Best Camping Pillows in 2022

Whether you’re high in the sky, or low in the valley in your tent, Therma-a-Rest hit the target mark for top travel and camping pillow. Crafted out of durable and comfortable polyester, you’ll have a breeze cleaning this pillow; either hit it with a damp rag for a quick clean, or throw it in the wash to have it come out feeling brand new. This pillows weighs a total of one pound, but it’s able to compress down to snugly fit in carry-on bags or minimalist camping backpacks. When it does puff back up, it’s fitted with four inches of comfort, turning any spot into a comfortable makeshift bedroom.

This isn’t just a killer camping pillow; it’s going to self inflate, but shoo away all those old air mattress memories. Self inflating doesn’t mean vinyl garbage; Teton Sports made this comfortable with a microfiber top, which also adds to the durability, helps to soak up sweat instead of leave it on your face (don’t worry, it’s washable), and backed by their ultra dedicated warranty. They say they want you to get back outdoors and enjoy the world, and that’s exactly what they aim to do. Tent camping doesn’t have to be stressful; the Earth doesn’t have to be your pillow. These are built to last, and weigh next to nothing when deflated. Easy to store, easy to use, and quick to wash; you’ve just found your last camping pillow. You can combine it with one of the camping mattresses from our list.

Trekology Ultralight Inflating Travel Camping Pillow is designed to provide a bit more firm support, while still remaining as soft as possible to leave you feeling refreshed in the morning. This rolls up to be about the size of one pair of balled-up socks, but inflates to cover your whole head, including those little side rolls you do at night. You click a button, and inflate the pillow by mouth. It only takes about 3-5 breaths in total to go from flat to furniture, cushioning your head from the rocky, uneven ground. Hey, nobody said roughing it meant going caveman, right? This one is simple to clean; use a partially wet paper towel, or simply rinse it off under a light faucet spray and leave inflated to dry before storing away. Find more great products like this by checking out our guide to the best sleeping pads for outdoor comfort.

There’s inflatable pillows, then, there’s Aeros Pillow. While it’s a bit on the more pricey side compared to our top two picks, we believe that you get what you pay for. Comfortable and sturdy, this 500 polyester build gives you a soft place to lay your head down after a grueling eight-hour day out in nature. You’re fatigued, you have a few more days ahead of you before you hit the highway back into the city, and you don’t want to be useless the next day. This supports, comforts, and also absorbs those little beads of sweat that sit on the back of your neck throughout the night, while you are rolled in your sleeping bag. Don’t worry; it’s simple to clean, so you won’t get any funky smell.

No, not that Nemo. These fellas created a serious hybrid pillow, somewhere on the cusp of luxury foam, while still being air inflated. You get bouncy support without sacrificing comfort, aiding you in staving-off neck pain for that hike in the morning. These come in five different shades, so you don’t have to be stuck with forest green. When inflated, the Nemo Equipment Fillo pillow weighs a whole nine ounces (you can fit that in your pack, can’t you?) and folds up “smaller than a water bottle,” according to Nemo themselves. Apart from all that awesomeness, you also get the ability to toss this right in the washing machine. No sink spray hose or baby wipes (they leave lint anyway), and you’ll be good to pack it up for next time. You may also like some of these amazing cooling pillows from our list. Check them out.

This one goes on the border of being a camping pillow, and a general travel pillow. Riding shotgun in a grueling car ride? Therma-A-Rest Lumbar Travel Pillow. Plane trip’s got you down? You know who to turn to. This pillow comes at a median price, offering massive support for long journeys or sedentary work. (To be blunt, I didn’t take this one camping, but I use it at my desk as a headrest to help with RA, and it works wonders.) From the foam and polyester construction, not to mention the fact that it’s self-inflating, you get what you pay for, and every penny is worth it. Don’t be the downer on your group camping trip that has to sit out the hike after day one; support yourself.

Teton’s a fan favorite when it comes to camping comfort, and with this Sports Camping Pillow in Plaid, they even threw in a free “stuff sack.” This poly-flannel blend comes with standard lumberjack/hipster plaid, which is pretty sweet as long as it doesn’t match your shirt. Joking aside, it’s comfortable, and breathable. Whether you’re using it for travel, or you’re actually going to hit the campsite with this bad boy, you’ll be supported, comforted, and won’t have that nasty sweat buildup on your neck in the morning. Teton’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to outdoor comfort. 

It’s all about storage size, comfort, and support. Thankfully, Klymit understood that before crafting this killer pillow. The one downside to inflatable pillows is their predefined height. Well, Klymit didn’t want to play by the rules, so they redefined them. This one comes with a pressure gauge to adjust your level to your perfect height, helping with neck and spine support if you’re picky with your pillow height, or your buddies picked a crap spot to set up the tents. This thing is so compact that it weighs under two ounces, fitting into any camping backpack, or pocket for that matter. It’s the camping necessity you can’t be caught without.