Compact camping pillow 

Small pack. Big comfort.  

The camping pillow that finally beats the rolled-up jumper 

By Alex Minicozzi 

When it comes to something as simple as a pillow, most people wouldn’t think much of it, just throwing their standard bed pillow in the car when they’re about to leave. Or you could be like me, forgetting your pillow entirely and using a jumper or sleeping bag cover stuffed with clothes. When it comes to upgrading your sleep setup, the Redgum Compact Camping Pillow stands out as a well-appreciated addition. Designed specifically for the lovers of the outdoors, this pillow aims to combine comfort and compactness: two features that aren’t always made well together. 

Design and functionality 

The Redgum Compact Pillow is engineered with three connected memory foam panels. When it’s time to sleep, you fold it out to roughly the height and feel of a regular pillow, which is a big comfort boost compared to flat inflatable pillows…or stuffed jumpers. When you’re packing up, you unfold it back down, so it’s only taking up a fraction of the space you’d expect, rolling up in the swag or roof top tent like nothing. What I appreciate most about this design is its simplicity. The first night I slept with it inside my swag, I noticed immediately how it felt more supportive than my rolled-up jumper method of old. Premium upgrade for sure! 

Comfort level 

Comfort is always subjective but compared to cheap inflatable pillows or stuffing clothes into a sack, the Redgum Compact will always be light years better, with very noticeable neck and head support. It’s soft yet structured and due to the memory foam, it moulds nicely to the shape of your head. 

Packability and practicality 

The standout selling point of this product is just how well it lives up to its name of being compact. It doesn’t shrink to the size of an inflatable pillow, but it’s small enough to fit inside a swag or rooftop tent bag without eating valuable space or making it a pain to pack up again. A little delight that the pillow offers is the storage pouches, which are perfect for small camp essentials like a headlamp or phone when you’re not using it for sleep or, even when you are, we all know how hard and frustrating it is losing something in a tight swag and digging around to try and find it. The outer cover also unzips so you can remove each foam insert and wash the cover after a trip away. 

Designed with three connected memory foam panels, it folds up to the height and feel of a standard pillow when you’re ready to sleep and unfolds flat when it’s time to pack up.  

Final thoughts 

Overall, the Redgum Compact Camping Pillow is comfortable and supportive, packs down to nothing while maintaining its durability and practicality. Although it does compress to the size of some gear for ultra-light kits, it is not designed for that. It’s a universal yet simple option for standard camping set ups. For anyone doing frequent car camping, swag trips or campsite stays where weight isn’t the only concern, at $50 RRP, this is genuinely one of the better camping pillows you can buy without spending big. The bottom line is, if you’re tired of neck aches and a painful sleep while away, which can put you off camping for a few months, this simple solution is definitely for you. Check them out here: redgumcamping.com.au