Meet the reviewer
Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Traveller Pillow: first impressions
Seeing as it weighs about the same as a pack of cards or a single boiled egg, you might be forgiven for not expecting much of the Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Traveller Pillow. It feels surprisingly light, and comes with instructions on one side on how to use the adjustable air valve to adjust the pressure without causing the whole thing to turn into a pancake.
• List price: $44.95 / £30
• Dimensions: 15.3 x 11.4 x 4.3in / 39 x 29 x 11cm
• Packed size: 2 x 2¾in / 7 x 4.5cm
• Weight: 2.4 oz / 70g
• Colors: Aqua / Gray
• Compatibility: Travel, hiking
It can also be folded neatly away into a case to protect it from water damage or getting bashed about in your pack.
So how would the Sea to Summit Aeros Traveller Pillow fare on a trip to Tajikistan? Traveling for nearly 24 hours on one of the bumpiest, gravel strewn roads along the Pamir Highway, I would be testing this pillow to see if I could get some rest in some extremely rocky conditions.
Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Traveller Pillow: on the trails
On several journeys when the windowpane of a 4WD was simply not going to cut it, I was very glad to have the Sea to Summit Ultralight Aeros Traveller Pillow to hand. Unlike many other ultralight pillows, which use a fabric pouch (making it more likely that the pouch will disappear into the ether) the presence of a semi-rigid case to protect it is a great design feature.
Opening the case up, the pillow was neatly folded inside, with a slightly darker flocked velvet feeling fabric on one side and the brighter teal fabric on the other. It’s surprising to note that the fabric is 20D – a surprisingly thick and durable TPU material, which still feels comfortable – and something you don’t mind your face touching, which isn’t always the case.
Functionality wise, using this pillow was easy as 1, 2, 3 – a few puffs into the valve, before setting the adjuster to ‘in’ to stop air from escaping. A few depressions on the adjuster helps tweak the pressure to personal preference, while deflating the pillow is simply a case of opening the larger tab so air can quickly escape.
I found the poppers – meant to help keep the pillow from sliding away – easy to use, but would have preferred a slightly larger size for a slightly bigger adjustment. When inflated it’s hard to feel exactly where the poppers are.
The Aeros Ultralight needs no external pump, but if you were being extra meticulous about prolonging the life of your kit, you’d be wise to use a pump or an inflate drybag so you’re not filling it with moisture every time you blow it up. The advice from Sea to Summit is to make sure the air pillow dries with the valve open each time it’s used, to prevent moisture build-up. You don’t get any ‘quick fix puncture stickers’, either, so if the pillow did get damaged, you might be a tad screwed – the only drawback to ultralight, inflatable kit.
There’s also a ‘premium’ version – a green, two-toned variation of the same product – which has a slightly thicker material in 50D knitted polyester fabric, but in all other regards this is the same product at a lower price point.
