you really need it.
One thing that makes the Off the Grid pillow stand out from the crowd though is the fact, compared to others from other companies, it is made from high-quality and very stretchy material. This helps to ensure the pillow is stronger and quieter than those noisier ones you might get elsewhere.
Specs
- Dimensions 18 x 13 x 5.5-inches
- Material N/A
- Weight 2.47oz
There’s nothing much worse, when you’re out there in the great outdoors, than waking up from a terrible night’s sleep. Seriously, that’s what’s brought you here, isn’t it? To avoid that sorta thing from happening. With their inflatable pillow, Rugged Camp have designed a pillow that is small and convenient when you’re lugging it around but inflates in just a few seconds into a cushion that helps give your head and neck a stable foundation to settle on at night.
Its waterproof design has a lot to do with the knitted cotton used in its production. Furthermore, it’s also resistant to punctures caused by debris, rocks and other objects at your campsite.
Specs
- Dimensions 16 x 12 x 4-inches
- Material Knitted Cotton
- Weight 2.75oz
One of the best things about the Air Pillow M from Exped, aside from its slick design, nice smart color and lightweight construction is the shape. This pillow has been designed to match the contours of your body, whatever way you choose to use it and whatever body part you choose to support with it. It will retain the shape to ensure you have a relaxing sleep throughout the night from start to finish.
Like many of the other pillows in our guide you can adjust its height, meaning it can be further tailored to your own specification. Its tough flat valve makes it easy to inflate and deflate the pillow in no time at all and the tricot fabric is soft and smooth to touch.
Specs
- Dimensions N/A
- Material Tricot fabric
- Weight 2.75oz
Made from durable and rugged TPU that’s as elasticated as it is waterproof, the ALUFT Deluxe from Trekology is perfect for trips out to the wilderness. It can be inflated in just 4 to 6 breaths and provides a generous area of padding and support. Whether you just use it as a sleeping aid or while you’re driving or just sitting in camp, this pillow won’t let you down.
The TPU fabric is protected and softened by a washable, breathable and removable cotton cover. As well as transforming the pillow into a very classy home comfort, it also ensures air can flow adequately to keep moisture to a minimum. Lighter than a bottle of beer and foldable down to just 7 x 3-inches, to say this was a compact and portable pillow would be an understatement.
Specs
- Dimensions 19 x 12 x 3.5-inches
- Material Cotton, TPU
- Weight 6oz
The inflatable pillow from Ope+ is the next in our guide, another one that comes with a nice and soft cotton cover. Like many others we’ve featured, this inflatable pillow has been ergonomically and anatomically designed to provide you just the right amount of support in just the right places, particularly in your spine and neck. Its firmness can be easily adjusted to suit your needs, thanks to the one-way valve.
As it’s made from 100% high-quality cotton, the breathable and hypoallergenic cover is perfect for providing you with the luxury you need while protecting the pillow from wear and tear at the same time. With this, you’re unlikely to feel fatigued, even when sleeping on the forest floor.
Specs
- Dimensions 17 x 12.6 x 5.5-inches
- Material Cotton Cover
- Weight 5.9oz
Although in the past it may have taken a lot more effort and time to have a camping pillow ready, most of the models in our guide, including this from Rest-A-Camp, take minutes, even seconds to fully inflate. This means that in just 3 to 5 breaths, you can settle back in your tent and enjoy some light reading or catching up on Z’s.
As well as being outstandingly flexible, this pillow, like many others is machine-washable, making it easy to keep clean between trips. The cover is what helps ensure the pillow has a longer lifespan. It even comes with its own storage bag for when you’re done with it and moving on or heading home.
Specs
- Dimensions 15 x 12 x 4.5-inches
- Material TPU, cotton
- Weight 4oz
Who doesn’t like getting something a little extra with their purchases? With this camping inflatable pillow from OLUNNA, you get not just one, but two great pillows. A standard rectangular shaped one that’s as perfect as any in our guide for your back, head and neck (or really, wherever you choose to use it) and a matching neck pillow. The neck pillow has a u-bend style design that’s meant to provide your neck and head with the full support it needs all the way round.
Made from similar TPU to others we’ve featured, they both inflate very easily into generous sizes and deflate again into compact shapes and sizes and both weigh less than even a can of soda.
Specs
- Dimensions 17 x 12.6 x 3.9-inches
- Material TPU, cotton
- Weight 4.2oz
We’re back with Trekology again for this next camping pillow. This differs from the previous product we highlighted from the company in that it has more of a curved design that just screams comfort for your back and neck. It’s also incredibly lightweight, weighing just 2.75-ounces, compared to many others that are a little heavier than that. You may not think those couple of ounces make a difference, but they do.
With the standard mixture of polyester and TPU, it’s also been built to last and takes just a few breaths to inflate, making it almost usable out of its bag. There’s even a Quick Deflate mechanism and storage bag that make it easy to pack up when you’re heading off.
Specs
- Dimensions 16 x 12 x 4-inches
- Material TPU 20%, Polyester 80%
- Weight 2.75oz
BEST COMPRESSIBLE CAMPING & BACKPACKING PILLOWS
The first compressible camping pillow in our guide is this amazing one from Coop Home Goods. This travel pillow has so much we’re sure you’ll love. Not only is it possible to compress it right down and into a compact stuff sack, but it’s also been designed with memory foam. Why shouldn’t you have a pillow that contours with your body, while remembering its shape, so you’re not in a constant battle to adjust it each night you settle down?
