Adventure Tips
Pillow talk – Choosing the right Aeros™ pillow
A pillow is a very personal item. It not only makes the difference between a good night’s rest and uncomfortable hours spent tossing and turning, it should be part of a cozy, comforting sleep environment. Wherever you lay your head should feel like home.
Knowing this, Sea to Summit has created three separate lineups of portable pillows – the following guide will help you choose the perfect one.
Step one:
Assuming that all Sea to Summit pillows are quiet, supportive and comfortable, which other qualities are most important to you in a pillow?
A) Small packed size and lightweight – I haven’t used a pillow in the past when backpacking because I keep my load light
B) Exceptional levels of comfort and coziness – but I still would like a compact, lightweight pillow.
C) Easy care – I’m less concerned with packed size
D) I’m looking for a travel pillow for use on/in planes, trains and automobiles
If you answered ‘A’ to the above, you should look at the Aeros™ line of inflatable pillows. CLICK HERE
If you answered ‘B’ to the above, you might check out the new Aeros™ Down inflatable pillows. CLICK HERE
If you answered ‘C’ to the above, you should consider one of the new Foam Core Pillows. CLICK HERE
If you answered 'D’ to the above, you have two choices in the Aeros™ lineup. CLICK HERE
Of course, multiple answers are possible – which is why Sea to Summit has so many pillow options available.
Category 'A' - super light and packable:
Aeros™ Premium
Who:
You want comfort, compact size and light weight. You are just as likely to lay your head down in a surfside hostel in mainland Mexico as you are in a backcountry camp deep in the Wind River Range. You care about weight but a few added ounces for some increased comfort is just fine with you.
What:
A super-comfortable pillow without the weight and bulk. The pillowcase construction of the Aeros Premium allows the outer shell to retain maximum softness while still being supported by a high strength TPU bladder. A layer of synthetic fill between the outer layer and the bladder increases comfort and wicks away perspiration. The soft 50D polyester knit outer fabric coupled with a layer of synthetic fill are unique to the Premium pillow range. Like all Aeros pillows, the Premium uses our multi-function mini-valve for easy inflation, deflation and fine tuning of the air level to your specific comfort preferences. The Aeros Premium is available in regular and large sizes, and new for 2019 it is compatible with our PillowLock™ system which keeps your pillow in place on your sleeping mat.
Why:
You want a pillow that is soft, quiet and extremely comfortable while still being compact and lightweight.
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Aeros™ Ultralight
Who:
You are more likely to live out of an ultralight backpack on the John Muir Trail for a few weeks than you are to check in to the Ahwahnee Hotel. Every ounce that goes in your pack must be justified but you also know the value of a good night’s sleep when alpine starts and big trail miles at altitude are the norms for the following day.
What:
A streamlined version of the Premium, the Ultralight pillow has everything you need and nothing you don’t. It is constructed of soft 20D polyester which is laminated with quiet, high strength TPU. All seams are RF welded for increased durability and weight savings. Our multi-function mini-valve allows for easy inflation, rapid deflation and fine tuning of the amount of air in the pillow. The Aeros Ultralight is available in regular and large sizes and new for 2019 it is compatible with our PillowLock™ system which keeps your pillow in place on your sleeping mat.
Why:
You want a pillow but you don’t want to carry it. Other ultralight pillows you have tried were loud, crinkly and made you reach for your down jacket. At just 2.1 oz (regular size) you will forget the Aeros Ultralight is in your pack until you lay down for the night.
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Aeros™ Ultralight Deluxe
Who:
You often find yourself a long way from home, and just as often wish that you had a pillow as comfortable as the one on your own bed. You car-camp rather than backpack, but you still need to keep an eye on the amount of room that your gear (and possibly your family’s gear) takes up when you pack the vehicle.
What:
The Ultralight Deluxe Pillow has a quilted construction which provides a level of stability and comfort unheard of in larger pillows. The soft 20D polyester face fabric is laminated to the same quiet, high strength TPU used in the other Ultralight pillows and RF welding is used throughout. Our multi-function mini-valve means that inflation is a breeze, while deflation and fine tuning of the softness of the pillow are equally simple. New for 2019 it is compatible with our PillowLock™ system which keeps your pillow in place on your sleeping mat.
Why:
You want a large pillow to travel with, but you can’t afford the bulk of a home pillow. The Ultralight Deluxe gives you the best of both worlds – soft, supportive comfort at an incredibly light weigh (4.6 oz) and small packed size (less than 5” x 4” x 1”).
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Aeros™ Premium Deluxe
Who:
You have endured nights in hostels and even some hotels fighting with the limp foam-filled nightmare provided to you, wishing you had the pillow you sleep on at home. Or, you have gone car-camping and woken up thinking that spending time outdoors is just a pain in the neck. You need maximum comfort in a portable package.
