Cool idea; I put reflective tape on my trekking poles, at the height of my boots, so when I'm crossing streams, rivers, I can see if the water will get in my boots and if I crossing at night, my headlamp picks up the reflective tape. Saved my but more than once.
@@coachhannah2403 you could take your shoes off for crossing the river and put them back on afterwards. Not always a good idea, depending on what's on the ground of the river (animals, hurtful/slippery stones, ...)
I always carry 2 kitchen size garbage bags in my emergency kit. They weigh next to nothing. When crossing a stream I just pulled one over each leg and I can cross any stream lower then my crotch high and dry. There are plenty of other uses for these bags also if needed.
I love it. Try this. Use a red hot safety pin to poke tiny holes in a smart water bottle cap. About 10 to 12 should do it. Place the cap on the bottle and use this to wash your hands or you can warm it next to a fire or in your cook pot and use it to basically shower. Using this technique I can completely shower with biodegradable soap from head to toe using a single liter of water. I sleep much better when I am clean.
@@davidtrindle6473 A "Smart" water bottle is the bottle that comes with the name brand of bottled water called "Smart". The bottle cap is, well, the bottle cap. I would think take another cap and have one cap with holes and one without (for regular use).
@@davidtrindle6473 it is the cap from a bottle of Smart Water brand of bottled water. Many hikers use these instead of Nalgene and other brands if water bottles because they are basically free, Andes than half the weight. Also very strong and durable.
I carry an extra cap just in case the bottle cap cracks. When people first started using Smart and other one-use water bottles, folks would test their durability by dropping them off the roof and seeing how well the bottle held up (comparing it to a Nalgene). When the bottles broke, it was almost always because of a crack in the lid. I carry an extra now, just in case.
Been doing the same for a while now. Another hack....slide your rain jacket over your pad and footbox. Extra warmth and a great way to keep condensation off your footbox.
I have just crossed half the Pyrenees and fought with my pillow almost every night. I wish I had seen this video before but I sincerely want to thank you for this wonderful hack
Nice. My Hack: I love to have trail mix and drinkables (coffee, juice etc.) while I am actually hiking. So, I had a belly pack that has drink holders on each side. I modified it to so my hip straps snap into each side of it. This way I don't have to stop for access to everything from hot coffee, water, trail mix, glasses, gloves, phone, charger, TP (as Kleenexes) harmonica etc. I even keep my water filter in there. It actually helps to keep the weight distributed better on my hips. I think they really should make all packs like this in the first place. I use a small used plastic peanut butter jar as my coffee cup. I can twist off the lid and have a sip and twist it back on to hike without spills. This cup/jar can be cleaned easily by adding water, putting the lid back on, shake vigorously and dumping it out. Voilà!
@@chrisfinley I don't think there is any way to send pictures in CZcams comments. Otherwise I would be glad to show you how it works. I used a sewing machine and a second set of buckles from an old pack.
Another simple hack- sew a small piece of brillo pad around/through the little hole at the end of the sea to summit long handle spork. Super easy to scrub out your pot!
Bow hunter here. I mostly base camp on National Forest one to two miles from the truck by backpack or canoe. My tip: I use a cheap cloth/foam bow case from walmart to carry my bow in when strapped to my pack. I can open it up and lay it on top of my ridgerest pad for extra padding/insulation. Works awesome. Love your channel.
Hack to share: a piece of reflectix (sort of thin, tough silver mylar bubble wrap), 18"x18", makes my stuff sacks easier to stand and fill, and is my sit pad and helps my boots or shoes dry at night (vs the cold/dewy ground) and is the place to step out of my hammock onto (to keep my socks dry/cleaner).
Hey man, thanks for the shout out! It's weird seeing an old video of mine... lol. I remember getting this idea on top of Max Patch one night... it's funny how things just come to us. Anyway, glad that you were able to make use of the pillow idea and evolve it even farther. Now with some of the materials used for rain jackets (such as the Vertice) I think that would be a great idea to use it, or my puffy instead of a dirty shirt to hold the pillow in place. Now I just gotta get back out and do some more backpacking though! By the way, I really enjoyed the videos you had from the recent TGO challenge.. I really wanted to go on that, but life happens. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!