The pillow is made more luxurious and durable thanks to the breathable viscose (derived from Bamboo) cover. This feature natural thermo-regulating properties, so it will never get too hot or sweaty.
Specs
- Dimensions 19 x 14 x 4-inches
- Material CentriPUR-US Certified memory foam, Viscose-Polyester cover
- Weight 1.5lbs
If you’re already a TETON Sports sleeping bag fan, you’re bound to love this compressible camping pillow, as it features the same material. The SuperLoft Elite four-channel fiber is what’s inside this pillow, that makes it soft and comforting. It also benefits from a hi-count brushed P5 poly cover that will help you to stay cool and dry, all night long.
What we especially love is the plaid color and design on the pillowcase, that sets it apart from many of the more functional and practical travel pillows we’ve covered so far. Compact, stylish and exceedingly lightweight, this is ideal for your next trip.
Specs
- Dimensions 12 x 18-inches
- Material 100% Brushed Flannel on exterior, P5 Poly hi-count on interior
- Weight 10oz
Find yourself missing that sophisticated memory foam bedding you have at home when you’re out on adventures? Now you don’t have to with this curiously-shaped pillow that features an inner made entirely of hypoallergenic memory foam that will retain its shape, giving you relaxation wherever you are.
As if the moldable and sumptuous inner was not enough, the soft-to-touch velour cover gives you that additional touch of comfort, that is often missing from the camping experience. As it’s compressible into a compact stuff sack, it won’t take up too much space and won’t feel too heavy. Weighing just 14.4-ounces.
Specs
- Dimensions 16.5 x 7.8 x 5.1-inches
- Material Medical-grade memory foam, velour cover
- Weight 14.4oz
Ultralight and easy to compress, the Therm-a-Rest is the next camping pillow in our guide. This has an almost extravagant feel thanks to the urethane filling and soft brushed cotton cover. The foam-filled accessory is the perfect support for just about any part of your body, depending on the situation and whereabout you are.
If you’ve always wished you could take your mattress from home with you, that’s what it’s like taking this as the urethane filling is a byproduct from Therm-a-rest mattresses. That doesn’t sound too bad, does it? A compressible mattress-style pillow that fits into a small drawstring bag when you’re not using it.
Specs
- Dimensions Various sizes
- Material Urethane filling, brush polyester cover
- Weight Various weights
Another great camping pillow that relies on high-quality memory foam to provide you with the support you need to ensure you sleep like a baby whether you’re halfway up a hill, in a deep forest or by a lake. Weighing just under 1-pound, this extremely portable cushion is not called On-The-Go for nothing.
It features a built-in pouch that the pillow can be rolled and then compressed making it far more compact than you’d expect. Columbia have also given some thought to the coloring and design, as it has a more appealing look than others we’ve covered.
Specs
- Dimensions 18 x 14-inches
- Material Memory foam
- Weight 15.8oz
As Wise Owl Outfitters make a wide range of accessories, including hammocks, tarp and even camp towels, you can be sure that this, their compressible camping pillow will be as comfortable and lightweight as you’d like. It features moldable foam on the interior with a soft-on-skin microfiber covering to help you get a good sleep and protect your neck and back wherever you are.
This camping pillow is available in three different sizes, so you’ll be able to find the right one to suit your needs and it packs down very small into a waterproof stuff sack, making it easy to carry from one spot to another.
Specs
- Dimensions Various
- Material Foam, soft microfiber cover
- Weight Various
In bright orange it may not be the most subtle of camping pillows. Nevertheless, our final option for your camping trips is made from a high-quality foam on the inside that expands evenly, every time, giving you the support and comfort, you need to feel fresh wherever you wake up.
Compared to others, it has a very small and compact size, even when fully expanded. Rather than being a negative, this makes it even more appealing if you’re looking to save space and weight in your pack.
Specs
- Dimensions 5.91 x 1.57 x 5.91-inches
- Material Foam
- Weight 7.05oz
Okay, so this is a little quirky, but if you’re looking to blend in with your natural surroundings while out in the great wilderness of America, this is perfect. Fashioned to look, but not feel, like a section of tree, this is actually a very comfortable travel pillow.
Specs
- Dimensions 13 x 43cm
- Material N/A
- Weight N/A
Remember, Always Pack a Pillow!
There we go guys, our guide to the best camping and travel pillows available right now on the market. We’ve now made it impossible for you to complain about back issues or discomfort whenever your buddies invite you on a hiking, camping or even just a fishing trip. Just pack one of these babies and you’ll not even notice that you’re lying on the ground.
Although 21 may not feel like a particularly short shortlist, once you’ve decided whether it’s an inflatable or compressible pillow you need, want and desire, the selection to choose from will be greatly reduced. We don’t really think, here at Men’s Gear, that in terms of quality and comfort, there’s too much difference. It all comes down to preference. Do you like the idea of just unrolling and using or don’t you mind inflating and deflating? That’s down to you to make that decision.
We noted that whether it’s a compressible or inflatable pillow, you still get the same lightweight and portable solution for more relaxing sleeps even when you’re on the harshest and most unforgiving surfaces.
