I have an old down pillow I use at home that has lost some of its loft. I was thinking of attempting to convert it into a backpacking pillow. This will be my fist MYOG project, so I could use some suggestions on what material to use for the cover, how much down to use, and what different sizes you find you like in a pillow. My target weight is 4-5 oz.

I made a quilt for my dog out of an old BA sleeping bag and used the leftover down to make my pillow. Momentum scrap from a bivy project for the case. A standard microfiber Buff for the cover. 2.5 ounces for the pillow

Use a short stitch to keep the down inside.
Edit: Need to add more down to keep it from squishing flat in use. Another ounce.

Edited by kthompson on 06/15/2010 06:37:46 MDT.

I really want to make or buy a down pillow. I have been using the soft lined stuff sack and it is probably a good 3 oz itself and doesn't provide what I need, especially in the winter.

The problem is, I don't know where to start to make a 2.5 oz down pillow. Where can I find the down? How do I control the fill or loft? What material to use to keep it light but hopefully have a soft surface at least on one side next to my skin?

Thru-Hiker is an excellent source for a great many things including 900-fill power down.

Edited by ChemE on 06/15/2010 06:24:02 MDT.

Thanks for that link. At $30 just for the 3 oz of down fill, it might make more sense to purchase a pre-made pillow. What do you think? Any product suggestions?

800 fill for $6.50 per oz at http://theperfecttrees.com/products.html#down

I don't think the pillows on offer will be using 900 fill-power down though. It all depend on your priorities obviously. Let us know either way.

If I do the 800 fill power, how many total ounces do you think I would need? $6.50 an ounce with free shipping sounds good to me.

I think I'd like to keep the pillow to under 3 oz.

What material for the pillow case would you recommend? I'd really like to get at least one soft side.

I'd take apart my existing lined stuff sack, but that's already around 3 oz itself, so I don't think that would be light enough.

If you want to buy a down pillow, a guy on Hammock forums makes some. His website is http://arrowheadequipment.webs.com/. He's got some pretty cool stuff.

~Leif