Hey everyone! I was fiddling around with my gear and thought I'd try something with my sleep system. I figured out a way to make one kind of Integrated looking (and feeling) system.

The things I've used for this are:

- Sea to Summit Aeros premium large (150 grams)

- Ice flame quilt 850FP (600 grams)

- Decathlon MT100 down jacket (260 grams)

- Naturehike Silk liner (128 grams)

- Flextail R05 tiny mattress (600 grams)

The liner fits exactly around my sleeping pad. This creates a more 'like home' feel as it's softer and more gentle on your skin (if you sleep without clothes). The hood part of the liner wraps around the top part of my pad, but there's still enough room to put my pillow under there and even add the down jacket folded 3 times. This makes it almost like a zenbivy down topper pillow and everything stays in place as well!🥳.

Also I could easily reach the pads valve by just removing one corner of the liner, even when laying down. With the quilt on top it allows me to freely move on the pad without noise, a shifting pillow or feel restricted by a tight sleeping bag. I think this is the closest setup which almost feels like home that I've managed so far.

It's not like I reinvented the wheel probably and I'm sure I'm not the first one trying this, but figured it might be helpful to share here so people can take inspiration from it.

The full sleeping system set weighs 1478 grams but that's without the 260 gram jacket because that's something you might wear during a trip.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or whatsoever.

Hey everyone! I was fiddling around with my gear and thought I'd try something with my sleep system. I figured out a way to make one kind of Integrated looking (and feeling) system.

The things I've used for this are:

- Sea to Summit Aeros premium large (150 grams)

- Ice flame quilt 850FP (600 grams)

- Decathlon MT100 down jacket (260 grams)

- Naturehike Silk liner (128 grams)

- Flextail R05 tiny mattress (600 grams)

The liner fits exactly around my sleeping pad. This creates a more 'like home' feel as it's softer and more gentle on your skin (if you sleep without clothes). The hood part of the liner wraps around the top part of my pad, but there's still enough room to put my pillow under there and even add the down jacket folded 3 times. This makes it almost like a zenbivy down topper pillow and everything stays in place as well!🥳.

Also I could easily reach the pads valve by just removing one corner of the liner, even when laying down. With the quilt on top it allows me to freely move on the pad without noise, a shifting pillow or feel restricted by a tight sleeping bag. I think this is the closest setup which almost feels like home that I've managed so far.

It's not like I reinvented the wheel probably and I'm sure I'm not the first one trying this, but figured it might be helpful to share here so people can take inspiration from it.

The full sleeping system set weighs 1478 grams but that's without the 260 gram jacket because that's something you might wear during a trip.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or whatsoever.

If you're searching for a good pillow, but not sure what you're looking for, you've come to the right place. I'm comparing 5 popular backpacking pillows:

1. Sea to Summit Aeros Premium XL
2. Sea to Summit Aeros Premium L
3. Nemo Fillo (older model)
4. Sea to Summit Foamcore Deluxe
5. Trekology Aluft 2.0

I'll try and elaborate the pros and cons of each pillow and compare them head to head for a good overview of what might work for you. Also I'll tell you my use case and conclude which I like the most as allrounder, the pillows are all slightly different for their use cases. For reference: I'm 188cm (6ft2'') and a side sleeper. The pad is a Flextail R05 Long Wide pad. The prices I've listed are what I paid for each pillow, so they can differ in your region.

Why do I have 5 pillows? Good question. The Trekology was my first ever and is now used for friends or family that join my trips. The foamcore is max comfort for when I car camp or for 1 night. The Nemo is bound for an upgrade, hence the 2 Sea to Summit pillows (looking which size fits best).

Sea to Summit Aeros Premium (L and XL)

These are obviously the same pillows, but in different sizes, so I'll review them together. The main differences are size, packed size, weight and valve location. You can see in the images how they differ in terms of size.

