A memory foam pillow needs no blowing up and doesn’t go flat in the night. The Hikeman Memory Foam Camping Pillow is a compact one with an ergonomic shape, and we took it on a few weekend trips around Sydney, such as Coorongooba, together with Hikeman’s grey Memory Foam Pillow. It cost us $75.
What’s in the box
A pillow of high-density, slow-rebound memory foam in a breathable cover that zips off for washing, with a storage bag and compression straps to roll it up small. It’s shaped to support your neck, higher on one side (13 cm) than the other (11 cm), and comes in five colours: Grey, Skin, Matcha Green, Lemon Yellow and Wathet.
What we like
- No inflating, never goes flat
- Shaped for neck support
- Slow-rebound memory foam
- Cover zips off to wash
- Rolls up small with straps
What we don’t
- Firm at first
- Compression bag zip feels fragile
- Pricey for what it is
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Hikeman |
| Material | Slow-rebound memory foamBreathableRemovable pillowcase |
| Colour options | GreySkinMatcha GreenLemon YellowWathet |
| Weight | 445 g |
| Size | 43 × 22 × 12 cm |
| Packed size | 21 × 14.5 cm |
| Included | Storage bagCompression straps |
Shaped to support your neck
The slow-rebound foam moulds to your head without going flat, and the shaped design supports your neck, which eased the usual neck strain of sleeping on the ground for us. As back sleepers, we liked the higher edge; side sleepers might find it a bit low. It’s firm at first, but that eases with use, and the breathable cover didn’t get clammy on warm nights.
The shape is the point of this pillow: one long edge is higher than the other, so you can turn it to suit how you sleep.
Rolling it up small
There’s nothing to inflate: unroll it from its bag, give it a fluff, and the foam takes a few seconds to expand. To pack, roll it up tightly with the compression straps and it goes back into its bag as a small cylinder, 21 × 14.5 cm, that fits in a backpack or a 4WD drawer. At 445 g it’s not light for a camping pillow, and the zip on the compression bag feels fragile.
A cover that zips off
The cover zips off for washing, which is easy after a dusty or muddy camp. The foam has kept its rebound over several trips, and the stitching is solid. There was a faint foam smell out of the box, but it aired out quickly.
Next to Hikeman’s two-sided grey pillowVs Hikeman grey pillow
Hikeman also makes the grey Memory Foam Pillow, and we took both on the same trips. This one is shaped, with a raised edge for your neck, and its cover zips off; the grey one is a plain rectangle with a cotton side and a fleece side. The grey pillow came in lighter on our scale, at 360 g in its bag, but it cost us $85, so this shaped one is the cheaper of the two.
How it compares with other foam pillowsVs other foam pillows
We’ve reviewed four other foam pillows. The Sea to Summit Foam Core is the biggest and the most like a pillow from home, the Mountain Designs Pillow is the lightest at 220 g, the Zempire Chill-Pill self-inflates and has a removable cover, and the grey Hikeman Memory Foam Pillow has a cotton side and a fleece side.
This one Hikeman Yellow | Biggest Foam Core (Deluxe) | 2-sided Hikeman Grey | Lightest Mountain Designs | Heavier Zempire Chill-Pill | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pillow Lock | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Type | Memory foam | Foam core and fill | Memory foam | Self-inflating foam | Self-inflating foam |
| Size | 43 × 22 × 12 cm | 56 × 36 × 16 cm | 38 × 25 × 10 cm | 37 × 28 × 10 cm | 38 × 28 × 10 cm |
| Packed size | 21 × 14.5 cm | 37 × 12 cm | 25 × 12.5 × 12.5 cm | 26 × 9 × 9 cm | 28 × 13 cm |
| Weight | 445 g | 474 g | 360 g | 220 g | 405 g |
| Price paid | $75 | $55 | $85 | $20 | $55 |
| Our score | 8.3 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 9.0 |
How it compares with other memory foam pillowsVs memory foam pillows
Among memory foam pillows only, the Accuratex has shredded foam you can adjust and a soft cotton cover, the Naturehike Washable is the biggest, and the grey Hikeman Memory Foam is the lightest. This one is the only one shaped for your neck.
| This oneHikeman Yellow | Shredded Accuratex | LightestHikeman Grey | Biggest Naturehike Washable | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustable loft | No | Yes | No | No |
| Size | 43 × 22 × 12 cm | 46 × 33 cm | 38 × 25 × 10 cm | 50 × 32 × 11 cm |
| Packed size | 21 × 14.5 cm | 37 × 12.7 cm | 25 × 12.5 × 12.5 cm | 30 × 15 cm |
| Fill | Slow-rebound memory foam | Shredded gel memory foam | Memory foam | Memory foam |
| Cover | Removable, washable | Cotton jersey, removable | Cotton & fleece, removable | Velvet, removable |
| Weight | 445 g | 526 g | 360 g | 790 g |
| Price paid | $75 | $35 | $85 | $67 |
| Our score | 8.3 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 8.8 |
Conclusion: Hikeman Camping Memory Foam PillowConclusion
The Hikeman Memory Foam Camping Pillow is a supportive, shaped pillow that needs no inflating, keeps its height all night and rolls up small, with a cover that zips off for washing. It’s firm at first, the compression bag’s zip feels fragile and at 445 g it isn’t light. At $75 the price feels high for what it is, as cheaper pillows come close, but for back sleepers who want foam over air it does the job.
A shaped foam pillow that never goes flat, but pricey.
It moulds to your head, supports your neck and rolls up small, with a cover that zips off for washing. It’s firm at first, the compression bag’s zip feels fragile and at $75 the price feels high for what it is.
- Car campers
- 4WD tourers
- Travellers
Not quite. It’s supportive, 445 g and packs small, but the price feels steep for the features, and cheaper pillows come close. The compression bag zip feels fragile.