Same. And then all my middle-of-the night stuff, such as flashlight and hand sanitizer, go right in the opening of my boots. Nice and handy for a groggy call of nature.
Cool hack thanks. My Hack. In Winter, I boil water (about 750ml) and pour it into my 1 litre Nalgene water bottle. This goues into a sock before I pop it into the foot box of my sleeping bag. Doing this about 20 minutes before bedtime will see you jump into a nice warm bag. Cheers Gary
I do this regularly at home too, as I keep thermostat as low as possible. We use bubble bath bottles that are sort of flat rectangles - cheap and leakproof. Makes for coziness!
Great idea. You taught me how to use my trekking poles from your video, that’s why I watch you. I’m happy with my bulky thermarest pillow. It’s just too comfortable. Thanks though. One hack of mine is using a string with my poles to make a clothesline to dry things. Go through the loops on the handles and down to the ground and connect to a tent stake or other object. 😊
I multitask silicone stretch lids (with tabs trimmed) as a pot holder/lifter ,food lid, hot liquid lip protector (small holes punched), contents keeper, and noodle strainer for my cook pot.
I did kind of a reverse of this on the AT. When I was worried about getting moisture build up on my down quilt in my zpacks duplex tent I would use my rain jacket in the same way and put my foot box in it to keep it from getting wet when it would touch the tent wall.
Two possible ways to hack your hack... 1. Turn the rain jacket inside out, so that the towelling material inner is what your skin rests on. 2. Once you've zipped the rain jacket up, rotate it to one side, so that the zipper is on the edge of the mattress. This might prevent zipper-neck or zipper-cheek.
Its not gear. After setting up the tent I lift it and dig a shallow recesses where my butt goes. It adds alittle contour. Very nice for side and back sleeping.
I’ve put this idea to use lately and it’s a total game changer! Thank you so much for sharing it! I sleep on my side and even with the huge pillow I bring it isn’t enough to put my head and neck in the right position so I’m using a light T-shirt and stuffing my down jacket in it as well and it’s perfect. And no zippers! Thanks again for the super helpful video.
My pillow never moves around ticked into the top of my mummy bag but some don't have a mummy bag. I also have a pillowcase cut in half that stays around the pillow when it is deflated and they both stay in the mouth of the sleeping bag stuff sack. It's worked great for 600+ miles. I'm also not *ultralight* but have a 12 lbs base weight but I tend to pack a lot less food than just about everyone else I meet so it's a wash at the start of a hike but not at the end of a section. I put everything I have available under the air mattress with the pack itself under my knees or feet. I even use my food bag for either a pillow or under my knees.
I carry a Cuban fiber bag I got from somewhere. It has fleece sewn on one side. I put my puffy jacket in that dry bag. Then I put a strip of corresponding Velcro on both the dry bag and the blow up pillow. It keeps my quilt dry when it's not a comfy pillow. Love your videos.
This may not help anyone else, but if you have back issues while hiking then using trekking poles are fantastic. It seems to balance my stride enough to keep my back from hurting on long days. It's specific, but if it can help anyone else then I'm happy to share.
Also, if you hike in the southeast and follow Dixie's rule of never leaving home without a down jacket I do about 3.5 seasons here with just a quilt that doubles as a jacket(wind hard tiny). I don't recommend this for cold sleepers or anyone north of say Tennessee, but it works for me.
Just an extra bit...place your pillow on the mat, half zip your jacket up, and then turn the sleeves inside out, so they are now inside the jacket. There's your extra padding without having to add another garment. Fully zip the jacket up and it's off to dreamland!
Nice hack, but I can‘t imagine feeling good with my cheek (side sleeper!) against a rain jacket material, or even against my down jacket‘s shell. But my fleece jacket will do the trick perfectly as the outside shell, with my down jacket (same as yours) stuffed inside, provided I‘m not wearing it to stay warm. Thanks!
Love this idea and I’m DEFINITELY going to try this even though the new trekology pillows come with a band to hold them in place. Love it, saves me some weight.
I use a blow up neck pillow and put my stuffed down puffy in the space my neck would go. I will now ADD the rain jacket around the pad! thanks for sharing the hack. Gotta get the best sleep possible.
