Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

I bought this pillow seperate from the UL Pad system, but have since gotten a Montbell pad as well, which I will review in the sleeping pad section.

I had never used a dedicated pillow for backpacking, using clothes in a stuff sack mostly. This pillow is very comfortable when nearly fully inflated, and slightly less so when fully inflated, as it is too hard, and raises my head too far from the pad. Montbell remedies this with clever folds in the pillow which make for a groove for one's head. When the pillow 85% inflated, it is nearly perfectly shaped and sized. I have been comfortable both sleeping on my back and my side, as I do both at night.

I have had to put a tee-shirt over the pillow to add a bit of softness to the pillow. The other issue with the pillow for me is that it does not fit inside the hood of my bags, and when underneath the hood, the slippery material of my bivy made keeping the pillow under my head a challenge. After purchasing Montbell's 90 pad, and had the pillow attached to the pad, this problem is solved.

It is not as soft as a down jacket inside a stuff sack, but is nearly as comfortable, and I am happy with the pillow. It would earn a 5 if it had a 'soft side' and could attach to other pad makes as well.

Rating: 5 / 5

Ditto to above. The lighter medical pillows sold on this site all failed after a few days. At 2.5 oz, this soluton is 5x heavier, but I sleep soundly all night with no neck cramps in the morning. Worth the extra weight.

Rating: 4 / 5

I bought the Montbell Pillow while considering minor adjustments to my sleep system in search of a solid night's rest. It's by far one of the best sleep components I've discovered and will always include it in my UL package.

Under-inflating seems key. This also engages the two baffles and keeps your head nestled in the center.

I typically use a GG Thinlight under whatever sleep pad I choose for my trip (currently a Nightlight custom length). The closed cell foam material of Thinlight keeps the Montbell Pillow in place with no need of an anchor system.

Rating: 5 / 5

This pillow seems a lot more robust then the Flexair dual-chamber pillow I was using. It is more comfrotable as the triple chamber essentially cradles my head so it doesn't roll off the side. Being able to attach it to the MontBell UL mat means the pillow doesn't 'disappear' in the night! What more could you ask for in a UL pillow?

Edited by retropump on 01/01/2009 11:56:13 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

I already owned the UL 90 pad, and decided to try the pillow. I love this pillow! And the handy way that it attaches to the pad so that it stays put. I just came back from a trip where I forgot the pillow, and I REALLY missed it. I like to use my down jacket under my lower legs, so was always short on items to make a decent pillow with my stuff sack. This takes care of that problem for only 2.5 ounces. And packs down very small.