Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow Review

Overview

The Stuff Sack Pillow is a zippered Dyneema Composite Fabric sack that carries clothing by day. Turn it inside out at night and a Polartec fleece lining faces your cheek. It’s built for ultralight hikers who already pack a puffy and a few spare layers, and the trade-off is simple: it has no loft of its own, so the pillow is only as good as what you stuff into it.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	48 g (1.7 oz)
Dimensions	12” x 17” (30.5 x 43.2 cm)
Volume	9 L
Shell	Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF8, 0.75 oz/yd²)
Lining	Polartec 100-weight fleece
Closure	Water-resistant YKK zipper
Construction	Fully taped seams, reversible
Made in	Mexico

Performance

Weight and packability. At 48 g, this is among the lightest pillow systems on the market. Backpacking Light’s reviewer put a large sample on the scale at 45 g, a few grams under the current spec. CleverHiker’s testers carried it through the Gila Wilderness and a section of the Continental Divide Trail. They called it the lightest and most packable option in their pillow lineup. They also pointed out that it has a negative net weight if it replaces a stuff sack you would have carried anyway. Empty, it folds to roughly the size of a wallet.

Comfort. Everything depends on the fill. CleverHiker notes that the sack alone gives no comfort or support. A packable synthetic or down jacket makes a plump, stable pillow, and a reviewer at Paddling Light found that a Patagonia Nano Puff made it very comfortable. The same reviewer didn’t like a fill of pants, underwear and shirts. Owners who sleep on their side often say it beats inflatables on loft and feel. One Rokslide user dropped inflatables after six years with it. A Czech reviewer thought a full sack was more comfortable than an air pillow. The fleece panel is the key detail: bare Dyneema or silnylon is cold, crinkly and slick against the face, and the fleece fixes that.

Water resistance and durability. DCF doesn’t absorb water, and the seams are taped. Hyperlite calls the sack water resistant rather than waterproof, because the stitching and zipper aren’t submersion-rated. Backpacking Light’s forum commenters agreed that “highly water resistant” was the more accurate phrase. That’s plenty to keep a down jacket dry in a wet pack, though a roll-top sack would be the safer choice for a river crossing. Hyperlite’s 258 customer reviews average 4.8 out of 5, and 97 percent of reviewers would recommend it. Several owners report years of regular use.

The zipper. One reviewer picked the sack because of the zipper. In his experience, drawstring stuff sacks used as pillows tend to break the cord lock when overstuffed and tugged tight. A zip lets the sack be filled to a firm, even shape with no cinching.

Breathability. This is the main complaint. A nylon-and-Dyneema shell traps heat and moisture, so clothing inside can get clammy overnight, and some users report a sweaty face even in cool weather. The reaction varies: another long-term user in the same Backpacking Light thread never had the problem. The usual fix is a soft layer, such as a buff or shirt, over the fleece. Tucking the pillow into a mummy bag hood also keeps it from sliding around.

The clothing problem. The pillow only works if there is something to stuff in it. Hikers who sleep in all their layers, or who bring a minimal clothing kit, will end up with a flat pillow. Adventure Alan’s list of drawbacks says as much. Backpacking Light’s reviewer made a similar point: it suits anyone with an extra puffy or camp clothes they don’t wear to bed.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 48 g, and it doubles as a stuff sack you were probably carrying anyway
• Fleece-lined side feels good against the face
• Loft and firmness are adjustable by changing what goes inside
• Zipper avoids the cord-lock failures of drawstring sacks
• Taped DCF seams keep clothing dry in rain
• Holds its shape better than a loose pile of clothes

Cons

• Needs enough spare clothing to make a decent pillow
• Doesn’t breathe; some users get a damp or sweaty face
• Water resistant, not fully waterproof, because of the zipper
• Costs a lot for a stuff sack; retailers list it around $59
• Pants and shirts alone make a lumpy fill, according to testers

Who Should Buy This

Gram counters who carry a puffy or insulated layer they don’t wear to sleep are the target. So are side sleepers who find inflatables too thin or too sweaty, and anyone who wants a single clothing sack that also works as a pillow. Cold-weather hikers wearing everything to bed will get little from it. Neither will hikers who want a fixed-shape, dedicated pillow regardless of what’s in their pack. Inflatable fans should stay with an inflatable.

Verdict

The Stuff Sack Pillow does one trick well and weighs almost nothing doing it. If the pack holds a spare jacket, it’s the lightest comfortable pillow available, and the fleece panel is what separates it from a plain stuff sack. Buy it if you carry the clothes to fill it, and skip it if you don’t.