Nice hack. Since I'm 6'3" and use a short pad in summer, my empty pack goes under my head suspension-up and the pillow on top of that suspension. In winter I use the same system with a standard 72" pad and it gives me enough extension to keep my feet on top of the pad instead of groundcloth on top snow or rain-soaked ground.
My favorite gear hack that I use when I’m sleeping is I will fold my zlite pad in half (torso length) to double the cushion and R-Value which works great on those really cold nights. If I ever need to cover my feet, I’ll use my pack
What a great idea! About 6 months ago I bought an air pillow from Trekology that has an elastic strap attached to the bottom of the pillow that wraps around your pad and keeps the pillow perfectly in place. But I still find that I need more loft on the pillow. So I just throw some extra clothes / puffy jacket under the pillow and that works just fine.
Great idea, am going to use that. Thanks 😀. My tip: don't buy the expensive coffee sachets, just pour some coffee into little spice pot eg. The Systema ones, guestimate how much to pour in your cup. Works great and no trash to pack out
I just came back from a trip to Chattanooga state park. This would have been awesome there. I kept waking up with my head flat on the ground and my pillow off to the side. Thanks for this great idea.
This is fantastic! This is the thing I struggle with the most when backpacking. I constantly feel like I’m straining to reach my pillow. I will definitely give this a go 👍 you da man
AMAZING!! This could not have popped up at a better time as I am getting ready for a backpacking trip in a couple of days and have been experimenting a few different ways to keep my pillow in place. For those that carry a fleece on the trail, that may be a nice option to use instead of a puffy or rain jacket for a nicer softer feel on your head and neck (if you use a quilt that is). Thanks for this info - I will most definitely be trying this.
My sleeping mat is narrow and need extra width. I thought about 2 of the army air tubes one each side. Held in place with a inner sheet. Any ideas besides gettihg thinner?
I hammock camp now but back in the tent days when I used a mummy bag, which was made from slick material, it would slide all over my pad an in the morning if on. A slight slope, I would slide half off my pad. So I placed some thin silicone caulk dots on the pad which prevented everything from sliding around. 🤘
All three hacks--t-shirt, rain jacket, down jacket--are new to me. Of the three, I like the t-shirt hack. I wouldn't want oils from my face to get on my jackets. Thanks for the info.
loving the background dude...cool blazes..great hack for sure...hope all is well with ya...and CHAD coming through with the idear ..im gonna try it myself ...good stuff..
I use an inflatable pillow all the time. I have found that it does not need to be inflated all that much for it to be comfortable. I have worked out that I can keep the valve at my right shoulder and gently deflate the pillow until I find the sweet spot. Sometimes I need i higher,sometimes lower. Using the pillow on a permanent basis gives me a feeling of familiarity which helps me to sleep better in the outdoors.
It's not really a hack, but I and my wife/kids are able to just carry one sleeping bag between the two of us. Instead of carrying two sleeping bags that zips together, we just sew a second pair of zippers to some fabric that zips up to the sleeping bag the same way as another sleeping bag. We then orient the fabric to the bottom (toward the sleeping pad) and now the bottom of the sleeping bag can be used like a blanket for one of you. One side is higher than the other because the hood will now be on one of your face, but if you're sleeping with somebody much shorter, it's okay.
Such a simple and amazing idea I been having so much trouble with this and another problem I have is air mat moving around thinking of using a not slip tape or something on the bottom
This is what I do also. You can get cheap buffs at Walmart in a set of 2 for under $4 (in the women's accessories). They work great as pillow covers, and i use a small narrow inflatable pillow, so the buff fits great.
I wouldn't call it a hack, but I really enjoy having spare boot and shoe laces for tying up and fastening items. Also feed laces through binder clips' silver hooks/loops, and you have an awesome clothesline for keeping clothes in place.
My pillow was a balaclava that I stuffed with my hiking shirt. Not the most comfortable and wasn't fluffy enough. So I just bought a pillow that as you noted moves around a lot... until I try your hack that is. Thanks for sharing!