Large

• Inflated Dimensions: 16.9 x 11.8 x 4.7 inches | 43 x 30 x 12 cm
• Packed Size: 3.5 x 4.9 x 3.5 inches | 12.5 x 9 cm
• Weight: 5.3 oz (150 g)
• Price: 42$

X-Large

• Inflated Dimensions: 22.0 x 14.2 x 4.7 inches | 56 x 36 x 12 cm
• Packed Size: 3.9 x 6.1 x 3.9 inches | 15.5 x 10 cm
• Weight: 8.8 oz (250 g)
• Price: 52$

This is the newest pillow on the list and it's going to be the one that replaces my current Fillo. Spoiler: it's gonna be the best allrounder for anyone looking to get just 1 pillow for the coming years (in my opinion). However I haven't decided on the size yet. I've tested both out and I don't know how they do it, but they are very comfortable and stable for their weight and size. The two way valve is amazing and easy to use, they're easy to put away in the stuff sacks and materials are nice. The weight in combination with size for both is a good compromise imo. I'll list the pros and cons:

Pros

• Pretty lightweight especially for how big they become
• Very soft and comfortable material.
• Doesn't slide nearly as much on my pad because of the soft back of the pillow (compared to my Fillo)
• It's a good height for me as a side sleeper.
• Easy to put away in stuff sack
• Easy to inflate, deflate and adjust with the two way valve
• Somehow very comfortable even though the foam is barely there. Seems to have some horizontal baffles in the air bladder.
• Plenty big and especially very stable so my head doesn't roll off even when laying on the edges
• Probably the best allround choice if you're looking for comfort vs size vs weight

Cons

• I did expect a lot more foam/soft cussioning. Although I still don't feel any discomfort, so is it really a con?
• Not sure how and if you can wash it easily
• I don't want to use the velcro pillow lock on my sleeping pads, so two loops for a pad strap would've been nice.
• Not much else to note about these

Nemo Fillo

• Packed Size. 6.0 x 4.0 in dia | 15 x 10 cm dia.
• Minimum Weight. 9.2 oz | 260 g.
• Thickness. 4.0 in.
• Dimensions. 17 x 11 x 4.0 in | 43 x 27 x 10 cm.
• Fabric. Polyester Jersey.
• Insulation. Air with Luxury Foam.
• Price: 50$

My Nemo Fillo has been with me for about 4-5 years now and held up great. It's a hybrid between a foam pillow and air pillow, with memory foam on top and an air bladder under that. It's got an integrated stuff sack as well.

It's a pretty good allounder but there's a reason I'm looking to upgrade it. Here are the pros and cons first:

Pros

• Very good allround pillow. Not too heavy, too big, uncomfortable
• It's easy to slide in my backpack and with the foam I can use it as some kind of back panel
• The valve works extremely well and easy. You press and twist
• The pillow has been very reliable. Used it for at least 4 years without any failures
• Material is very soft on top, foam is thick enough for it to be comfortable

Cons

• The underside is super slippery. It slides all over a sleeping pad
• No pad strap and difficult to make one. I'd have to use the integrated stuff sack and little loop. In combination with the point above it's very annoying to keep on the pad
• It curves on both edges so the usable size shrinks significantly or your head will roll off
• Very difficult to put into stuff sack. I did get the hang of it a bit, but it's tight
• It's not high enough for me as a side sleeper.
• Although it's pretty comfortable for a backpacking pillow, I still have soar ears after some hours of laying still unfortunately. It's pretty hard.
• It's pretty heavy for how small it is.

So all in all I don't sleep too well on it. And since it's already pretty old there's quite a lot of improved designs on the market.

Sea to Summit Foamcore Deluxe

• Weight: 450 g (15.9 oz)
• Dimensions: 22 x 14.2 x 6.3 in | 56 x 36 x 16 cm
• Packed Size: 14.6 x 4.7 in | 37 x 12 cm
• Face Fabric: 100% Polyester (soft 50D knit stretch fabric)
• Base Fabric: 100% Nylon
• Fill: Polyurethane foam (upcycled scraps from Sea to Summit sleeping mats)
• Price: 45$

The big boiii. This pillow is just screaming comfort. But that comes at a price. It's by far the heaviest pillow on this list and packed size isn't something to write home about either. It could probably fit all 4 others in the same space when packed. But the foam does feel a lot like your pillow at home and it can still shrink to about 17% of it's original size. I got this mainly for car camping and comfort oriented backpacking trips(hence the deluxe version), but would never take it on a long and weight focused trip.

