I just bought a Montbell Air Pillow at a garage sale for $15. Is that a good price? It appears to be brand new and the lady I bought it from said she had only used it twice. It packs down flatter than a pancake and feels like it weighs about 2 oz. It comes with a repair kit. I've tried it at home and it's much more comfortable than a stuff sack full of clothes.
Last year I found a birthday balloon while backpacking - one of those mylar balloons. I tied it to my pack - it floated above my pack (no weight) and slept on it for two nights until it finally deflated. Free and no weight. Cannot beat that. And it was very comfortable too! I brought it out so I also earned environmental clean-up points.
thats some pretty serious trail magic! wandering daisy!
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Modern civilized man, sated with artificialities and luxury, were wont, when he returns to the primeval mountains, to find among their caves his prehistoric brother, alive and unchanged. -Guido Rey
I think you're on to something big here, Daisy. I predict that in the future ultralight backpackers will revert to carrying huge packs, mostly filled with helium.
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It's easy to be a holy man on top of a mountain. -- Larry Darrell
That's funny Daisy, I might have to try that sometime. I passed the half century mark a while back, it seems like comfort is becoming more of an issue, even if it means carrying a few extra oz. for an air pillow. I am a side sleeper with wide shoulders, and I needed something to prop my head up in line with my spine. The Montbell seems to do the trick, especially if I put it on my NeoAir instead of off the end.
Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
I have those "straw to fill" pillows too. I fill them all the way up for reading in the sac by head light at night and then let out 50% of the air for sleeping. When I wake up in the morning the pillow has usually shifted and not under my head any longer, but so what, I didn't know because I was sleeping. I also find it quite satisfactory to put my pants and shirt in the sleeping bag stuff sack and use if for a pillow. It keeps them relatively dry and warm too.
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