With my Neoair mattress, I pile some extra clothes and gear UNDER the mattress where my head lays. It lifts up the edge to create a pillow. With the gear being under the mattress, the "pillow" will have a consistent feeling with no bumps against your head. It also enables me to sleep comfortably close or even slightly over the edge of the mattress. I'm 6'1 and I feel I have plenty of length on my 6'0 mattress. This hack seems to work well on neoair mattresses where the baffles run along the short side. Not sure how it would work on mattresses with baffles running the long way as the mattress might not bend nicely at the edge. The stuff may also slide a bit on slippery tent floors, but I've worked around it by having the gear positioned against the head end bathtub floor so it has no place to escape. You could probably use your pack, shoes or even cook kit against the bathtub. I get a great nights sleep with this hack and it saves the weight of a separate pillow.
I like the coat and pillow hack, only I'd put the zipper under the mat. The pillow I use is also inflatable, but C-shape to support my neck, and support my cheek when sleeping on my side. Fill 3/4 full and it can still be bunched up like a regular pillow. Alternatively, if I'll want a camp seat too I use the Klymit Cush. It's long but crushes down small, and has the added advantage of being folded into a seat pad, and if it's muddy, flip it over and sleep on the dry side as a pillow. But the C-shape travel pillow is my fave. I use them on my bed at home.
This is such a great hack! It might be more comfortable to set up everything upside down (lay your rain jacket flat on the floor of your tent, then fold your down jacket into a pad above that, then lay your sleeping pad upside down on the top and zip up the rain jacket). This would mean that the zipper would be underneath the pad and not under your head :D
Hiking in the UK my rain jacket is often wet and I need it if I need a pee when it's raining. I sleep cold so apart from balmy summer hikes I wear my down jacket to bed.
Cool idea; I put reflective tape on my trekking poles, at the height of my boots, so when I'm crossing streams, rivers, I can see if the water will get in my boots and if I crossing at night, my headlamp picks up the reflective tape. Saved my but more than once.
Nice.
If you don't wear boots they don't get wet and you don't have to worry about it though ;-)
brimstone33 - I’m a total weenie. I could never hike barefoot...
@@coachhannah2403 you could take your shoes off for crossing the river and put them back on afterwards. Not always a good idea, depending on what's on the ground of the river (animals, hurtful/slippery stones, ...)
TheMatschkind - Back when I was young and stupid, I carried Chacos for camp shoe and river crossings. Too heavy...
I always carry 2 kitchen size garbage bags in my emergency kit. They weigh next to nothing. When crossing a stream I just pulled one over each leg and I can cross any stream lower then my crotch high and dry. There are plenty of other uses for these bags also if needed.
I love it. Try this. Use a red hot safety pin to poke tiny holes in a smart water bottle cap. About 10 to 12 should do it. Place the cap on the bottle and use this to wash your hands or you can warm it next to a fire or in your cook pot and use it to basically shower. Using this technique I can completely shower with biodegradable soap from head to toe using a single liter of water. I sleep much better when I am clean.
David Schuetz good one! Whats a smart water bottle cap?
@@davidtrindle6473 A "Smart" water bottle is the bottle that comes with the name brand of bottled water called "Smart". The bottle cap is, well, the bottle cap. I would think take another cap and have one cap with holes and one without (for regular use).
Super clever, thank you!
@@davidtrindle6473 it is the cap from a bottle of Smart Water brand of bottled water. Many hikers use these instead of Nalgene and other brands if water bottles because they are basically free, Andes than half the weight. Also very strong and durable.
I carry an extra cap just in case the bottle cap cracks. When people first started using Smart and other one-use water bottles, folks would test their durability by dropping them off the roof and seeing how well the bottle held up (comparing it to a Nalgene). When the bottles broke, it was almost always because of a crack in the lid. I carry an extra now, just in case.
Been doing the same for a while now. Another hack....slide your rain jacket over your pad and footbox. Extra warmth and a great way to keep condensation off your footbox.
@@23chnge No, but it would if its too warm to have your footbox covered.
I saved my feet one super cold winter night in the Rockies when the temperature dipped down to -22....wrapped my puffy down jacket around my feet👍
Breast milk zip lock bags! They are tuff as, can be boiled, frozen and seal with a water tight zip. Great to store almost anything.
Great hack, a suggestion, reverse your rain or down jacket so the zipper is on the bottom of your pad.
Nice Hack! My favorite hack is using a very small 7 day pill case for my spices. Gotta kick the food up a notch while on trail.