I have slept absolutely amazing on this thing. It's super soft, but at the same time sturdy enough to keep some of it's height for side sleepers. It does curve at the edges like thge Nemo, but because you sink in it's way more stable. I think if you're looking for one backpacking pillow however, this isn't the one for you. Just too bulky, heavy and big. But tbh, maybe a large of regular size would be great if you just cannot sleep on an air inflatable pillow.

Pros

• Extreme comfort, just like the pillow at home
• It's pretty easy to (machine) wash and keeps it's loft when dried up
• For such a big pillow which you could basically use all the time it's still lightweight and a good packed size
• The velcro system is cool. You can just roll it up onto the velcro and it stays put
• There's a little sleeve in the velcro slab for your phone or wallet
• Little hanging loop for drying
• Uses recycled foam from their self inflatable pads
• Fool proof as you can basically not destroy it. It's just a case with foam inside. No reliablity issues with a valve or air bladder

Cons

• This is just not a pillow you'd want for long treks and lightweight backpacking. Takes up way too much space and at almost half a kilo or a pound far too heavy
• Heavy, bulky
• For the rest it's a lot more simple, so no real other cons there

Trekology Aluft 2.0

• weight: 3.9 oz (110 g)
• Inflated Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 4 inches | 40.6 x 30.5 x 10.2 cm
• Packed Size: 5 x 2 inches | 12.7 x 5.1 cm (smaller than a soda can)
• Fabric: Elastic, water-resistant polyester fabric with a flexible TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) lamination
• Price: 15$

On the other side of the spectrum that's called the Foamcore Deluxe there's this one. The Aluft 2.0 from Trekology. A very budget friendly, lightweight inflatable pillow. It was my first ever pillow I've bought for backpacking and it's now my backup and I can lend it to friends or family that want to join me on a trip. This is also the pillow I'm taking on vacation to use at the beach or when I want to lay down anywhere and have my head raised. It's held up immensely well for how much i've used it.

It offers relatively good comfort and stability for it's weight. It's the lightest pillow of this list, but just like the Foamcore, this adds compromises in comfort especially. It's pretty hard, feels a bit like a balloon and tapers towards the middle so your head could only stay at one spot. Still for an inflatable pillow it's considered one of the most comfortable on the market, also for it's cheap price tag.

Pros

• Very affordable. This is why it was my first backpacking pillow too.
• FINALLY --> a pad strap that's included
• Little rubber dots on the bottom so it stays put even without pad straps.
• A cool valve with a pressable button for inflation mode or deflation mode
• Baffled to make it more comfortable and stable
• Packed size is incredible. It's probably half a soda can. Also easy to put away again
• Held up amazing for the 6+ years I've had it and how much I use it

Cons

• To me it's the least comfortable on the list
• It's only 40g lighter than the sea to summit, but that offers way more comfort
• Valve can sometimes be a bit annoying. I never know when it's in the right mode so I prefer the Sea to Summit type two way valve

Now: comparing them

That's a good list of pillow specs and experience with them haha. If you read through it a bit you probably noticed they're not as easy to compare because the use case is slightly different for some. I will compare the Sea to Summit Aeros Premium and the Nemo Fillo especially.

On paper the Nemo looks more comfortable due to the thick foam layer on top, but in practice I actually found both Sea to Summit Aeros Premium pillows to sleep just as comfortable, if not better. The Nemo feels a bit harder causing my ears to hurt after a few hours of laying still. The Sea to Summits don't nearly slide away as much, keep stable even along the edges and offer quite a lot more height than the Fillo. It's highly subjective because I also know there's a lot of people that prefer the Nemo over the S2S. For me it just sleeps worse than both the S2S's.

Then comes the weight factor. A similar sized S2S pillow (the large Aeros Premium) is 150g where the Nemo is 264 on my scale. So basically the S2S wins in every category for me. It's bigger in height and width, lighter, way smaller pack size, similar or more comfortable and doesn't slide.

So my main goal: upgrading the Fillo is achieved. But which size S2S will I go for? Tbh I'm not sure yet. The XL is a similar weight to the Fillo but is huge. It covers my whole pad in width and that adds to the comfort. Question is: do I need so much space or do I want to save 100g and get a smaller pack size with the large version? The answer to that is probably yes. Why? I already got maximum comfort with the Foamcore Deluxe, so why keep the bigger one? This will be my allround pillow and the large aeros premium is the best allrounder to me.

