A memory foam pillow needs no blowing up and doesn’t go flat in the night. The Hikeman Memory Foam Pillow is a simple, rectangular one with a cotton side and a fleece side, and we took it on a few weekend trips around Sydney, such as Coorongooba, together with Hikeman’s shaped Memory Foam Camping Pillow. It cost us $85.
What’s in the box
A medium-firm memory foam pillow of 38 × 25 × 10 cm in a cover with two different sides: plain grey cotton on one and a soft fleece on the other. The cover zips off the foam for washing, and the pillow comes with a drawstring bag and two elastic straps to keep it rolled up. Besides grey, it comes in brown, purple and army green.
What we like
- No inflating, never goes flat
- Cotton side and a fleece side
- Medium-firm, keeps its shape
- Straps sewn on for rolling up
- Cover zips off to wash
What we don’t
- Bulkier than an inflatable
- Firmness can’t be adjusted
- Pricey at $85
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Hikeman |
| Material | Memory foamZip-off cottonPolar fleece cover |
| Colour options | GreyBrownPurpleArmy Green |
| Weight | 360 gin its bag (our scale) |
| Size | 38 × 25 × 10 cm |
| Packed size | 25 × 12.5 × 12.5 cm |
| Included | Drawstring bagTwo elastic straps |
Flip it for warm or cold nightsWarm or cold nights
The cover is what sets this pillow apart. The grey cotton side is the cooler one for warm nights, and the polar fleece side is soft and warm for cold ones, so you just flip the pillow over to suit the weather. The foam is medium-firm and keeps its shape all night, with no valve to leak and nothing to top up.
It’s a plain rectangle with only a slight curve, so it doesn’t have the raised neck edge of Hikeman’s shaped camping pillow. It’s big enough to sleep on naturally, but it’s not a full-size pillow from home.
Packing it up each morning
There’s nothing to inflate: take it out of the bag and give it a minute to rise. To pack it, roll it up tightly, a bit like a sleeping bag, and the two elastic straps sewn onto it hold it in a firm roll of about 25 × 12.5 cm that goes back into the drawstring bag. It takes a little effort, but nothing you’ll dread doing every morning.
- 1Cotton side
- 2Fleece side
- 3Elastic straps
Light for foam, bulky next to airWeight and bulk
In its bag, the pillow weighed 360 g on our scale, less than the 430 g Hikeman lists. That’s not heavy for a foam pillow, but it’s still a lot more than an inflatable, and the roll takes more room, so it suits car camping better than a light pack. In the back of the car, next to our water containers, it fits in easily.
Next to Hikeman’s shaped camping pillowVs Hikeman camping pillow
Hikeman also makes the shaped Memory Foam Camping Pillow, and we took both on the same trips. That one has a raised edge for your neck and a cover that zips off, and it was the cheaper of the two at $75. This grey one is a plain rectangle, but it’s the only one with a fleece side, and it came in lighter on our scale.
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 Hikeman’s Memory Foam Camping Pillow is shaped for your neck.
This one Hikeman Grey | Biggest Foam Core (Deluxe) | Shaped Hikeman Yellow | 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 | 38 × 25 × 10 cm | 56 × 36 × 16 cm | 43 × 22 × 12 cm | 37 × 28 × 10 cm | 38 × 28 × 10 cm |
| Packed size | 25 × 12.5 × 12.5 cm | 37 × 12 cm | 21 × 14.5 cm | 26 × 9 × 9 cm | 28 × 13 cm |
| Weight | 360 g | 474 g | 445 g | 220 g | 405 g |
| Price paid | $85 | $55 | $75 | $20 | $55 |
| Our score | 8.4 | 9.4 | 8.3 | 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, and the Naturehike Washable is the biggest, with a velvet cover. This Hikeman is the lightest of the four.
| This oneHikeman Grey | Shredded Accuratex | ShapedHikeman Yellow | Biggest Naturehike Washable | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustable loft | No | Yes | No | No |
| Size | 38 × 25 × 10 cm | 46 × 33 cm | 43 × 22 × 12 cm | 50 × 32 × 11 cm |
| Packed size | 25 × 12.5 × 12.5 cm | 37 × 12.7 cm | 21 × 14.5 cm | 30 × 15 cm |
| Fill | Memory foam | Shredded gel memory foam | Slow-rebound memory foam | Memory foam |
| Cover | Cotton & fleece, removable | Cotton jersey, removable | Removable, washable | Velvet, removable |
| Weight | 360 g | 526 g | 445 g | 790 g |
| Price paid | $85 | $35 | $75 | $67 |
| Our score | 8.4 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 8.8 |
Conclusion: Hikeman Memory Foam PillowConclusion
The Hikeman Memory Foam Pillow is a simple, medium-firm foam pillow that needs no inflating and keeps its shape all night. Its cover has a cotton side for warm nights and a fleece side for cold ones, it comes off for washing, and the pillow rolls up with two elastic straps to 360 g in its bag. You can’t adjust how firm it is, it takes more room than an inflatable and at $85 it’s pricey, but for car camping it’s a comfortable pillow for all seasons.
A simple memory foam pillow with a cotton side for warm nights and a fleece side for cold ones.
It needs no inflating, keeps its shape all night and rolls up with two elastic straps to 360 g in its bag. It takes more room than an inflatable, and at $85 it’s pricey.
- 4WD tourers
- Car campers
- Weekend trips
Only for car camping. It’s comfortable memory foam with a cotton and a fleece side and never goes flat, but $85 is a lot, and it takes more room than an inflatable.
