Most inflatable pillows are small, and you spend half the night chasing them. The Trekology Aluft Ultra is the opposite: blown up, it’s 60 × 38 cm with 12 cm of loft, about the size of a pillow at home, with a soft velvet cover and a strap to hold it on the mat. It packs to roughly the size of a water bottle and weighs 265 g. It cost us $46.
What’s in the box
An oversized rectangular inflatable pillow with an anti-leak TPU core, a removable velvet cover of 97% polyester and 3% cotton, a two-way silicone valve and a non-slip strap that wraps around your mat. It comes in a grey stuff sack, and in grey or blue.
What we like
- Big 60 × 38 cm, like a home pillow
- 12 cm of loft for side sleepers
- Soft velvet cover zips off
- Strap holds it on the mat
- Inflates in 4–6 breaths
What we don’t
- 265 g, double the smaller ones
- Packs to water bottle size
- Cover best washed by hand
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Trekology |
| Material | TPU coreVelvet cover97% polyester, 3% cotton |
| Colour options | GreyBlue |
| Weight | 265 g |
| Size | 60 × 38 × 12 cm |
| Packed size | 19 × 10 × 10 cm |
| Valve | Two-way silicone |
| Features | Mat strapRemovable cover |
Room to turn over
The size is the point. At 60 cm wide there’s room to roll from your back to your side without your head dropping off the edge, and the 12 cm of loft gives side sleepers the height they need on a thick mat. It also makes a good backrest when you sit up in the tent. It isn’t as soft as a pillow with foam in it, but the size makes up for a lot.
A velvet cover that zips off
The cover is soft, like velvet, so you lie on fabric rather than plastic, and it’s quieter when you move your head. It zips off the white air bladder for washing; Trekology recommends washing it by hand to make it last.
A strap and a quick valve
The non-slip strap wraps around your mat and holds the pillow in place overnight. The two-way silicone valve fills it in four to six breaths and holds the air while you breathe in, and opening it fully lets the air rush out when you pack up.
Next to the Aluft Deluxe
The Trekology Aluft Deluxe is the pack-size version: 40.5 × 28 cm, 120 g, with a quilted foam cover. The Ultra weighs more than twice as much and packs bigger, so it suits car camping and 4WD trips more than hiking.
How it compares with other inflatable pillowsVs other inflatables
We’ve tested four other inflatable pillows. The Trekology Aluft Pillow 2.0 and the Trekology Aluft Deluxe are both much smaller and lighter, and the Hikenture has a washable cover but no mat strap. The Trekology Aluft Neck is the U-shaped travel pillow of the range, for naps sitting up.
This one Aluft Ultra | Grippy Hikenture | Quilted Aluft Deluxe | Lightest Aluft Neck | Dots Aluft 2.0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mat strap | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Size | 60 × 38 × 12 cm | 43 × 27 × 11 cm | 40.5 × 28 × 10 cm | 37 × 29 × 11 cm | 40.6 × 30.5 × 10 cm |
| Packed size | 19 × 10 × 10 cm | 15 × 8 cm | 15.2 × 10 × 7.6 cm | 7.5 × 12 cm | 12.7 × 5 cm |
| Cover | Velvet, removable | Soft fabric, washable | Quilted foam, removable | Polyester & cotton, removable | None, bare TPU |
| Breaths to fill | 4–6 | 3–5 | 3–5 | – | 3–8 |
| Weight | 265 g | 140 g | 120 g | 100 g | 110 g |
| Price paid | $46 | $29 | $33 | $25 | $34 |
| Our score | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 7.7 |
Conclusion: Trekology Aluft Ultra Inflatable PillowConclusion
The Trekology Aluft Ultra is the closest an inflatable gets to the pillow at home. At 60 × 38 cm with 12 cm of loft there’s room to turn over, the velvet cover is soft and zips off to wash, and the strap keeps it on the mat. At 265 g it packs to about the size of a water bottle and the cover is best washed by hand, so it suits the car more than the pack, but for $46 it’s a lot of pillow.
The biggest inflatable pillow we’ve tested, about the size of the one at home.
At 60 × 38 cm with 12 cm of loft there’s room to turn over, the velvet cover zips off and a strap holds it on the mat. At 265 g it packs to about the size of a water bottle, so it suits the car more than the pack.
- Car campers
- 4WD tourers
- Travellers
Yes, if you like a big pillow. $46 buys a 60 × 38 cm pillow with a velvet cover and a mat strap. It’s 265 g and packs bigger, so it suits the car more than the pack.
