Our favorite camping pillow overall continues to be the Nemo Fillo for nailing nighttime comfort and versatility. Our testers loved its hybrid design, which is a fantastic compromise for folks who want the comfort of a compressible pillow yet the smaller packed size and adjustability of an inflatable. On outdoor excursions from Alaska to Alabama, we loved sleeping on this near-perfect camping pillow. It's ideal for car camping, weekend trips, and even short backpacking ventures. Some found it too heavy for extended treks lasting more than a few days (though we have taken it on week-long, alpine hikes), but this model fits the bill for the majority of folks' camping styles.
REASONS TO BUY
Very comfortable
Great support
Easy to adjust thickness
Washable exterior
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavy and bulky
Not for extended backcountry trips
Different Fabrics for the Fillo
Nemo offers this pillow in two different fabrics — the microsuede reviewed here, and jersey fabric. The solid-colored pillows (grey and green) are the only ones sporting the microsuede, which we are huge fans of. Recently a tester got his hands on one of the striped, jersey-fabric pillows, and was let down by the diminished quality and comfort. We suggest grabbing one of the solid colors to achieve the same performance we did.
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Fillo is a rectangular hybrid pillow that is a breeze to use. For its price, a lot of thought and design process went into making this product. Its employs a layered core consisting of an inflatable air cell, topped by a thick slab of memory foam. These two layers are then encased in an outer shell made of polyester and comfy microsuede. Basically, the Fillo is a blend of the top features of several types of pillows, which give it a general appeal to most sleepers. It's great for car and weekend camping, as well as short backpacking trips. We loved having it on-board during a five-day canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. Additionally, this pillow is great for hammock napping and even lumbar support when sitting for long periods. It would also be effective while trying to catch some sleep on a plane or in an airport. While not an ideal weight for long backpacking trips, some of our testers feel the extra weight is worth the supreme comfort this pillow offers.
Performance Comparison
After a long day in the backwoods of Alabama, the Fillo was the perfect addition to a river bank snooze. This pillow works well for side, back, and stomach sleepers.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
Comfort
Our team of reviewers unanimously agrees that this pillow is a comfy one. Considering the small packed size of the Fillo, it has a large surface area for your head to roam around on. Its block-shaped design allows the pillow to easily fill the notch between the head and shoulders, making it perfect for side sleepers.
The adjustable air cell allows back and stomach sleepers to thin down the pillow's volume for individualized comfort. Regardless of sleeping preferences, all of our testers agree that the differentiating characteristics of the Fillo are its memory foam layer and microsuede exterior. Simply put, the high-quality foam cradled our heads better than any pillow we've tested. The microsuede is soft and plush, but also offers enough grip that if our heads moved away from the pillow's center during the night, we didn't have to worry about it sliding off as we did with most of the inflatable pillows.
A thick layer of dense memory foam is a key factor in why the Fillo is our favorite all-round pillow. It drastically improves the comfort of this pillow.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
Additionally, the microsuede top felt great against our skin. That, combined with the memory foam, makes for a pillow that your head and face gently sink into. The only real downside is that it produces noise as your head moves across the pillow. However, when compared to other (especially ultralight) inflatable pillows, the extra layering of padding in the Fillo does a good job of tempering the sound.
Don't let, its relatively small packed size fool you -- the Fillo is a hefty little nugget. Many ultralight trekkers would hard pass on its extra ounces.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
Weight
The biggest drawback of this product is its weight. It weighed 9.0 ounces on our scale. It still earned decent scores, however, in packed size, although it isn't intended to be used primarily for long-distance backpacking. One of our testers took this pillow on a five-night trek through the Peruvian Andes, though, without complaining, so it can be done. It's just doesn't offer the same space- and weight-saving features that come with other ultralight inflatable pillows.
Some of the other pillows we studied offer hybrid technology (or versions of it) and compete with the Fillo at a lower weight. In the end, the greatest distinguishing feature that placed the Fillo higher on our list was its sheer outstanding comfort. None of the other products could compare, making it a clear recipient of our Editors' Choice Award.
The Fillo's stuff sack is too small, making it more difficult than necessary to pack this pillow up. Some testers preferred rolling the pillow up before stowing, while others felt shoving in the pillow as-is was easier. Either way, most felt the manufacturer should increase the size of the stuff sack.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
Packed Size
For such a large pillow, the packed size of the Fillo is impressive.
Inside the attached stuff sack, the volume is just 1.4 liters. This is smaller than the fully compressible models reviewed, as well as some of the hybrid pillows we studied. As expected, the inflatable pillows without any foam padding packed away the smallest.
Year in and year out, our Nemo Fillo has handled every outdoor adventure we could throw at it. From canoe trips to car camping, backpacking, travel, or hammocking when good rest is needed, the Fillo doesn't disappoint.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
Support
This pillow provides your head, neck, and back with sufficient support.
Our heads sank gently into the foam of the pillow, while the inflated portion underneath sustained the weight easily and kept our spines aligned. This pillow combines comfort with support the best of all the products in this review.
Nemo offers this pillow in two different fabrics  the microsuede, viewed here, and jersey fabric. We think the microsuede top is the better choice.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
Ease of Use
The Fillo scores well in this category. It has an inflatable element, which makes it more work than a compressible pillow. It inflates in just three breaths, and the air valve is designed to make adjusting the air level very easy, without the risk of deflating the whole pillow. We like that it has a stuff sack built into the design.
You can expect this model to last. The bladder is well protected, and the craftsmanship is fantastic. One of our reviewers has owned this pillow for nearly three years, taken it on countless camping trips, sent it through the washing machine, and it still performs as it did on day one.
We've certainly lost a few stuff sacks over the years, so we love that the Fillo's is built-in.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
This pillow's stuff sack is rather small, though, which made it more difficult to get the pillow inside. That said, we were happy never to have to search through our pack for its stuff sack. A bit more material to extend the stuff sack's volume would be an improvement here, but it's not a deal-breaker. The Fillo's length made it fit snugly inside the hoods of the mummy sacks we used for our tests, and it did not slide around much under our heads at night. Lastly, to clean it, remove the outer shell and send it through the washing machine and dryer.
The Fillo's packed size is about the length and width of a standard smart phone. This is quite impressive when compared to its generous size when completely inflated.
Credit: Jason Wanlass
Value
For its price, this pillow is above the budget pillow range. However, the convincing performance of the Fillo across the board makes it a great value and a clear pick for our favorite model overall.
Conclusion
The Nemo Fillo combines some of the most desirable qualities of inflatable and compressible pillows into a top-notch hybrid pillow. We enjoyed having it along in our pack, whether we were camping right beside the car or four days deep in the backcountry. It packs down small, yet provides plenty of comfort and support. It's also simple to use and feels like it will last a long time. If you are looking for a camping pillow to keep you comfortable on almost any trip you take it on; we are confident that you will enjoy this one as much as we did.
The Fillo is the perfect choice for a weekender at the nearest campground or for a few days in the backcountry. It's a little too heavy for extended backpacking, but some may take it anyway just for the comfort.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
