Therm-a-Rest Compressible Cinch Camping Pillow (Regular 14x18) review

It's a soft pillowcase stuffed with foam offcuts from Therm-a-Rest's sleeping-pad lines, with a cord that bunches the fill together. Therm-a-Rest says the fill is excess urethane foam from its sleeping pad production, inside a polyester cover that is 60% recycled. A thin layer of polyester insulation along the top smooths out lumps, the pillow packs into a pocket of its own, and a cinch cord adjusts firmness^[1]. It's labeled Made in USA of US and imported materials^[1], and the instruction sheet notes that the cover is sewn in China^[2].

OutdoorGearLab's Jason Wanlass describes the inside as hundreds of high-density foam scraps that expand with air when you unfold the pillow, under a micro-fleece top. He found it gives under your head like a regular pillow instead of feeling like a pool toy, as many inflatables do. The fabric is quiet, too: it absorbs sound rather than crinkling every time you move^[3]. The insulation layer is new compared with older versions, and he found it made the surface less lumpy^[3]. Not every tester agrees it's smooth: CNN Underscored's reviewer still felt lumps in the filling, though she said it didn't spoil the comfort^[4].

Get the Large if you sleep on your side and have room to carry it. The Regular reviewed here is the middle size. Therm-a-Rest lists three sizes^[1]:

Amazon labels the same sizes a little larger, at 12 x 16, 14 x 18 and 16 x 23 inches, and lists the Regular at 11 ounces and 6 inches thick^[5]. Use the maker's table when you compare sizes.

Those are thicknesses before your head goes on, and loose foam compresses under weight^[3]. As a side sleeper, your pillow has to fill the gap between the mattress and your head that your shoulder creates. That gap averaged about 3.5 inches (9 cm) in one lab study^[6], and in another study a 4-inch (10 cm) pillow was rated most comfortable^[7]. How far the 6-inch Regular squashes depends on your head and how hard you cinch it, so treat it as borderline for broad shoulders. The 7-inch Large gives you more in reserve.

Switchback Travel makes the same call: side sleepers will likely want a thicker, firmer camp pillow for alignment, and it names the 6-inch Cinch as one example^[8]. OutdoorGearLab adds that the current Cinch is quite a bit smaller than older models, which helps pack space but not head space^[3]. If you owned an older Compressible Pillow, size up.

Pulling the cord gathers the foam into a smaller, taller, firmer pillow. It doesn't add fill. The instructions are short: flip the pocket to the back, then cinch to the firmness you want^[2]. OutdoorGearLab found the cinch packs the foam pieces together and creates more loft and support, but cuts the pillow's surface area by about half^[3]. CleverHiker's Jory Brass describes the same trade: tightening concentrates the fill beneath your head and raises the effective loft, which helps campers who find soft foam pillows too low for side sleeping^[9].

For a side sleeper, half the surface area is a real cost. A smaller pillow gives your head less room before it rolls off the edge, and you'll notice it if you change position often. Start with a partial cinch, enough to lift the middle without turning the pillow into a ball, then tighten in small steps. CleverHiker found loosening and tightening changes the feel within seconds^[9], so it's easy to fine-tune at bedtime.

Plan to add something under it, cinch it, or both, because it can sit low for a side sleeper. OutdoorGearLab found it best for back and stomach sleepers and said many side sleepers will need to stack something underneath it. Its tester also found the foam pieces shift apart and compress during the night, so the pillow loses loft until you shake it^[3]. The roundup puts it plainly: some side sleepers may need a hoodie or duffel bag underneath for extra loft^[10]. CleverHiker's tester, by contrast, found the adjustable height made it supportive enough for side sleeping^[9].

Your pad changes the target. On a soft surface your shoulder sinks in, so you need less pillow; on a firm one it doesn't, so you need more. Side-lying spinal alignment shifts significantly between soft and firm surfaces^[11]. A thin, firm foam pad leaves the biggest gap under your head.

Keeping it in place matters as much as height. Switchback Travel notes that rectangular pillows like this don't fit easily into a mummy bag's hood and can slide around at night^[8]. Here's a setup that addresses both:

1. 1

   Loft it early

   Unroll it as soon as you reach camp, open the cinch fully and fluff it so the foam can expand before bed.

2. 2

   Build a flat base

   Fold a fleece or puffy jacket into a flat rectangle and lay it under the pillow, not on top, so your face stays on the soft side.

3. 3

   Cinch to finish

   Tighten the cord a little at a time until your nose lines up with the middle of your chest when you lie on your side.

4. 4

   Keep the stack together

   Slide the base and pillow into a stuff sack or pillowcase, or wedge them against the tent wall, so they don't drift apart.

5. 5

   Shake, don't suffer

   If you wake with your head low, give the pillow a quick shake to move the foam back under your head.

