inflatable pillow fabric

I wonder if anyone has had any experience making their own inflatable pillows - or mats or some such? I have several old pillows and the failure has been not the valve but either the fabric itself or the seams.

Because the volume is not that great I have been thinking of using dyneema? Or perhaps a windproof nylon or poly would do?

What do you think?

Wind generally doesn't produce the sort of constant pressure per square inch that would be produced by your head pressing on an inflated pillow all night, so I'd be very surprised if a pillow made of "windproof" nylon would hold air until morning. Even some "waterproof" fabrics might fail that test, since water molecules are larger than the atoms that make up a large percentage of the air.

I guess I could write to the likes of RipStopByTheRoll and get their suggestions. They have a 'windproof' fabric section but even 'waterproof' is not entirely 'proofed.'

Perhaps some kind of plastic?
I am sure it can be done - just a matter of getting the right fabric and adhesive.

I'm in the camp of most fabrics will not hold air. At least one fellow sewed silk tubes into which he inserted balloons. You could try that, but inflating the balloons each night is a pain and untying the knots is not always successful. I have had some luck in using "flattish" mylar balloons as pillows. I wrap my inflatable pillow in my down sweater and put the whole thing into my pillowcase-stuff sack made from Tyvek. Tyvek gets softer and quieter with use and washing.

There was a person who used to make inflatable sleeping pads out of dyneema, so I assume that would work for a pillow. But I personally know nothing about fabrics and such.

I've made a pillow out of a box wine bladder by heat sealing a seam or two down the length of it so it wasn't too thick when inflated. However, it really wasn't as comfortable as commercial offerings. A different seam pattern might work better, but...

If I were to get really serious about making my own, I'd try TPU coated ripstop. You can order it from diypackraft.

Good luck.

I have used box-bladders - the difference I think is between a plastic (vinyl?) sheet and a coated fabric.

Unfortunately DiyPackraft stopped fabric sales (as of April 2020). Does anyone know of an alternative outlet?

Some of the diypackraft forum members live in countries with high import taxes and have mentioned alternative sources. You might find something that way. Regarding the box bladder pillow I made; I made a pillow case for it with one side being thin fleece, and the other being a light weight ripstop nylon.

I am experimenting with seam welding plastic film. So far the results are encouraging. I will experiment with glue sprays and figure that adhering fabric will cut down the noise.

Did you hear about the paper cowboy?
Got arrested for rustling.

I will start a new thread on the plastic file approach.
Cheers.

How do you clean inflatable pillows?
Regular laundry soap will work fine. Immerse the pillow into the soapy water and knead it gently with your hands. Once you're confident that the pillow is clean, repeat the above procedure with clean water to rinse the soap from the pillow's face fabric; you may need to rinse a couple of times.

Fastest, easiest, cheapest, maybe lightest DIY pillow:

Recycle Tyvek mailing envelopes into a stuffsack/pillowcase. Insert a reclaimed/recycled mylar balloon and inflate it as desired. You will need a straw and something to keep the balloon closed. Stuff a down sweater around the balloon. Close the bag. By day, use the stuff sack to hold night needs, maybe the down sweater. I used to carry a silk outfit as town/camp/sleep clothes. This was when silk was more commonly used and I could find silk clothing in thrift shops. Now I might sew something from one of our new lightweight miracle fabrics to wear. I'm mostly van camping now.