Rest Comfortably While Hiking With This Common Travel Item You Probably Already Own

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Tent? Check! Sleeping bag? Check! Sleeping pad? Got it! And with that, millions of hikers will hit the trail, confident that they will sleep soundly in the great outdoors. After a long walk down a dirt path followed by a meal cooked over an open fire, most of us are beat. Darkness and singing crickets make it even easier to drift into dreamland. We crawl into our shelters, switch off our headlamps, and curl up — only to realize we have nothing to rest our heads on.

Campers frequently leave behind basic items, which are so run-of-the-mill that they're easy to forget, and pillows are a classic example. As long as we're warm and sheltered, we don't necessarily think about our heavy heads. For minimalist outdoorspeople, these comforts also feel like a luxury; standard bedroom pillows are bulky and could easily fill an overnight backpack, leaving little room for anything else. Many hikers will stuff spare clothes into their sleeping bag stuff-sack, a hack that can help you pack lighter on your next camping trip, but not everyone can handle the potential smell and lumpiness.

That's why travel pillows are so handy: They're designed to be small and lightweight, so they can pack snugly into your bag. If you travel regularly, you likely already own some form of travel pillow; if not, they make for one of the best camping gifts for the outdoor enthusiast in your life. A travel pillow will help you rest easily, and it may also prevent aches and pains in the morning.

"Travel pillow" means different things to different people, and not all designs are designed for camping. The "neck pillow" that flyers use on planes can be great for upright sleeping, but they're not well-suited to reclining on the ground. The lightest and easiest to carry is an inflatable pillow, such as the Hikenture Ultralight Pillow. These rectangular bags are generally made from PVC fabric and deflate to practically nothing. Remove the air, and this kind of pillow won't take much more space than a pair of gloves. They're also light, so you won't feel the least encumbered. You can make the pillow softer by releasing air, or you can firm it up with your pump.

So what's not to love? Some folks just don't like the feel of a glorified balloon. It doesn't seem quite like a real pillow, and some might feel like they're sleeping on a pool toy. Like inflatable mattresses, an under-inflated pillow may feel comfy at first, but it will wreak havoc on your vertebrae over the course of a night. Then there's the danger that you'll get a puncture, and unless you can patch the pillow up, it becomes useless.

A more familiar alternative is the foldable camping pillow, such as the Teton Sports Camp Pillow, which is composed of more traditional fabric and stuffing but folds into a drawstring bag. Camping pillows tend to be smaller than the ones you have at home, but they should feel more familiar, as if you're cozying up in your own bed. They're also not quite as compact as the inflatable versions, yet their weight is still negligible. Hoping to find bargains? Here's more of the best hiking gear on a budget.