Pillows & Blankets
The last ten dollars of a camp setup buys more sleep than the first two hundred. A balled-up jacket under your head works until about 2 a.m., and then you spend the rest of the night rebuilding it. A real pillow and a blanket you can throw over the bag on a colder-than-forecast night are the cheapest upgrades in camp.
Inflatable or fleece
- ALPS Slumber Air Pillow ($24.99): 3 ounces, packs down to almost nothing, and a flat valve gets it inflated in a few breaths and flat again in one. Brushed polyester on top so it stays quiet, since crinkly pillow fabric wakes you up every time you turn over. Comes with a drawstring stuff sack and a repair kit.
- Galaxy Fleece Pillow ($24.99): the non-inflatable answer. Super-soft fleece top, brushed polyester bottom, pearl padding fill for actual loft. Takes more room in the truck and feels closer to a bed pillow, with a stuff sack for packing.
- Lunar Blanket ($49.99): lightweight polyester with TechLoft Micro insulation and a water- and dirt-resistant finish, so it works on a tailgate or a damp picnic table and still packs into its own stuff sack.
A blanket is a temperature adjustment
One insulated blanket effectively extends the range of every sleeping bag you own. Throw it over a 0°F bag on a night that drops harder than expected and you have bought yourself several degrees without owning a second bag. Same blanket handles the daytime jobs, sitting on the ground, covering a cooler in the sun, keeping a kid warm around the fire.
Match it to a sleeping bag, get off the ground with a cot, or browse the full camping lineup.