It's light for a foam pillow but bulky for a backpack. Therm-a-Rest lists the Regular at 11.5 oz (325 g)^[1]. OutdoorGearLab's test pillow, which measured about 15.5 by 9.5 inches (close to the Small), weighed 8.6 oz and packed to 2.6 liters, which it calls large^[3]. Switchback Travel notes that inflatables such as the Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight weigh over 9 oz less^[8]. CleverHiker's point is that the weight understates the problem, because the foam keeps much of its bulk even when rolled^[9].

To pack it, roll the pillow toward its pocket, tuck it in, and pass the toggle through the cord loop^[2]. Switchback's testers roll it twice to smooth it out before packing, and undo the cinch as soon as they reach camp to give the foam time to expand^[8]. OutdoorGearLab stuffs compressible pillows into a sleeping bag's compression sack to make them smaller still^[10].

Plan ahead for the first night. The Amazon listing says to unpack the pillow when it arrives and leave it open for 24 hours to restore loft from packaging, and to store it open and uncinched; if you store it cinched, repeat the 24-hour rest before use^[5]. The instruction sheet adds that a pillow stored compressed can lose loft. Shake and fluff it, and for maximum loft, machine wash it warm on a gentle cycle and tumble dry; tumbling on low alone also helps restore loft^[2]. So don't judge it straight out of the box, and don't keep it rolled up in your gear bin between trips.

You can put the whole pillow in the washer and dryer, but give it time to dry. Therm-a-Rest lists it as machine washable^[1], and the instruction sheet recommends a warm, gentle wash and a tumble dry^[2]. OutdoorGearLab calls washing it as-is super convenient^[10]. The catch is drying. Its tester found the foam pieces act like sponges and hold water, so the pillow dries slowly outdoors or after heavy rain, and it doesn't work well wet^[3]. OutdoorGearLab also lists a fabric that collects debris among its cons^[10]. A spare pillowcase keeps the fleece cleaner on dusty trips, so you wash the whole pillow less often.

Therm-a-Rest gives its gear a limited lifetime warranty for original purchasers who buy from authorized dealers. It repairs first and replaces at its discretion, and normal wear, abrasion and misuse aren't covered^[12]. If the warranty matters to you, buy from an authorized seller and keep the receipt. Don't count on a sleep trial, either. Therm-a-Rest's own store accepts returns within 30 days only if the item is clean, unused and in new condition^[1], so check the return terms wherever you buy before the first camping night.

It works as a travel pillow when you can lie down or want an airline-style pillow, but it won't hold your head up in a seat. CNN Underscored included the Small in its travel pillow guide. Its tester found it expands to about 5 inches of support, liked that you can cinch it and wash the whole thing, and recommends it for flyers who prefer a rectangular pillow to a neck pillow^[4]. Switchback Travel also calls it a viable travel option that compresses well enough to stash in a duffel^[8]. Sleep Foundation's travel-pillow advice draws the same line: rectangular pillows suit people who will lie down, while U-shaped, wrap or J-shaped pillows suit sleeping upright on a plane or in a car^[13].

Sitting up is a different problem. A rectangular pillow wedged against a window has nothing holding it, and your head can still roll forward. If you mostly sleep in a seat and lean to one side, the Cabeau Evolution S3 is built for that. For road trips that end in a tent, a van or a motel bed with flat pillows, the Cinch is the more useful of the two.

The Cinch wins on comfort for the money^[10]. Lighter, taller or plusher pillows each cost you something.

• Nemo Fillo: OutdoorGearLab's best overall, relatively compact and lightweight while nearly topping its comfort test^[10]. Switchback describes it as a foam-and-air hybrid, 4 inches thick against the Cinch's 6, which is a downside for side sleepers^[8].
• HEST Camp Pillow: the premium foam option. Switchback calls its 8-inch-thick design excellent for side sleepers, but it's the heaviest and bulkiest pillow on their list^[8]. CleverHiker calls it their favorite premium foam comfort^[9].
• Klymit Drift: OutdoorGearLab's comfort pick and one of the most supportive it tested, packed with shredded memory foam you can remove. It's heavy, so it belongs near the car^[10].
• Wise Owl The Snoozy: CleverHiker found it softer and cheaper than the Cinch, but without the cinch's height control^[9].
• Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight: the backpacker's choice. OutdoorGearLab lists the large at 2.9 oz, yet about 5 inches thick when inflated^[10].

Buy it if you car camp, van camp or road trip, sleep on your side, and want something that feels like a pillow rather than a balloon. Get the Large for side sleeping, or plan to pad the Regular with a jacket. OutdoorGearLab says it comes as close to a real pillow as any camping pillow it tested except the Hest, and gave it its “Best Mix of Price and Comfort” award^[10], and Switchback Travel and CleverHiker both recommend it for campground use^[8,9].

Skip it if you count ounces on long backpacking trips, camp where a slow-drying pillow is a liability, or want high, firm support all night without adjusting anything. An inflatable or hybrid packs smaller, and a shredded memory foam camp pillow such as the Klymit Drift scored among the most supportive in OutdoorGearLab's tests^[10].