Keeping your pillow in place with a spare t-shirt

When packing for my multi-day hikes, I usually do not bring an inflatable pillow. I hardly ever miss it, but -maybe even more importantly- I tend to wake up in the middle of the night with my pillow somewhere in my tent. While I was preparing for my upcoming Arctic Circle Trail thru-hike and when browsing other people’s packing lists, I found a very convenient hack for my longer hikes: keeping your pillow in place with a spare t-shirt.

On David Flanagan’s blog on the Arctic Circle Trail, I found a very useful hack to keep your pillow in the right place that doesn’t not require extra gear or materials, yet is super convenient and fool-proof.

I use a Thermarest Xtherm sleeping pad pretty much all year round (whether during cold like at the Laugavegur or Fimmvörðuháls in Iceland or in the heat of the Jordan Trail in Jordan). Not the cheapest option around, but super easy to inflate and deflate, easy to pack, sturdy (usefull in rocky areas) and great in isolating from the cold ground. And when I do take a pillow I tend to take the Sea to Summit Aeros pillow with me.

Keeping your pillow in place with a spare t-shirt

By putting one of your spare t-shirt over the top of your mattress/sleeping pad and slide your pillow under it, it is fixed and won’t move during the night. Not only is it more comfortable than having merely the pillow, but it keeps the pillow in place and also makes you’ll have to wash your pillow less (you’ll just have to wash your t-shirt).

So, what are your favorite travel hacks for hiking?