What:
The ultimate in air-filled pillow luxury. The super-soft knitted polyester of the Aeros Premium Deluxe ‘pillowcase’ and the wicking polyfill layer between the outer fabric and the bladder provide incredible comfort. The multi-function mini-valve provides for easy inflation, deflation and fine tuning of the air pressure to your exact comfort preferences. New for 2019 it is compatible with our PillowLock™ system which keeps your pillow in place on your sleeing mat.
Why:
You want a pillow that is soft, quiet and extremely comfortable while still being compact and lightweight.
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Category 'B' - light, compact and exceptionally comfortable:
Aeros™ Down Pillow
Who:
You want it all. Compact packed size, light weight and exceptional comfort. You’re a savvy traveler: you may travel with a backpack or a duffle, but whether you overnight in a tent or a hostel off the beaten track, you need your creature comforts. And you have never found a pillow which was soft, luxurious and packable enough – until now.
What:
A luxurious pillow which uses advanced materials like the shell fabric of our Spark/Flame sleeping bags, high-lofting down, and a high strength TPU bladder to provide incredible comfort at a minimal weight. Like all Aeros pillows, the Premium uses our multi-function mini-valve for easy inflation, deflation and fine tuning of the air level to your specific comfort preferences. The Aeros Down Pillow is available in Regular, Large and Deluxe sizes, and is compatible with our PillowLock™ system to keep your pillow in place on your sleeping mat.
Why:
You want a pillow that is luxuriously soft, quiet and almost decadently comfortable, yet almost impossibly compact and light.
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Category 'C' - easy care:
Foam Core Pillow
Who:
Travel can be rough on people and the gear they carry with them. You are looking for a pillow that will survive the rigors of life on the road and provide a comfortable night’s sleep night after night. You are happy to carry a few extra ounces and find a little more room for the right pillow.
What:
A comfortable pillow with a foam core made from upcycled foam sourced from the production of our Self Inflating sleeping mats. The face fabric is a super-soft, stretchy 50D knit polyester, which is extremely pleasant to the touch. Foam Core Pillows are extremely easy to care for – they have a built-in rolling closure to make packing them away simple, and unlike our other pillows they can be machine washed. Available in Regular, Large and Deluxe sizes, they are compatible with our PillowLock™ system which keeps your pillow in place on your sleeping mat.
Why:
You want the comfort level of a foam-core home pillow in an easy to transport, easy to care for package.
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Category 'D' - travelers:
Aeros™ Ultralight Traveller
Who:
You spend a lot of time in transit: planes, buses, and trains from the US to South East Asia and back again. You are constantly looking for ways to streamline your travel necessities and lighten your load. Your bulky bean bag travel pillow is at the top of your hit list. Walking off of an international flight with your pillow around your neck because there is nowhere else to put it screams “there must be a better solution” to you.
What:
The classic travel neck pillow without the associated weight and bulk. The Aeros Traveller pillow narrows at the center to fit snugly between your neck and the headrest while enlarged ends provide a high level of support. Like the Ultralight, the Traveller is constructed of 20D laminated polyester and incorporates our multi-function mini valve. New for 2019, the Ultralight Traveller also has an adjustable neck closure for additional support. The Traveller weighs in at a scant 1.8 oz and stuffs down into a tiny package.
Why:
Your bulky old neck pillow makes your long stints of travel so much more pleasant but it frequently gets left at home because dragging it through a month in the French Alps is even less appealing than a stiff neck. You have been fruitlessly searching for a compact, yet fully functional neck pillow option.
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Aeros™ Premium Traveller
Who:
You have enough long-haul flights behind you to be able to quote your frequent-flyer number from memory. You have learned that airline seats and transit lounges are rarely as comfortable as advertised, and that many travel pillows also fail to deliver in this regard. You have refined your travel system to include modular packing accessories for your electronics, clothing and toiletries, and you’re looking to perfect your sleeping environment, too.
What:
A luxurious travel neck pillow which redefines comfort at an amazingly light weight and packed size. The Aeros Premium Traveller has the perfect shape to allow the nape of your neck to rest close to your seat, while your head is cradled comfortably by the enlarged ends. The Premium Traveller is constructed of a 50D knitted outer face fabric, and also uses our multi-function mini-valve. The Premium Traveller weighs a mere 3 oz and packs into a stuff sack which will fit in a shirt pocket.
Why:
You know that the secret to successful international travel is to keep things compact as well as light. Every cubic inch of your roll-aboard bag is perfectly organized and ready to slide easily into an overhead bin. A horseshoe-shaped beanbag pillow would be a retrograde step – you’re ready to upgrade to the Premium Traveller Pillow.
VIEW NOWCategory 'R' - retrofit:
OK; this isn't a category in the sense of the above classifications - but it applies to all of the Regular, Large and Traveller Pillows listed above. If you would like to:
- Retro-fit any of our pre-2019 pillows to make them PillowLock™ compatible...
- Make any of our pillows into an easy-care pillow...
- Have the option of using a down jacket as a shaped ultralight pillow...
just add a pillow case!
And if you have questions about choosing the right pillow, or washing/maintaining your existing pillow, just...
Ask Baz
