what do you do about pillows?

[Tommy]

don't seem to have sorted out the pillow situation yet for our camping trips. The blow up ones don't seem to do it, the small camping ones are too small and the regular ones jhust take up so much space!
What do other camping MNers do?

Take nice regular pillows but before you go, vacuum pack them right down down in vacuum bags with your hoover.

Also do this with my nice duvet and hey presto, all the comforts of home but still doesn't take up endless amounts of space in your car.

yeah I take my pillows and duvet

I take my regular pillows in roll up vacuum bags - these make them half the size but you don't have the issue of not having the vacuum cleaner with you when you need to go home. I got them in Argos

thanks - hadn't thought of the roll up vacuum bags - will check them out

What a great idea! I've just reserved some at our local Argos store. Will be trying them out tomorrow.

Agree with a vacuum bags.You can suck the air out when you are coming home with an electric hand pump.Cost- co has a great deal on at the moment laods of bags in various sizes for £20.

You could also do what we have done and buy Tesco Value pillows. They are about half the size of normal pillows, but are much nicer than camping pillows and squash down really well. They are also very cheap.

Just back from 2 nights camping...I took a cushion for each person (from the sofa) in a pillowcase, to bolster up with clothing to make them higher. Mixed success! Two cushions each might have worked, so they'd be the same height as a pillow, but half the width.

I tend to use the older pillows from the beds in the house and use it as an opportunity to buy fresh for our home beds.

I don't take pillows, use piles of clothes/ back pack/ arm, but then I've only really camped at festivals and then I have used my 'vodka pillow'.

With the vacuum packed normal pillows, what about when it's time to pack up, you won't have a hoover then to re-vacuum pack them?! (genuine question)

I was thinking that, acsec.
thanks for the tips everyone - will have a think for next time!

Most electric pumps have a deflate option which can be used in the same way to suck the air back out at home time :)

acsec- take the air pump and put it on deflate.

Ah-ha! Thanks that solves that mystery :) Though I don't take an air pump either - just one of those thin foam mats and a sleeping bag.

Or buy compression sacks, the type 'proper' sleeping bags come in where you pack it, then pull hard on 4 woven straps to compress the whole thing right down. Just don't store your kit that compressed! It'l never loft-up again!

acsec- considered Thermarests or Fat Airics? OK, a bit bigger when rolled than a foam mat, and yes, poss ££ (go ebay!) BUT blimey, we choose Fat Airics over inflatable mattresses and camp beds, now, every time. Fab.

Get Tesco pillows and compress.

Pillows and duvet here too :)