The Best Inflatable Pillow

Buying Guide

Resting your head on hard or sharp surfaces is not comfortable when you are hoping to get some relaxation or sleep. Pillows are a great product that you place below your head to give you a comforting cushion that takes pressure points off of any particular place and spreads it out evenly. The elevation of a pillow rising up off the mattress or pad also helps to align your neck with your spine in an ergonomically correct way.

Traditional pillows take up a lot of space though and they aren’t very convenient to pack into your backpacking or camping gear. They also don’t work very well if you are a frequent traveler or commuter that might be seeking some rest as you’re moving from one place to another.

Luckily there are inflatable pillows that can offer all the benefits you get from a traditional pillow, but with the massive perk of being smaller than a can of soda when they are deflated and packed away.

Inflatable pillows often inflate with just one or two breaths, no need to worry about air compressors.

Most inflatable travel pillows and camping pillows are generally the same product, but they might cater slightly more to one niche or the other. If you are looking for a camping pillow, you might want to focus on different selling-points than the person who is seeking an inflatable pillow for their airplane flights.

Camping pillows need to be rugged enough that they don’t puncture easily when an inevitable rock or twig pokes them. Inflatable camping pillows are often made with a durable material that is designed to have pretty decent resistance to punctures. They are often extremely lightweight so they can be added to your gear without consuming much space and they work very well for those who go ultralight due to their inherently small size and weight.

Travel pillows might be used more often on an airplane or train, so look for designs that really support your neck well since you will be leaning your head back onto the pillow while your torso is fully upright.

Whichever use you have for your inflatable pillow, there are some common things to look at that might help you decide on which is best for you. The material of inflatable pillows can make them feel slick underneath your head; if you find an inflatable pillow with an outer shell or pillowcase made from a soft material, you will have a better chance of finding immediate comfort when you use this pillow.

Your sleeping style can help you determine the inflatable pillow that you want as well. If you are a side sleeper, you might aim for a thicker pillow that can meet your neck higher off the bed and support you well, while a back-sleeper might look into a somewhat thinner version that works best for them.

Find an inflatable pillow that has an included carrying case and it will make your life much easier. The cases or bags are designed to be lightweight and the ideal size for packing your deflated pillow into so it’s a no-brainer to keep them around as they make storing and carrying the inflatable pillow as convenient as possible.

Many of the pillows you see will have rounded designs that might cradle your head or offer ridges underneath where your head rests on the pillow. Features like these are what sets one brand apart from the other, so be sure to really look at the nuances in each pillow that you find interesting.

A pillow that cups your head in place can be underrated when you are using it at a campsite. A lot of sleeping pads that you will find in the camping section are made from similar materials as these inflatable pillows are. These materials don’t have a lot of friction between them and it’s very easy for you pillow to want to slip right out from under your head while you’re asleep. This can obviously cause you to sleep in a weird position or wake up entirely, both being less-than-ideal options.

• Use a tee shirt or an old pillowcase to cover your inflatable pillow when you’re using it to add a layer of comfort and to help it not slide around as much.
• Check the instructions before inflating one, some of the valves they use are not always intuitive and you might have to twist something open before it accepts air.
• If the weight rating is high enough, inflatable pillows make great camp-cushions so you can have a barrier between you and the cold surfaces you’re sitting on.
• Keep the carrying case somewhere that you can remember so you know where it is when you go to break down your campsite.
• If you can manage, use a separate inflatable pillow for traveling and for camping. If you forget your camping pillow because it was in your business suitcase, you’re going to be sleeping with wadded-up clothes or a backpack under your head instead of a pillow.