But if you want to know which pillow fits best with each use case, I'll list that below:

Sea to Summit Foamcore Deluxe

Best pillow for people searching maximum comfort and not caring too much about weight or packed size.

Trekology Aluft 2.0 or Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Large (if you can find it on sale)

Best pillow for people on a budget that still want a decent sleep and not too much weight.

Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Large

Best allround pillow for people that want just one pillow in their backpack that could come onto any trip

Best allround pillow

The Sea to Summit Aeros Premium in large size wins it for me as best allrounder and I can highly recommend it. It sleeps super comfortable, but still keeps it's packed size super tiny (second smallest on this list) while still offering a big pillow that's easy to use with the valve, doesn't slide as much and is high enough for me as a side sleeper.

Verdict

Pfoooo that was a pretty long write up. I don't get paid to do this, but since I owned all these pillow I loved sharing my thoughts and I especially hope this post can help people get an idea of size differences in real life, as that's something I often struggle with. Product images are nice, but it's only when you see these all side by side that you get an idea of what you're looking at.

If you made it this far thanks a lot for reading! And of course, if you have questions about any of these pillows, feel free to comment. I always like to discuss different opinions and views.

I've found this kit working extremely well for when I'm out camping and want to do some good hikes as well.

The trekking poles are the Durston Iceline Poles

Shoes are Salomon X Ultra 360 GTX mid

Bag is the Hikeman pouch which I clip in-between my backpack straps and keeps my drone

As the title said. Did my first ever wild camp. The tent was very easy to put in this exact space. Didn't have more 'flat' space to work with.

Unfortunately it was still quite uneven so ended up sliding down and sideways a bit which was mostly what kept me awake. Also something I've read on other subs about wild camping: just put in earplugs and ignore all the sounds. I didn't at first and was way too aware of my surroundings. Although Europe doesn't have scary or dangerous animals in general I'm still scared there'd be a person or something big near my tent and I heard quite a lot of noises.

The tent was easy to pitch and glad I got my groundsheet with it so I got a bit more 'clean' space under the fly. Easy to roll it back up as well! Also the Kakwa 55L has been working phenomenally for me and the Iceline Poles definitely complete my whole setup! Very happy.

One tiny note: I got 2 small holes in my upper inner mesh. No idea how that got there as I always roll up carefully and never have anything sharp close to the mesh. Anyone know the best way to fix it? Maybe try sewing it?

Obviously Kakwa 55L and the Iceline Poles did absolutely fantastic 😍

I'm doing a trip where I take day hikes to alpine lakes, mountains and just through nature in general. This trip my stash 16L has been working surprisingly well. So good that I didn't bring my big backpack because everything fits. I pair this bag with my Hikeman pouch on the front. I've got the drone, remote and extra batteries sitting in that.

How does it work for me?

It's already more structured than most packable day packs but I've added my foam pad in the laptop area for a lot of extra padding which helps a lot! When I got that figured out I was really taking it into the mountains. Also the Hikeman pouch clips exactly through the loops of the adjustable sternum strap too. When I need to take the bag of I simply release one clip. Also the pouch balances the bag out better and since the shoulder straps are already fairly padded this is pretty comfortable.

Last but not least the weight definitely helps a lot too. My 55L backpack weight 1.8kg. A regular hiking daybag would also sit around 800-1000 grams where this is roughly 300 grams.

Because the bag is also not as big or deep, I could put on my rain jacket over the backpack, keeping it from getting wet.

What do I carry with it during the day?

The first few days of this trip I've used it for carrying swimming stuff, water and snacks. I brought a towel, hat, swim shorts, 4 or 5 snacks in the main and put my car keys, sun spray, sunglasses and AirPods in the admin panel.

When going more and more into the mountains I started using it as a hiking backpack and of course you need more items to bring. I found out it could fit my 2 water bottle pockets left and right, my stove in the middle, snacks on top of that, a poncho in the front quick access pocket, rain jacket on top of the snacks and bottles, umbrella next to my sitpad in the back and again my tech (powerbank, AirPods, car keys and multitool) in the admin panel for quick access.

Somehow this combination works great for me as I found out. Originally only took this bag in my bigger peak design to use for some small grocery shopping, but it proved itself a lot more valuable than that!

