It sure is great when I get a good night‘s sleep. When camping, a good setup of sleeping bag, pad and pillow are the key to success for me. A lot of folks just use some balled up clothing, or a stuff sack full of whatever for a pillow. Unfortunately, for me, that really doesn‘t work.
I started looking for a good lightweight pillow and stumbled across the Cocoon Air Core Travel Pillow at a local outfitter. They had two or three offerings at the store, but this one packed down small, and was fairly light. I took the pillow out of the little stuff sack to check it out.
Packaging on the Cocoon pillow reveals that it has an inflatable core underneath synthetic fill. The outer shell consists of microfiber on one side and a slick nylon on the other. At twist valve fitted at one corner is used to inflate. I went ahead and bought the pillow and headed home.
The Cocoon Air Core pillow inflated for me in about 3 breaths. I like my head to sort of sink into the pillow and settle into a pocket. This pillow is really great in that respect. Simply add or release air into the inflatable core to dial in your perfect firmness.
Specifications on the packaging state that the Cocoon Air Core pillow measures 13 by 17 inches and weighs in at 6.5 ounces. The pillow packs down a bit bigger than a baseball. I measured the height of the pillow fully inflated at about 5 ½ inches. I find the Air Core pillow to be most comfortable inflated a bit less than half full. Personal preference is going to determine how you go with that.
After sleeping on the Cocoon Air Core pillow for several nights, I give it a big thumbs-up. I find it to be supportive and the microfiber fabric feels really cozy. I have used the pillow both in the hammock and in a tent. While in the hammock I use even less air in the pillow. Although lighter weight options are available, I find the comfort provided by this pillow to be worth the couple ounces of extra weight.
My only issue with the Cocoon pillow is with the fill valve. The cap does not just bottom out and stop when the valve is closed. I suppose this will prevent over tightening and possibly causing a tear between the air bladder and the valve. If you tighten too much and cause the cover of the valve to slip, it becomes difficult to open the valve. Just snug it up enough to prevent air loss.
At the local store, I paid $20.95 plus tax for the Cocoon Air Core pillow. Cocoon offers a couple lighter versions of the pillow as well. Check them out at cocoon.at.
– Mark