Sierra Designs Sleep E-Z Pillow (Down)

I got one of these from Moabsports (i.e. "The Sock Company") after seeing it mentioned on a top 10 backpackers pillow list. It is designed to perfectly fit the head area of a mummy bag, but I use it with my rectangular sleeping bag.

It compresses well (fits into a Sea to Summit Thermolite Liner stuff sack) but doesn't go limp or flat easily like most of the other backpacking pillows out there. I tried a bunch of different pillows at an REI outlet, but most of them just went pretty flat once my head was resting on them. "This isn't what a pillow's supposed to act like." I thought. (I use a 4-5 lbs rated, thick memory foam pillow at home) So I decided to hold off and keep looking. Glad I did!

After getting my first Sleep EZ pillow I tried sleeping with it a couple of times before ordering an additional one to stuff into the pillow case with the first.

By the way: the picture of the pillow shown is the actual pillow case design. Underneath that is the actual pillow that is basically a navy blue filled with down and duck feathers. The stuff sack that comes with the pillow is the same color/design as the pillow case, and comes attached by a 3" flat cord that's sewn on to both the pillow case and the stuff sack.

Anyway the two pillows in one pillow case is my current setup and I think it's the perfect combination between packability (both stuff into the stuff sack that comes with either one) and height. One pillow alone is good - great if you're sleeping on a thick mattress (that has some give) or perhaps a hammock. But 2 put together make just the right height to sleep comfortably on ones side. I have slightly broad shoulders and with the setup of two of these in the same case together (not stuff sack, as each pillow comes with it's own cover) it creates just the perfect height required for sleeping on ones side.

Buy 1 if you never sleep on your side and just need a really comfortable pillow that compresses to the size of two fists put together.

Buy 2 if you, like me, desperately need the extra (height) support for sleeping on your side.

It took a while to fit the two pillows in the same case, but, like I said, they're compressible, and eventually I got the first one in with the second (after popping a single thread on the pillow case, admittedly) and the result was, to me the perfect backpacking pillow.

Weight: 5 oz
Fill: down
Dimensions: 11" x 6.5" x 3.5"
MSRP: $27

Pros:

The Sleep E-Z Pillow is the firmest and smallest of the down pillows tested. It has a curved shape to fit inside mummy bag hoods and sleeping bags with pillow pockets, and it comes with a very soft, removable fleece cover and permanently attached stuff sack that you can’t lose.

Cons:

Both the down and synthetic E-Z Pillows were quite firm initially, bordering on overstuffed (though some may find that a pro), but softened after some use. This small pillow is more comfortable for sleeping on your side than back, where it can feel like your head might roll off to the side. Its full size is roughly the same as its packed size, since it doesn’t compress much further inside its stuff sack. A balled up fleece or stuff sack pillow might be just as comfortable at the same size, without the added weight or cost.

Review originally published as part of Backpacking and Camping Pillow Comparison review.