I have been working on a few different pillows lately. Here are two that I really like.

This is my standard 1.3oz inflatable pillow with 1.2" of XP insulation on top with a momentum 90 cover sewn to the edges. Total weight is only 1.9oz. The cover adds warmth and feels great on bare skin.


The next pillow has 4.6oz of 750fp goose down with a momentum 90 shell. Weight is just under 5oz or 5.4oz with stuff sack. Dimensions are 17.5" x 8" with over 4" loft. I made this a little long so I can try folding it over if I want more support. This pillow was made today so I will be trying it out tonight.

Edited by Bender on 01/25/2010 22:19:01 MST.

Hi Bender
"The cover adds warmth and feels great on bare skin"
Good point.
Can you please give us the stored sizes ?
Franco

Franco the inflatable version rolls down to 3.5" x 2.5" I have the down pillow in a 7" x 5.5" stuff sack but it could definitely go smaller.

The pillows they provide on airplanes are great. About 6x12, with a soft, nonwoven fabric face. They compress down to the size of a soda can, and are very light.

I'm not encouraging you to steal them,....I'm just sayin'

Thanks Bender.
3.5" x 2.5" isn't much bigger than my uninsulated Mont Bell. As for the down version I think that most would provably prefer to keep it as it is and let the pack content compress it to whatever space is available. Nice stuff.
Franco

I'm designing a similar pillow to yours but I'm considering a couple of differences. One is I might use two pieces of eggcrate foam back-to-back in the core for a bit more support, then let the down float around that. I'm also going to make the dimensions smaller, say 12 x 8, but use the same proportionate amount of down (about 4 oz). But I haven't actually made this theoretical pillow so thanks for showing yours. Does the down keep your head up?

Edited by Dragonstar on 01/26/2010 20:06:06 MST.

I would like to see something similar to the luxurylite foam/inflatable pillow made. maybe a little lighter if its even possible. i like the idea and have tried it using a flexair duo and some bed foam. it was by far the most comfortable pillow i have ever used hiking, i just need to get a case for it... a weigh it for that matter.

It had enough support lying on my back but I tend to sleep on my side so I need a little more. Folded over it was perfect. I think the next version will have the same amount of goose down but wont be as wide.

The first one you posted seems like a great idea. I have always wanted to combine the lightweight structure of an inflatable pillow with the comfort of a foam pillow. I have been using the flexair dual chamber pillow with a piece of 1 inch thick bed cover foam and, while extremely comfortable and fairly light, is not quite as durable as i would like, have to keep track of the straw, and gets dirty easily. How much cushion does the XP add? Would it be cheaper, lighter, or more comfortable to add some foam similar to the bed pads? I am hoping to eventually get something like the pillow luxurylite makes, but without the need to keep track of a straw. Ideas?

Both of them seem like a great idea Bender.. I've always hated the idea of an inflatable pillow, as I hate hard pillows without any flex, but high FP down doesn't make a good pillow on it's own.. Seems like this is the trick, sewing to the edges of the HS nylon is obvious genius, I would have completely overlooked that as an option, making the "pointy things + inflatables == bad" equation.


edit: I'm tired and read the first post wrong.. How about making me an inflatable one with a layer of down on the top, like my fantasy pillow description above? ;P

Edited by jdempsey on 02/10/2010 00:56:45 MST.

Derek the XP cover gives little extra support so the inflatable part does the rest. It really shines when you have it in contact with skin.

Javan I am sure I could do a down covered version if you are interested. The XP is sure a lot easier to make but the down will feel even more luxurious. The beauty of down would be even better compressibility. My standard pillows easily fit in a shirt pocket and the down version would as well.

The all down pillow the way I made it would be best for back sleepers. I would need to add a bit more down & shorten the pillow for ideal side sleeping.

I'm interested. I'm multi-mode sleeper, which is what I tell myself to feel better about my toss-and-turns. I would ideally like, a not-so-thick inflatable with down covering..

I told myself I wasn't going to get a pillow, but if you can do that inflatable down pillow for side sleepers, I'm going to be interested.

If you are interested in something custom check out KookaBay and use the contact me form below. I love working on the custom stuff!

I now have a nicely proportioned version of the goose down pillow. The first version was a bit awkward and did not fit with my ultralight theme. This one is just big enough at 10x7x3.5" and weighs 1.9oz. The shell is only .2oz of the total weight! Like most down pillows it does not offer huge amounts of support. When used with folded up clothing underneath you get support and cloud like softness. The DWR finish will come in handy for the occasional road trip drool :)



My sewing has improved!

I'm all for the side sleeper inflatable pillow with a down layer... This is the missing part of my sleep system that I fantasize about!

Your latest sewing looks cleaner, but the sewing on the prototype was strong enough to survive a couple trips into my sleeping bag stuff sack which gets compressed like a mofo. I don't know how it didn't pop, but it came out unscathed both times. Kudos.