A good night’s sleep always helps on expedition so it’s important to have a sleeping bag designed to give you comfort at the lowest minimum temperature. There’s plenty of choice, so it pays to look around and work out what’s right for your adventure. Most sleeping bags are rated for how many seasons they are useful: – 1 or 2 = summer – 3 = spring or autumn – 4 or 5 = winter or extreme cold Check the temperature range for which the sleeping bag can offer you comfort and safety. Remember, there’s no need for a heavy 4-season bag if you’re sleeping in a warm location in summer. An outdoor sleeping bag is usually made of synthetic or down material. Synthetic is cheaper and heavier, and offers more insulation when wet. Down is light, compact and very warm – but more expensive and only insulates when dry. Versatile for all levels Lifeventure Cotton AXP Sleepers All Duke of Edinburgh’s Award recommended sleeping bags are snug ‘mummy’ shape for outdoor use, with compression sacks to pack small.
A 3-season bag should be fine for any Award level. Sleeping mats give you extra insulation and comfort when camping. Use standard padded mats, or self-inflating mats for that extra level of comfort. A yoga or pilates mat isn’t suitable for sleeping outdoors. You may only need a three-quarter length mat to keep your shoulders and waist comfy. Ways to save money on your DofE expedition A good sleeping bag can last you for many years, be a really great value addition to your camping kit, and there are lots of ways to keep your kit costs down: Don’t spend loads on a 4-season sleeping bag if you’re only going for a short trip in a warm climate Use a silk or cotton liner in your sleeping bag to cheaply add an extra season – these are also suitable if you are borrowing someone else’s bag Borrowing someone’s sleeping mat is fine and can be a real cost-saver Use our exclusive DofE Reward Card to get your 15% discount* in all Cotswold Outdoor stores and online
REI’s Self-Inflating Travel Pillow will keep you comfortable both on and off the road. The versatile inflatable pillow has an additional foam filling and durable cover so you can use it on a plane, in a tent or in a pinch if your hotel pillow just won’t do. We’ve got just one sizable complaint. Read on to find out. Check out my best travel pillow page for more recommendations. REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) is a well-known and reputable outdoor gear, clothing, and footwear company. They sell a wide array of camping and travel products from several brand names including their own. The REI self-inflating pillow is a durable and good-looking travel and camping pillow. The pillow’s filling is a combination of air and foam, which makes it extra comfortable and slightly more responsive than a pillow that is only inflatable. The shape and the filling of the pillow reminded me of both the Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow and the AirComfy Inflatable Travel Pillow.
The pillow inflates itself very quickly and I like that I can add extra air manually if I want it to be super firm. The valve is also pretty easy to use and there are instructions on the valve itself so you know how to pull and/or twist it on and off to inflate or deflate. There are also detailed instructions and extra tips on the back of the packaging the pillow comes with. It includes helpful information for storing (make sure you to leave the valve open!). The silicone striping on the back of the pillow is unique and not something I’ve seen in other travel pillows. I think it is especially handy for this pillow specifically because the stretch-knit polyester fabric cover is soft and comfortable but is prone to slipping. This will definitely help keep your pillow in place if you have it up against the window of a plane or car. The pillow is not machine washable or dryer-friendly and the care instructions are a bit detailed. REI says you should fully inflate the pillow and use a soft brush with mild detergent to clean it.
Then rinse it off, towel and air dry. It will take some time to get the pillow fully cleaned and dried so that’s worth keeping in mind if you’re a frequent traveler. Another way you can protect your pillow from germs and help keep it clean for longer is to use the travel case (or “stuff sack” as REI calls it) with your pillow. It was a little hard for me to fully deflate the pillow, probably because of the foam filling, and get it tight enough to fit in the case. On REI’s website, they show you how to deflate and scrunch the pillow, but I would recommend following the instructions written on the package and place the pillow on a flat surface and roll the air out like you would roll up a sleeping bag. Once the travel case is in its travel case it’s very compact and can easily be attached to a piece of luggage or thrown into a carry-on bag. I like the versatility of this pillow. I can use this traveling and I can also use it as a pillow replacement if I need a better pillow in a hotel (or if I’m camping).
The biggest flaw seems to be the shape of the pillow. The pillow has wide edges and a narrow center, so the surface area where you’d rest the back of your head (or the side of your face if you are a side sleeper) is limited. Other reviewers had similar issues with the limited surface of the pillow. I think the shape of the REI pillow saves on space and allows it to be compact, but for personal comfort I’m more inclined to like a full rectangular or square-shaped pillow like the Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow (which can also be found at REI). The pillow cannot be machine washed or dried so you will need to allow time to hand wash it and let it air dry. The pillow has a unique shape wider ends and the center is the most narrow and has the least surface area. Some reviewers found this shape made it hard to get comfortable. It took a little bit of work to compress the pillow enough to fit it into its travel case. The instructions recommend laying the pillow onto a flat service and pressing down/rolling up the pillow to squeeze the maximum amount of air out.