Err...pillow? That's right, can't leave home without my WM Cloudrest. Worth its 4 oz weight in gold.

Anyway, I've thought about using velcro strips, but not sure how well they will stick to silnylon or the nylon on my BAIAC pad.

I just ran across this new production from Thermarest

http://www.backcountry.com/therm-a-rest-fast-and-light-mattress-snap-kit?CMP_ID=PM_VL0332&CMP_SKU=CAS0521&mv_pc=r175

It has adhesive on one side and a snap on the other. Has anyone tried these and had good success? Any idea on how much they weigh?

I just used some velcro squares that you find at the hardware store. My 1.3 oz. pillow was flying off in all direction every time I tossed or turned. The velcro solution worked perfectly. In my opinion well worth the extra weight. If you let the adhesive cure properly before using, you'll have no problem with them adhering to the nylon.

Edit: Now that I think about it, my pad and pillow are not silnylon. The velcro pads are very inexpensive. Test them on some silnylon to see if they will adhere. It can't hurt to try.

Edited by phstudio on 07/27/2011 14:30:57 MDT.

Maybe a dumb question Mike, but it looks like you put your pillow directly on your pad. Do you put your sleeping bag on top of it? Am I supposed to not have my pillow on top of my sleeping bag? What do others do? Thanks :)

Hi Mike

What are you using for adhesion? Just the stick-on that comes with the velcro, or some kind of glue?

I'm guess it would be ideal to apply a permanent glue of some sort. Does anyone know what is best for sil-nylon, and for nylon more generally?

Ed, Yes I put my pillow directly onto my pad. However, I use a quilt, so this setup might not work for people with a traditional bag.

David, I used the self adhesive squares. If memory serves, they were only a couple of bucks. I've seen them at Home Depot, OSH and ACE. Can't hurt to try them on an unused piece of silnylon, I suppose. Just make sure you let the squares cure for 12 hours.

Edited by phstudio on 07/27/2011 15:10:52 MDT.

I'm going to make a trip to Lowe's tomorrow and see what I can dig up. Is it really that strong just from a stick-on type? I was thinking of using some type of glue to make them stick really well, but I guess I could try it without first.

I have started a different approach.
No pillow.
What I have done is to put some clothing (rain gear) under the mat where the pillow would be and use the raised mat as a pillow.
Only two night with this but it worked.

(you could try putting the pillow under also if you have no spare clothing...)
Franco

Franco

Interesting idea, but it defeats my personal reasons for using a pillow, which is to reduce head bounce on my air pad. What I love about the WM Cloudrest is that it sinks in and conforms to your head, stabilizing it. I tried out inflatable pillows before but had to reject them because they tended towards my head bouncing around.

I've ordered some special non-snag velcro from Quest Outfitters and plan to sew two strips onto my pillow fabric and glue the other side to my pad for a secure placement.

I'll post pics in the MYOG section when I get done.

I cant believe that a pad manufacturer has not put a pillow pocket on there pad kinda like the old thermarest add on but always attached. Just one flap of material attached on each side and the top and pillow material slides in from the bottom. +1 on francos method I did the same thing with my synmat shoes under the mat work pretty well to elevate and then soft stuff in the hood of the sleeping bag.

I create some elevation at the head end by putting my pack underneath my full length pad, just like in Franco's pic above. Also bring a small pillow-case that I stuff my down jacket into for a nice soft spot to rest my head. No need to attach anything.

Edited by snusmumriken on 07/29/2011 10:19:40 MDT.

I've always thought about the stuff-your-clothing-inside-a-stuff-sack pillow, but for some reason it has never worked for me as well as a dedicated pillow. For one thing, I plan to wear all my clothing to bed to maximize insulative efficiency, so I usually don't have any clothing to spare except my rainjacket and pants, which don't have very good conforming properties that would make them suitable as a pillow.

Maybe I should give it a go again someday...in the meantime I guess I'll be lugging around my 4.5 oz Cloudrest.

The new cuben pillow from hyperlite mountain gear is pretty good. The website doesnt do it justice. It is a small pillow shaped cuben bag with a fleece liner on one side, and it has a waterproof zipper too. You turn it inside out thru zipper to put fleece on outside, or inside. It weighs 1.2 oz, but replaces some other stuffsak or
1 gal ziplock so your net wt is more likely even less. Mine will replace the 1 gal ziplock I keep raingear in, since raingear forms the basis for the pillow anyway.

Use rainsuit, spare socks, other unworn clothing, and maybe add a small piece of bubble wrap too to make a decent pillow for a net wt gain of less than an ounce.

To the topic at hand, I wouldnt want my pillow secured to my pad, because I move around too much. I also like it between my head and shoulder when on side or stomach.