When out hiking I got in touch with a very cute couple here in Germany. We chat a bit and they offered me some coffee etc. Next thing I knew they asked me if I'd like to sleep in their beautiful backyard with my tent. Who says no to that?

Got everything setup very quickly and neatly and slept kinda great. There was a big thunderstorm that passed, but it brought these enormous hailstones with it. Personally I've never seen them that big and I was super scared they would ram straight through the tent. Luckily I had a tree above me which caught most of them but quite a few hit the tent. Luckily it survived! It's definitely stronger than it feels 👌🏼

I'm currently on a trip to the Eifel, Black Forest (both in Germany) and Alps (Switzerland and Austria) and just did an evening walk of 1,5 hours with around 250m of constant elevation. I've never had trekking poles that work this well as these do! Stoked.

Recently I came across this pad and saw it has just bee released this year. It has a lot of similarities to the Nemo Eclipse. I saw a video of Justin Outdoors where he praised the pad as very good and comfy. I found it online for €73 which is insane. Figured I wanted to try it out and maybe even replace my Sea to Summit Ether Light XR with it because it's pretty heavy, not as warm and a bit of rubbery texture.

I'll take you through my initial impressions, unboxing and current opinion I have on the pad. And no this isn't sponsored or anything. There aren't many reviews on this online so figured it'd be worthwhile for (starting/budget) backpackers that are looking into their first pad or to upgrade their current one. Anyway...

Specs

The pad with stuff sack and repair kit comes in at 620 grams on my scale. Higher than advertised but not by much. It's definitely on par with more expensive competitors.

It's got an R5.6 (or R5, not sure because on site they say 5.6 and the pads box says 5) R-value for at least 3 season use. Justin Outdoors just did a video with it and said it sleeps just as warm, if not warmer than the Nemo Eclipse with R6.3-ish. It's a big pad coming in at 196x65x7cm/77*25.6*2.8 in. It's made out of nylon, has a two way valve design and has got vertical baffles that are slightly dimpled.

Comfort

Comfort is very subjective and haven't tried it in the field yet. But I immediately noticed I found it more comfy than my S2S pad. Somehow that one pushes my hips up, feeling like my spine gets offset or something. I can also deflate it more before bottoming out (which I do quickly on the S2S as well). Somehow it keeps me higher off the ground, also while sitting on it.

Because of the slightly wider nature of the pad it feels even more roomy than other LxW pads I've tried. The baffles are nice and the material is soft, though somewhat slippery. My S2S pad feels more like rubber and imo it's not a nice feeling, especially when you're a bit sweaty from a day of hiking or from warm weather. I also immediately notice the metal film inside radiating heat back to me.

Ease of use

I love the two way valve on top which is in my opinion the best implementation of a valve. They included a small draw string so opening the inflation part is even easier. The pad rolls up in 4 parts and I could very easily get it back in it's original stuff sack. They included a rubber band to keep it secured. Stuff sack is great as well and drawstring works smoothly.

Insulation

Insulation is a bit strange. From the images you can see how the film has been laid out. The welding points don't have film under them and in some parts of the baffles you see film, others you don't. Not sure if this is a design flaw or supposed to be this way. I'm not using my pads in temperatures below freezing so not to scared about it, but it's a bit strange. Again Justin Outdoors mentioned the pad was warmer or just as warm as the Nemo Eclipse. Though he did mention there were no holes or lack of film in his pad.

Packed size

The packed size is truly one of the most impressive thing of this pad. It measures 23x10cm or 3.9*9 in. It's just as big as my S2S pad with the integrated stuff sack and I always thought that one was very hard to beat. This fits nicely in my pack. You can see the two pads side by side. It's smaller than my 1L Camelbak bottle

Verdict

For a mere €73 I think this is VERY hard to beat. If anything it's just a cheaper Nemo Eclipse without making any big sacrifices. And I've never had any issues with other Flextail products like their pumps. It's a relatively new pad, so we'll have to see if it's durable enough and as durable as bigger brands like Nemo, Big Agnes and Exped.

But really, for this money I don't think you can get much better pads that are as comfy, lightweight, pack so small and so easy to use as this one. I'm even considering selling my Sea to Summit pad and keeping this instead. But first I'll have to test it out a bit more. Will come back on that later on!