I have just crossed half the Pyrenees and fought with my pillow almost every night. I wish I had seen this video before but I sincerely want to thank you for this wonderful hack
Nice. My Hack: I love to have trail mix and drinkables (coffee, juice etc.) while I am actually hiking. So, I had a belly pack that has drink holders on each side. I modified it to so my hip straps snap into each side of it. This way I don't have to stop for access to everything from hot coffee, water, trail mix, glasses, gloves, phone, charger, TP (as Kleenexes) harmonica etc. I even keep my water filter in there. It actually helps to keep the weight distributed better on my hips. I think they really should make all packs like this in the first place.
I use a small used plastic peanut butter jar as my coffee cup. I can twist off the lid and have a sip and twist it back on to hike without spills. This cup/jar can be cleaned easily by adding water, putting the lid back on, shake vigorously and dumping it out. Voilà!
I'd love to see a picture of it, especially the drink holders. Thanks.
@@chrisfinley I don't think there is any way to send pictures in CZcams comments. Otherwise I would be glad to show you how it works. I used a sewing machine and a second set of buckles from an old pack.
Another simple hack- sew a small piece of brillo pad around/through the little hole at the end of the sea to summit long handle spork. Super easy to scrub out your pot!
Bow hunter here. I mostly base camp on National Forest one to two miles from the truck by backpack or canoe. My tip: I use a cheap cloth/foam bow case from walmart to carry my bow in when strapped to my pack. I can open it up and lay it on top of my ridgerest pad for extra padding/insulation. Works awesome. Love your channel.
Hack to share: a piece of reflectix (sort of thin, tough silver mylar bubble wrap), 18"x18", makes my stuff sacks easier to stand and fill, and is my sit pad and helps my boots or shoes dry at night (vs the cold/dewy ground) and is the place to step out of my hammock onto (to keep my socks dry/cleaner).
In Florida, when it’s 90 degrees at night, I pour water into my bandana and put it on my forehead to cool me off as I try to fall asleep.
Hey man, thanks for the shout out! It's weird seeing an old video of mine... lol. I remember getting this idea on top of Max Patch one night... it's funny how things just come to us. Anyway, glad that you were able to make use of the pillow idea and evolve it even farther. Now with some of the materials used for rain jackets (such as the Vertice) I think that would be a great idea to use it, or my puffy instead of a dirty shirt to hold the pillow in place. Now I just gotta get back out and do some more backpacking though! By the way, I really enjoyed the videos you had from the recent TGO challenge.. I really wanted to go on that, but life happens. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!
Thanks Stick! Thanks for the inspiration man!
👍
You can also get a bit more loft by wedging the toes of your hiking shoes under the head-end of your sleeping pad.
Same. And then all my middle-of-the night stuff, such as flashlight and hand sanitizer, go right in the opening of my boots. Nice and handy for a groggy call of nature.
Cool hack thanks.
My Hack.
In Winter, I boil water (about 750ml) and pour it into my 1 litre Nalgene water bottle. This goues into a sock before I pop it into the foot box of my sleeping bag. Doing this about 20 minutes before bedtime will see you jump into a nice warm bag.
Cheers
Gary
I do this regularly at home too, as I keep thermostat as low as possible. We use bubble bath bottles that are sort of flat rectangles - cheap and leakproof. Makes for coziness!
Consider putting the sleeves of your down jacket INSIDE the jacket when you zip it up and cross the sleeves either over or under the pillow.
Superglue empty tic tac containers for holding salt and spices.
Great idea. You taught me how to use my trekking poles from your video, that’s why I watch you. I’m happy with my bulky thermarest pillow. It’s just too comfortable. Thanks though. One hack of mine is using a string with my poles to make a clothesline to dry things. Go through the loops on the handles and down to the ground and connect to a tent stake or other object. 😊
I multitask silicone stretch lids (with tabs trimmed) as a pot holder/lifter ,food lid, hot liquid lip protector (small holes punched), contents keeper, and noodle strainer for my cook pot.
I did kind of a reverse of this on the AT. When I was worried about getting moisture build up on my down quilt in my zpacks duplex tent I would use my rain jacket in the same way and put my foot box in it to keep it from getting wet when it would touch the tent wall.
I love that hack! I would use the rain jacket because I would certainly drool all over my down jacket...
