Sierra Designs DriDown Pillow Review
Cons: Little support, gets warm quickly, flattens overnight
Manufacturer: Sierra Designs
Our Verdict
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Sierra Designs DriDown Pillow | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Price | $29.59 at Amazon | $39.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $41.95 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $42.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $39.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Soft surface, easy to use, versatile | Very comfortable, great support, easy to adjust thickness, washable exterior | Very comfy, easy to adjust air volume, ergonomically shaped for back and side sleepers | Very small packed size, lightweight, great support | Lightweight, small packed size, easy to use |
Cons | Little support, gets warm quickly, flattens overnight | Heavy, not for extended backcountry trips | More expensive, down is allergenic to some users, a little heavier than its inflatable peers | Not super comfortable | Less comfortable than other models, can be punctured, noisy |
Bottom Line | It warms up quickly, but this soft and thin pillow is a good for snoozing on your stomach | This pillow provides excellent comfort and is adjustable for all kinds of sleepers in most camp settings | This model adds significant comfort, but at a weight penalty | This is our favorite model for extended backpacking trips | Yes, you can find something more comfortable, but you won't find many this lightweight and packable |
Rating Categories | Sierra Designs DriDown Pillow | NEMO Fillo | Air Head Down Pillow | Sea to Summit Aeros | Big Agnes AXL Air Pillow |
Comfort (25%) | |||||
Weight (20%) | |||||
Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
Packed Size (20%) | |||||
Support (20%) | |||||
Specs | Sierra Designs... | NEMO Fillo | Air Head Down Pillow | Sea to Summit Aeros | Big Agnes AXL Air... |
Type | Compressible | Hybrid: Compressible and Inflatable | Hybrid: Compressible and Inflatable | Inflatable | Inflatable |
Measured Weight (oz) | 5.9 oz | 9.0 oz | 5.4 oz | 3.1 oz | 1.8 oz |
Packed Volume (L) | 2.0 L | 1.4 L | 0.6 L | 0.4 L | 0.3 L |
Length | 13 in | 16 in | 18 in | 14 in | 16 in |
Width | 9 in | 9.5 in | 12.5 in | 8 in | 10 in |
Thickness | High end: 6 in; Low end:2.5 in | 4.5 in | 4 in | High side: 5 in; Low side: 4 in | 4 in |
Stuff Sack included? | Yes, with drawstring | Integrated Stuff Sack. Velcro strap as well. | Yes, with drawstring | Yes, with drawstring | Yes, with drawstring |
Materials | Shell Material: 20D Polyester Ripstop; Liner Material: 20D Polyester Taffetta; Insulation: 650FP PFC-Free Dridown | Polyester, microfiber / microsuede outer layer | Partially recycled polyester, down, urethane | Polyurethane bladder, Brushed 50D Polyester Knit Cover | 4-Way stretch nylon w/ TPU coating |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Comfort
In terms of texture, the DriDown is very appealing right out of the box. It has a nice feel, is crafted with care, and feels great in your hands. The silky ripstop shell incorporates a quilted, 650-fill down, which gives the pillow a nice overall feel. When put to the test, however, the pillow performed just barely above average for comfort. The key reason is minimal padding, provided by the system's inner pillow, which compresses easily during the night. Additionally, the down topper retains heat. Some of our reviewers, who prefer cool pillows, felt this was a significant drawback. We like the pillow, but we wish it pushed back a little when it came to overnight, consistent support.
Weight
In this metric, each pillow was weighed separately and then scored accordingly for weight. The Dridown landed right in the middle. Its lightweight blend of polyester and down is adequate for a backpacking trip. However, for trekkers more conscious about weight, this pillow may be on the heavier side when considering the pillows we tested, which are half the weight and offer far more support.
Ease of Use
Earning its highest marks for ease of use, the Dridown stuffs and unstuffs easily into its stuff sack and requires virtually no setup. Its smaller design allows the pillow to fit nicely into the hood of any mummy bag. That said, the silky rip-stop shell resembles the material used for sleeping bag shells, resulting in a slippery combination. We lost our Dridown more than once during night. Additionally, down doesn't wash easily, so this pillow requires a little extra care when cleaning the exterior shell.
Packed Size
After calculating the packed volume for each of the pillows we reviewed, the Dridown is in the middle of the road for packed size, just where it landed in our weight rankings. Overall, this pillow is an average performer when it comes to packability and weight. Being a compressible pillow, it's important to note the Dridown packs tighter than any of the other compressible versions we examined. In part, this is due to its use of down. The major reason is the inner pillow simply doesn't have a lot of fill. As mentioned, you can leave the inner pillow at home and stuff this model with extra clothing from your pack to reduce packed size and weight.
Support
This pillow provides the least support of all contenders in this review. Throughout the night, the DriDown pillow flattens out to be quite thin. That said, the manufacturer didn't seem to cut any corners in its construction. It's well-made and has a great feel. Simply put, the DriDown is a very basic pillow with lower amounts of fluff. The result is a thinner pillow without much support. Thin-pillow lovers just might be in heaven with this pillow. For more support, consider pretty much any other model in this review.
Value
The DriDown model offers moderate value. Its versatility, low weight, and small packed size make it suitable for more than just car camping. Yet, it might only satisfy specific sleepers regarding comfort.
Conclusion
With its highly-touted duck down filling, we expected the Sierra Designs DriDown to be a real luxury item. However, it fell to the middle of the pack in nearly every scoring metric. Although we like this pillow, it doesn't perform as well as the other products included in this review.
— Ross Robinson