Hopefully you enjoyed reading my tiny (get it...) review! And of course, if you have any questions regarding this pad, other pads or other camping gear I'd be happy to help. I've done quite a lot of research and am always eager to share that knowledge so people can make based decisions. Cheers!

Hey everyone. I wanted to share my latest experience with my current and 'older' sleep system and what works vs what doesn't.

Also I'm trying to make 2 kits: a very comfortable one when I go by car, and a more balanced lightweight kit for hiking and backpacking longer trails and adventures.

I'll tell you more about the pads and pillows I'm using in this post.

The sleeping pads

For the sleeping pad I'm coming from my trusty Nemo Astro insulated which weighs around 950 grams with everything included and 75D fabric to a Sea to Summit Ether light XR. Both in the long wide configurations. Funny to note btw: the Nemo is substantially shorter even though it should be long and wide. It's almost as short as a regular size pad.

I was searching for something more lightweight and compact, but be as comfortable as possible, so I landed on this Sea to Summit pad last year. For weight and pack size it definitely achieved what I wanted. It's also a bit more comfortable but not as much of an improvement as I'd hoped for. I think that's mainly because of the Nemo's softer and thicker material which feels a bit better to the skin. The sea to Summit uses some more rubbery type of material which can feel a bit plasticky. I can counter this a bit by using a sleeping bag liner which I can pull over the pad like a sheet (again, see images).

The dimpled baffles and thicker nature of the S2S make up for that. You can see the difference in thickness in the image(s).

Both are insulated and are plenty warm enough for me to use for 3 seasons. I always have an extra foam pad laying around if needed.

I like the valve system on both way better than therm a rest or Exped (the 2 way valve, easy to reach vs 2 separate valves or on the bottom of the pad) but if I had to choose the Sea to Summit is better. It's easier to open and close, the one on the Nemo is super tight. However I do like the position on the Nemo better haha.

Overall the Sea to Summit is a solid upgrade especially for backpacking and hiking. I do however still look for something with a softer or stretchier top material more newer pads offer like the Nemo Eclipse, Zenbivy ones or Exped.

The pillows

I've been using the original Nemo Fillo for quite some time now. It's always functioned well, not too heavy or bulky and easily to inflate. Plenty comfortable too. For backpacking I'll probably still take this one (or an even lighter one down the road) because it's a good hybrid and trade off. I've always slept very well on it, but my ear hurts when I wake up after a few hours and it doesn't feel like a home pillow at all. I wake up several times a night and thought it was the sleeping pad, but might me the pillow. Also you can hear the inflation bladder a bit if you move around. Nothing truly annoying but small annoyance at best.

All those findings led me to look for a pillow that's more like one at home, but still light and kinda small enough to carry for short hikes or when I'm taking the car, but still want to do some nice camping. I landed on the Sea to Summit Foamcore Deluxe and it's been truly amazing I can tell you that. I sleep very well on this pillow.

It's a bit higher than the Fillo and a lot more forgiving because it's only foam inside so nice and plush. It's of course heavier (200g more) and 3 times the size of the Fillo so I do have to take into consideration what trip I'm going on, but to me it's absolutely worth it for getting a way better sleep.

I also love the roll up system it has and the Velcro strap that's permanently attached, very easy to roll up and attach in under 10 seconds.

Apart from the firmness, a few big differences between the two is that my head rolls off the Nemo because it's so firm and the Nemo has a very slippery underside which makes it slip of the pad without pad strap or putting it in the hood of a sleeping bag. So overall the Sea to Summit pillow basically destroys the Nemo in every category when it comes to comfort. It's truly like my pillow at home. This comes at the cost of weight and bulk obviously.

For a lighter kit I've been eyeing the Exped mega pillow which kinda looks like this Sea to Summit but then with an air bladder inside of it. It's higher and bigger than the Fillo but packs smaller and shaves off weight. Curious if people have experience with that as well.

Verdict

In the images you can see the pillows and pads side by side and I hope it gives you a good idea of the size differences and the thickness of each.

Overall I'm very happy with my setup right now. Like I said before I do think there's a small improvement to find over the Sea to Summit pad in something that's even thicker or a bit softer. But then again I think this is a good trade off between most things.

I'm curious what kind of pillow(s) you are using and what works best for you. Anyway, thanks for reading if you made it this far!😁