It is a gear evaluation in regards to the Therm-a-Relaxation Air Head Lite Pillow in 2024.
In case you are on the lookout for an ultralight backpacking pillow that packs up small and robust sufficient for a weekend tenting journey or multi-month thru-hike then this could possibly be for you. I’ve up to date this evaluation to mirror a number of years of long-term use and testing of this pillow for the final couple of months and right here is my in-depth evaluation.
How We Examined
The Therm-a-Relaxation Air Head Lite Pillow on this evaluation has been extensively evaluated and researched by the professional creator who has greater than 30 years of expertise in Through-Mountain climbing, Backpacking, and Mountain climbing. He additionally spent a number of years managing a climbing retail retailer and is thought to be an professional on this area. The Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow was provided by the producer. It has been rigorously examined by the creator on a number of backpacking journeys. Learn the Evaluation Coverage for additional particulars
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In-Depth Evaluation: Therm-A-Relaxation Air Head Lite Pillow 2024
Thermarest Air Head Lite Pillow
Weight Common: 2 oz / 58 grams
Weight Giant: 2.8 oz / 80 grams
Execs:
> Ultralight
> Machine cleanable
> Very small packed dimension
> Delicate to the contact and Comfy
Cons:
> Not as snug as your pillow at dwelling however good for an ultralight pillow.
I used the Therm-a-Relaxation Airhead Lite Pillow for a few months of testing to see simply how good it will be as an ultralight backpacking pillow. It’s ultralight and excellent for the ultralight hiker wanting a snug pillow with minimal weight and pack dimension.
Whereas it will not be as snug as your pillow at dwelling that’s not why you’ll desire a pillow like this. However the compromise in dimension, consolation, and sturdiness makes it price it.
Total, in case you are an ultralight hiker and are on the lookout for an ultralight pillow then take into account the Therm-a-Relaxation Air Head Lite Pillow as the very best available on the market in 2024.
Materials
The Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow makes use of polyester gentle stretch knit cloth that’s gentle to the contact. The nonslip cloth retains the pillow properly within the hood of your sleeping bag. Throughout my testing, I discovered the pillow was higher suited for use exterior the sleeping hood and on the bottom of the sleeping pad. As talked about earlier it does fairly a great job of staying in place and is comparatively non-slip.
Consolation and Assist
Firstly, let’s make it clear that the Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is ultralight and won’t be as snug as your pillow at dwelling. With 4 inches / 10 cm of top, there’s greater than sufficient assist to maintain you snug at evening.
When the Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is matched with an ultralight sleeping pad and sleeping bag or backpacking quilt it varieties a great partnership for a great evening’s sleep. And a great general sleep system for those who need to carry the least quantity of weight, however with probably the most quantity of consolation.
The outer gentle stretch knit cloth is gentle sufficient to make it really feel good in opposition to the pores and skin however lacks the gentle velvety really feel of another light-weight backpacking pillows.
For males with a beard or stubble, the outer cloth is nice and there’s solely a really minimal rubbing sound.
The pillow suits properly into the hood of sleeping luggage and all however the fussiest sleeper will discover it snug. Facet sleepers, again sleepers, and abdomen sleepers ought to discover this pillow to be superb.
If something could possibly be improved it will be the outer materials that touches your pores and skin. Whereas it feels good in opposition to your pores and skin there are another ultralight pillows which have a way more plush and gentle feeling cloth however nonetheless hold the identical weight. Having mentioned that, that is the go-to ultralight pillow that I exploit proper now.
Pillow Measurement
There are two sizes within the Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow vary.
The regular-sized Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is 15.5 inches x 11 inches x 4 inches / 39 cm x 28 cm x 10 cm which is my most popular possibility. It packs right into a small stuff sack that’s sufficiently small to slot in your pocket.
The massive-sized Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is eighteen inches x 12.5 inches x 4 inches / 46 cm x 32 cm x 10 cm. It packs into a really small stuff sack.
Weight
The regular-sized Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is 2 oz / 58 grams.
The massive-sized Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is 2.8 oz / 80 grams.