LOL I was just thinking the same thing. Not to mention how nasty your hair can get on a long trip.
Two possible ways to hack your hack...
1. Turn the rain jacket inside out, so that the towelling material inner is what your skin rests on.
2. Once you've zipped the rain jacket up, rotate it to one side, so that the zipper is on the edge of the mattress. This might prevent zipper-neck or zipper-cheek.
Its not gear. After setting up the tent I lift it and dig a shallow recesses where my butt goes. It adds alittle contour. Very nice for side and back sleeping.
I’ve put this idea to use lately and it’s a total game changer! Thank you so much for sharing it! I sleep on my side and even with the huge pillow I bring it isn’t enough to put my head and neck in the right position so I’m using a light T-shirt and stuffing my down jacket in it as well and it’s perfect. And no zippers! Thanks again for the super helpful video.
My pillow never moves around ticked into the top of my mummy bag but some don't have a mummy bag. I also have a pillowcase cut in half that stays around the pillow when it is deflated and they both stay in the mouth of the sleeping bag stuff sack. It's worked great for 600+ miles. I'm also not *ultralight* but have a 12 lbs base weight but I tend to pack a lot less food than just about everyone else I meet so it's a wash at the start of a hike but not at the end of a section. I put everything I have available under the air mattress with the pack itself under my knees or feet. I even use my food bag for either a pillow or under my knees.
I hate when my sleeping bag slides off my air pad . My hack is to cut a small pieace of non slip rug pad under my sleeping bag .
Mind blown! This is fantastic and it will keep my pillow from taking off on me while I sleep!
I use a buff as a pillow case and add my Thermarest seat cushion to raise it.
I carry a Cuban fiber bag I got from somewhere. It has fleece sewn on one side. I put my puffy jacket in that dry bag. Then I put a strip of corresponding Velcro on both the dry bag and the blow up pillow. It keeps my quilt dry when it's not a comfy pillow. Love your videos.
This may not help anyone else, but if you have back issues while hiking then using trekking poles are fantastic. It seems to balance my stride enough to keep my back from hurting on long days. It's specific, but if it can help anyone else then I'm happy to share.
Also, if you hike in the southeast and follow Dixie's rule of never leaving home without a down jacket I do about 3.5 seasons here with just a quilt that doubles as a jacket(wind hard tiny). I don't recommend this for cold sleepers or anyone north of say Tennessee, but it works for me.
Just an extra bit...place your pillow on the mat, half zip your jacket up, and then turn the sleeves inside out, so they are now inside the jacket. There's your extra padding without having to add another garment. Fully zip the jacket up and it's off to dreamland!
Great idea!
Nice hack, but I can‘t imagine feeling good with my cheek (side sleeper!) against a rain jacket material, or even against my down jacket‘s shell. But my fleece jacket will do the trick perfectly as the outside shell, with my down jacket (same as yours) stuffed inside, provided I‘m not wearing it to stay warm. Thanks!
Love this idea and I’m DEFINITELY going to try this even though the new trekology pillows come with a band to hold them in place. Love it, saves me some weight.
Silk sleeping bag liner makes a brilliant scarf if you find it annoying in the bag. I tend to get cold round my shoulders and i find this works well
I use a blow up neck pillow and put my stuffed down puffy in the space my neck would go. I will now ADD the rain jacket around the pad! thanks for sharing the hack. Gotta get the best sleep possible.
Genius!!!!! So simple, yet genius! Thanks for the tip. Last trip I kept chasing my damn blow up pillow all over the tent. LOL
Nice hack. Since I'm 6'3" and use a short pad in summer, my empty pack goes under my head suspension-up and the pillow on top of that suspension. In winter I use the same system with a standard 72" pad and it gives me enough extension to keep my feet on top of the pad instead of groundcloth on top snow or rain-soaked ground.
Just got back from a 6 night camp and as always my pillow seemed to be everywhere but under my head. Excellent hack and thank you for sharing.
Funny, I discovered this on my own out of necessity on a car camping trip last week. I agree, absolute GAME CHANGER for getting better sleep!
My favorite gear hack that I use when I’m sleeping is I will fold my zlite pad in half (torso length) to double the cushion and R-Value which works great on those really cold nights. If I ever need to cover my feet, I’ll use my pack
Great idea! I think I would also put a shirt on over the rain jacket to have a more comfortable fabric touching the face.
