HEST Camp Pillow Overview | CleverHiker

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The HEST Camp Pillow is the plushest camp pillow we’ve examined. Gear Analyst Jory Brass actually moaned the primary time his head sunk into its comfortable, compressible foam – it’s that snug. Sadly, this luxurious camp pillow is just too heavy and hulking to hold into the backcountry. Nevertheless, it’s our favourite consolation splurge and glamping decide for automobile campers, vacationers, overlanders, and yurt-dwellers who crave the last word consolation in a camp pillow – and don’t thoughts paying a premium for it. 

In our most up-to-date cycle of testing, our gear analyst alternated the HEST Camp Pillow with the 12 different pillows in our information to the most effective tenting pillows to guage its consolation, packability, assist, and ease of use. This pillow isn’t made for backpacking, so it scored close to the underside in weight and packability. Nevertheless, the HEST pillow’s comfortable but supportive reminiscence foam helped this pillow earn our prime consolation rating. Though this pillow is pricey by camp pillow requirements, we think about it splurge-worthy in case you’re tenting in or close to your automobile.

How We Examined

Throughout a number of tenting missions throughout New Mexico, CleverHiker gear analyst Jory Brass put this pillow to the take a look at alongside prime rivals. He not solely examined the HEST pillow by itself at a roadside campsite within the Gila Wilderness but in addition performed musical pillows one evening on the foot of the Organ Mountains to determine his favorites. To spherical out his subject notes, he in contrast findings with different CleverHiker testers who’ve bedded down with this luxurious camp pillow.

Consolation

The HEST Camp Pillow had essentially the most memorable really feel of the 13 pillows we examined. HEST’s mix of shredded reminiscence foam and polyester mimics the consolation of our pillows at house. We love the texture of our head sinking into that plush foam, but it’s additionally dense sufficient to offer reasonable assist. If you wish to personalize this pillow’s softness and assist, you may also unzip it so as to add or take away foam following these easy steps.

The HEST Pillow is on the market in a number of sizes. We suggest the medium or giant for a home-like sleeping expertise. The small measurement we examined had simply sufficient loft for our gear analyst to really feel snug sleeping on his aspect. He paired the small HEST camp pillow together with his ExPed Mega Duo Sleeping Pad for a premium sleeping setup in New Mexico’s Organ Mountains and Gila Wilderness. The phrases “luxurious” and “tenting” often don’t go hand-in-hand, however this was certainly an opulent setup that was uber-comfortable by anybody’s sleeping requirements.  

The HEST Pillow’s stretchy nylon cowl feels much like denim. That gives sturdiness and stain resistance, however it’s not practically as comfortable, easy, or fleecy as a number of camp pillows in our overview. That’s about the one function that lowers this pillow’s consolation rating. Total, this was essentially the most snug pillow our gear analysts reviewed in our most up-to-date spherical of comparative testing. Some luxurious pillows aren’t definitely worth the value, however this splurge is a worthy funding in case you’re dreaming about essentially the most snug camp pillow.

Weight & Packability

As a luxurious pillow, the HEST Camp Pillow isn’t designed for weight financial savings or packability. Largely full of dense reminiscence foam, it’s made for consolation. In our earlier overview, CleverHiker Senior Gear Analyst Casey Handley examined the regular-sized HEST Pillow, which weighed a whopping 2 lb. 3.2 oz. For our newest overview, Gear Analyst Jory Brass examined the small-sized HEST Pillow in hopes that its weight and packability may dip down into the backpacking vary. Despite its compact, 10 x 8 inch measurement, the small HEST pillow nonetheless weighs 1.2 kilos – greater than twice the load of the heaviest pillow we suggest for backpacking. 

It is a camp pillow for an RV, Sprinter Van, yurt, or campground tent pad – not your backpack. Positive, a number of courageous souls may lug the smallest HEST pillow into the backcountry. In any case, many backpackers will carry a 1-2 pound backpacking chair for consolation, so why not clip a 1-2 pound pillow to your pack? Nevertheless, that’s not the most effective use for a luxurious pillow that scored close to the underside for weight and packability in our side-by-side pillow testing.

Assist

The HEST Camp Pillow gives sufficient assist for the typical camper. This pillow could also be plush and comfortable, but it nonetheless gives reasonable assist, because of the density of its reminiscence foam and polyester fill. It’s simply resilient sufficient to prop up our heads and necks as they sink into luxurious. 

Nevertheless, it’s not as supportive because the inflatable pillows we examined or the opposite reminiscence foam pillow in our overview, the Weekender Pillow. In our testing, the HEST Pillow scored within the backside half for assist. Even so, abdomen sleepers and again sleepers ought to really feel a lot supported by the compressible foam. The small HEST pillow had simply sufficient loft for our gear analyst to really feel some assist whereas sleeping on his aspect; nevertheless, his head and neck clearly sunk nearer to the bottom compared to the air pillows we examined.

Ease of Use

The HEST Camp Pillow has extra factors of adjustment than a number of camp pillows we examined, however our gear analysts discovered them pretty intuitive. The pillow comes packed inside its personal built-in pouch. You entry the pillow by opening this built-in stuff sack with the highest, purse-style zipper. Pull out the pillow and reverse it to show the marginally softer pillowcase material after which rezip it. To repack the pillow into its built-in stuff sack, reverse that course of – open the zipper, expose the stuff sack aspect, and stuff the pillow again into the bigger zippered compartment. 

The second smaller zipper provides you entry to regulate the reminiscence foam. Open that zipper and unzip the white pillow case to show the froth stuffing. You may tear out foam in order for you a flatter, much less supportive pillow. Then stuff the pillow again into its casing, rezip the smaller zipper to surround the pillow case, and rezip the bigger zipper to revive the traditional pillow form. The nylon pillowcase/stuff sack is stain-resistant and machine-washable.

Ought to You Purchase the HEST Camp Pillow?

The HEST Pillow comes at a prohibitive value for a humble camp pillow. If we’re going to pay a premium, we wish to see a stand-out function. On this case, the HEST Camp pillow’s consolation stands out a lot that it might be definitely worth the splurge. When you’re a glamper, weekend camper, or van-lifer with the house for a luxurious camp pillow, the HEST is our prime decide.

What Different Tenting Pillows Ought to You Think about?

The HEST Pillow could also be our prime decide for consolation, however it hasn’t completely cornered the market on consolation. Our full information to the finest tenting pillows options a number of snug pillows for the campground or backcountry.

Therm-a-Relaxation Compressible Pillow Overview: For one more consolation splurge, we actually just like the Therm-a-Relaxation Compressible. It’s considerably cheaper than the HEST camp pillow and a extra packable different for backpackers who don’t thoughts carrying further weight and bulk for further consolation.

Weekender Gel Reminiscence Foam Pillow Overview: One other reminiscence foam pillow at a budget-friendly value level, the Weekender isn’t as comfortable because the HEST, however it’s a particularly supportive pillow for RVs, campgrounds, and glamping adventures. 

ExPed Mega Pillow Overview: The ExPed Mega Pillow is one other luxurious decide – a comfortable, insulated air pillow that’s considerably lighter than the HEST Camp Pillow and far more packable for backpackers.