Total, the burden of those makes these pillows greatest suited to ultralight hikers and backpackers who need the lightest pillow that can also be snug.
Sturdiness
The Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is an inflatable pillow that’s sturdy sufficient for a whole lot of nights of use with out difficulty. However as it’s inflatable there’s all the time the potential of getting a gap. Most of those points will likely be associated to consumer error or making an attempt to make use of it exterior in areas with spikey vegetation or packing it inside your pack close to sharp objects which will rub in opposition to the stuff sack. I counsel packing it inside your sleeping bag can be a good suggestion.
Some hikers could attempt to sit on this when it’s inflated which is a certain option to trigger injury. Should you use this product as a pillow then it’s greater than sturdy sufficient to final for a whole lot of nights of use and abuse.
The Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow comes with a restricted lifetime guarantee which is nice to know in case you do have any points. Additionally, I can verify that the customer support division is among the greatest within the enterprise.
Ease of Use
Merely take away the pillow from the stuff sack and with two or three breaths it will likely be inflated. When first utilizing the pillow you’ll want to mess around with the quantity of air contained in the pillow to find out what stress provides the very best really feel for you. After you have received that dialed in you’re good to go. The valve and mouthpiece work effectively and are easy too.
Learn how to Care For Your Pillow
After a little bit of use, there will likely be a little bit of sweat and grime on the pillow. Merely hand wash the pillow with delicate cleaning soap or tech wash to wash the pillow. Air dry earlier than storing.
Worth
In contrast with comparable camp and backpacking pillows the Therm-a-rest Airhead Lite Pillow is fairly priced and sits in the midst of the vary in comparison with different light-weight backpacking pillows. Some cheaper pillows exist and there are additionally some costlier ones. Total, respectable worth for cash.
Therm-a-rest Airhead Lite Pillow Vs the Relaxation
How does the Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow evaluate with all the opposite ultralight and light-weight backpacking pillows?
For ultralight backpackers, this is among the greatest available on the market in 2024. There are solely a few different pillows that may compete for weight, consolation, and pack dimension equivalent to these from Nemo and Sea to Summit. For anybody anticipating a pillow as snug as your one at dwelling, you could be disenchanted however there are others on the market which may be extra appropriate. Make sure you take a look at the way it compares with different ultralight backpacking pillows.
Conclusion
Total, the Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite Pillow is among the greatest ultralight backpacking and climbing pillows for 2024. A mixture of light-weight, small pack dimension, and good consolation make it a sensible choice for individuals who take into account these options to be of the utmost significance. Whereas the outer cloth is sweet and gentle to the robust it could possibly be softer. Perhaps that’s the reason another light-weight pillows are heavier because the outer materials provides rather a lot to the burden. Having mentioned that it’s a massive enchancment on earlier fashions and pillows from a few years in the past that weren’t so snug. I like this pillow a lot it’s my present ultralight pillow that I exploit for climbing and backpacking journeys. A winner.
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Often Requested Questions
Is the Thermarest Air Head Pillow any good?
Relating to ultralight backpacking pillows the Therm-a-rest Air Head Lite is among the greatest available on the market. It’s not solely light-weight however snug, and sturdy, and packs as much as a really small dimension. Excellent for backpacking.
BikeHikeSafari Gear Evaluation Course of
The creator, Brad McCartney from BikeHikeSafari is a small impartial adventurer and out of doors gear tester who owns and runs BikeHikeSafari.com.
BikeHikeSafari is just not half of a giant weblog community and is proudly impartial. All evaluations on this web site are impartial and trustworthy gear evaluations of out of doors merchandise by the creator.
The creator, Brad McCartney is a really skilled triple crown thru-hiker, adventurer, and bike tourer having spent 1000s of nights sleeping in a tent and sleeping bag (Learn extra). He was a supervisor of an out of doors retail retailer and could be very skilled in what’s vital when utilizing and testing gear for evaluations like this.
BikeHikeSafari won’t ever obtain any cash for evaluations and they don’t settle for sponsored evaluations on this web site. All of the feedback in regards to the gear evaluations are from the creator primarily based on his years of expertise. Hope this impartial evaluation was useful for you.