Thanks Bigfoot! Awesome ideas that I will use for sure. I'm excited to go out and try it!
Thanks for sharing this fabulous idea. Greatly improves one of the issues of sleeping soundly on trail.
What a great idea! About 6 months ago I bought an air pillow from Trekology that has an elastic strap attached to the bottom of the pillow that wraps around your pad and keeps the pillow perfectly in place. But I still find that I need more loft on the pillow. So I just throw some extra clothes / puffy jacket under the pillow and that works just fine.
Great idea, am going to use that. Thanks 😀. My tip: don't buy the expensive coffee sachets, just pour some coffee into little spice pot eg. The Systema ones, guestimate how much to pour in your cup. Works great and no trash to pack out
I just came back from a trip to Chattanooga state park. This would have been awesome there. I kept waking up with my head flat on the ground and my pillow off to the side. Thanks for this great idea.
This is fantastic! This is the thing I struggle with the most when backpacking. I constantly feel like I’m straining to reach my pillow. I will definitely give this a go 👍 you da man
Never have a problem losing my pillow. I guess this is an advantage to having a huge melon head.
Hahah
Great hack! Off topic here, but would love an update on your keto journey. You look super healthy!
AMAZING!! This could not have popped up at a better time as I am getting ready for a backpacking trip in a couple of days and have been experimenting a few different ways to keep my pillow in place. For those that carry a fleece on the trail, that may be a nice option to use instead of a puffy or rain jacket for a nicer softer feel on your head and neck (if you use a quilt that is). Thanks for this info - I will most definitely be trying this.
Another great video with another great tip! Thanks!
Great idea. I’m doing this as soon as I get back on trail. Taking a couple zeroes at Cascade Locks right now.
Brilliant! Will definetely do it and share it with my friends !! Thanks :)
Good vid. I do something similar, but I use my kerchief (shemagh) wrapped around my pillow and pad instead...
My sleeping mat is narrow and need extra width. I thought about 2 of the army air tubes one each side. Held in place with a inner sheet.
Any ideas besides gettihg thinner?
Dude - awesome idea. I loved my pillow I used on my AT thru hike but it would slide around. Can’t wait to try this.
I hammock camp now but back in the tent days when I used a mummy bag, which was made from slick material, it would slide all over my pad an in the morning if on. A slight slope, I would slide half off my pad. So I placed some thin silicone caulk dots on the pad which prevented everything from sliding around. 🤘
Hah awesone idea! I just installed velcro on my pillow to keep it from moving!
All three hacks--t-shirt, rain jacket, down jacket--are new to me. Of the three, I like the t-shirt hack. I wouldn't want oils from my face to get on my jackets. Thanks for the info.
Awesome hack! I need a lofty pillow and this does the trick. Thanks, Brother!
Everything has multiple purposes. I use sleeping bag stuff sack and stuff it with soft items for a pillow and put it under sleeping bag and/or pad.
loving the background dude...cool blazes..great hack for sure...hope all is well with ya...and CHAD coming through with the idear ..im gonna try it myself ...good stuff..
Nice! I like my Trekology pillow, which has a handy strap to keep the pillow on the pad.
I use my buff but have found that it stretches the buff. In the winter I sleep with my down but maybe the rain jacket with a shirt. Good tip.
Great idea. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say. Will defo try this next time I'm out. Thanks for sharing
Great hack, THANK YOU for sharing!
I use an inflatable pillow all the time. I have found that it does not need to be inflated all that much for it to be comfortable. I have worked out that I can keep the valve at my right shoulder and gently deflate the pillow until I find the sweet spot. Sometimes I need i higher,sometimes lower. Using the pillow on a permanent basis gives me a feeling of familiarity which helps me to sleep better in the outdoors.
It's not really a hack, but I and my wife/kids are able to just carry one sleeping bag between the two of us. Instead of carrying two sleeping bags that zips together, we just sew a second pair of zippers to some fabric that zips up to the sleeping bag the same way as another sleeping bag. We then orient the fabric to the bottom (toward the sleeping pad) and now the bottom of the sleeping bag can be used like a blanket for one of you. One side is higher than the other because the hood will now be on one of your face, but if you're sleeping with somebody much shorter, it's okay.
Great idea with the raincoat. I will try it. Got extra loft I take even hard items and put them under my pillow. I’m a side sleeper so I need loft
Simply brilliant!
Such a simple and amazing idea I been having so much trouble with this and another problem I have is air mat moving around thinking of using a not slip tape or something on the bottom
Awesome hack!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Brilliant, now im thinking why I haven't been seeing this hack myself. Thx for sharing the hack
I just fill up my backpack with my remaining gear items and on top I lay my pillow. It also adds some extre length to your sleeping mattress.
My hack is just a buff on my inflatable pillow to make it softer. And I under inflate the pillow.
That’s what I do too.
This is what I do also. You can get cheap buffs at Walmart in a set of 2 for under $4 (in the women's accessories). They work great as pillow covers, and i use a small narrow inflatable pillow, so the buff fits great.
I also do this and stuff my sit pad under my pillow inside the buff for a little extra pillow height
Never thought to do this. I'll definitely implement this hack!
I wouldn't call it a hack, but I really enjoy having spare boot and shoe laces for tying up and fastening items.
Also feed laces through binder clips' silver hooks/loops, and you have an awesome clothesline for keeping clothes in place.
Nice!!trying that on my next hike !!!sweet
My pillow was a balaclava that I stuffed with my hiking shirt. Not the most comfortable and wasn't fluffy enough. So I just bought a pillow that as you noted moves around a lot... until I try your hack that is. Thanks for sharing!
Man I love this I never thought of it going to try next time thanks a lot for sharing
This really works well!
With my Neoair mattress, I pile some extra clothes and gear UNDER the mattress where my head lays. It lifts up the edge to create a pillow. With the gear being under the mattress, the "pillow" will have a consistent feeling with no bumps against your head. It also enables me to sleep comfortably close or even slightly over the edge of the mattress. I'm 6'1 and I feel I have plenty of length on my 6'0 mattress.
This hack seems to work well on neoair mattresses where the baffles run along the short side. Not sure how it would work on mattresses with baffles running the long way as the mattress might not bend nicely at the edge. The stuff may also slide a bit on slippery tent floors, but I've worked around it by having the gear positioned against the head end bathtub floor so it has no place to escape. You could probably use your pack, shoes or even cook kit against the bathtub.
I get a great nights sleep with this hack and it saves the weight of a separate pillow.
LOVE it. Thanks
Brilliant idea! 👍🏼
Two six inchwide strips, or one 2x6" patch, of VELCRO will hold that pillow tight all night. And they can stay attached when you pack them.
Excellent. Going to try this one out!
Great hack Rory/Sticks
I like the coat and pillow hack, only I'd put the zipper under the mat. The pillow I use is also inflatable, but C-shape to support my neck, and support my cheek when sleeping on my side. Fill 3/4 full and it can still be bunched up like a regular pillow. Alternatively, if I'll want a camp seat too I use the Klymit Cush. It's long but crushes down small, and has the added advantage of being folded into a seat pad, and if it's muddy, flip it over and sleep on the dry side as a pillow. But the C-shape travel pillow is my fave. I use them on my bed at home.
Splendid advice and that's why a subscribe to your channel. Im bikepacking and did test this 2 weeks ago and it was amazing!!!
Excellent 👍
This is such a great hack! It might be more comfortable to set up everything upside down (lay your rain jacket flat on the floor of your tent, then fold your down jacket into a pad above that, then lay your sleeping pad upside down on the top and zip up the rain jacket). This would mean that the zipper would be underneath the pad and not under your head :D
Great idea!
fantastic. thanks!
A few Velcro dots work wonders. No way I'd use my down jacket cos I dribble too much😁
Rain jacket kinda guy aye 🤤
Awesome! Id use the rain jacket...coz I'm a drooler 🤤🤣🤣
Great info great hack I will use it from now on
Hiking in the UK my rain jacket is often wet and I need it if I need a pee when it's raining. I sleep cold so apart from balmy summer hikes I wear my down jacket to bed.
Sounds like a great idea
Nice job on that back drop. Seriously.. it works.
I'll keep this nice hack in mind.This gets two 👍👍😊