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QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR DOWN AND MICROFIBRE FILL
Should I choose goose down, duck down, or a white down blend?
Down is rated by its fill power—how much loft or “fluffiness” the down has. Both our goose down travel pillows and duck down travel pillows, as well as our blended down travel pillows, have good loftiness too them.
Goose down is the premium down. It comes from Hutterite communities in Alberta. Our goose down travel pillows are 700+ loft, which is a very lightweight solution for maximum insulation.
Duck down is a great down. Our duck down comes from the Brome Lake communities in Quebec. Our duck down travel pillows feature 600 loft down clusters. Less loft can be nice if you prefer cooler pillows.
White down blend is just that—a combination of goose and duck down—offering a midpoint in loft, insulation, and price. It also comes from Brome Lake, Quebec.
No matter what down you end up choosing, you can be sure you’re getting the best travel pillow you’ll ever own.
Feather Industries, a Canadian company, supplies our down. Feather Industries hold their down farmers to the highest standards of ethical treatment. No bird is raised to be harvested for down, force-fed, or live-plucked for down. Feather Industries’ processing methods use bio-degradable, eco-friendly cleaning methods for a low carbon footprint.
Why choose a microfibre inflatable travel pillow?
While we founded Pillowpacker® on providing the ultimate in travel sleeping comfort, down isn’t the right choice for every person or every situation.
Synthetic microfibres are hypoallergenic, making them a great alternative to down if you’re one of the few people truly allergic to down. Synthetic microfibres are also a smarter choice when you’re taking your Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow somewhere with a lot of water or humidity—say kayaking or canoeing.
Our synthetic microfibre down alternative of choice is the Eco2 Suprelle Micro, created and manufactured in Germany. Ultrafine siliconized Dacron polyester fibres are soft and light. The siliconizing process allows the synthetic microfibres to easily slide past one another, simulating the springy yield of genuine down.
German design and manufacture also means compliance with the European Union’s strict environment regulations, meaning our microfibre pillows are nearly as eco-friendly as our ethically-sourced down.
What's so special about down?
Down is a kind of feather, but it’s not what most people think of when they picture feathers.
Down is the fluffy undercoating of waterfowl, like ducks and geese, that lets them stay warm in water, especially in the chilly Canadian climate. It’s not like the tough exterior feathers.
Those tough exterior feathers have spines that can poke you as sleep, and are much harder than down. We only produce down pillows, for the ultimate travel sleeping experience.
Down is breathable, light, and soft. It naturally wicks away moisture and holds heat. It does this with tiny, interlocking filaments that trap air. This is what gives down its “loft”.
Down isn’t like cotton. If you’ve ever scrunched up a cotton pillow, you know it tends to ball up and get lumpy. Down, even when compressed, will bounce back to its original shape over and over, adapt to the contours of your body, and stay lofty.
Goose down and duck down are different. Goose down is longer and lighter, providing more fluffiness and loftiness than duck down. Duck down’s a good choice for economy and compromise.
Canada is home to some of the finest down in the world. Our chilly climate means the waterfowl that live here have fluffiest, warmest down. That means our down travel pillows also have the fluffiest, warmest down.
The down used in making Pillowpacker® pillows is among the best you can get, and we are very happy to offer it in our products. Feather Industries, the largest processor of feathers and down in Canada, supplies all our down. Feather Industries meets and exceeds all Canadian and International down processing standards.
When you buy travel pillows from Pillowpacker®, you’re buying Earth-friendly products.
Our down comes from Feather Industries. Feather Industries sources goose down from Hutterite communities in Alberta, and our duck down and white down blend comes from Lake Brome in Quebec.
No bird that provides our down is ever raised specifically to harvest down, they’re never live-plucked, and they’re never force-fed.
Feather Industries uses an eco-friendly process to wash and clean the down, with 100% biodegradable agents.
Down has a much lower carbon footprint and much less waste than synthetic processes.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CARING FOR YOUR PILLOWPACKER® PILLOW
How do i set up my Pillowpacker® Pillow?
The Pillowpacker® pillow is easy to set up and adjust. Whether you have a down travel pillow or a microfibre travel pillow, the set-up is the same. Access your inflatable insert through the zippered pouch in the outer pillow—there’s no need to take it out. Find the valve on the inflatable insert. Turn it counter-clockwise to make sure it’s fully open. Blow into it until the inflatable insert has the firmness and yield you prefer. Then twist the valve clockwise again to seal it. We recommend testing out different levels of inflation at home, to find the one that’s best for you.
When you’re ready to pack your pillow, just access the insert through the zipper (again, no need to take it out). Then open the valve by turning it counter-clockwise again, and gently apply pressure to deflate the insert. Roll the travel pillows up, and tuck them into the Nylon stuff sack.
How do i Wash and Care for my Pillowpacker® Pillow?
Both our down travel pillows and microfibre travel pillows are resilient and can last for years of travelling with proper care.
For our down travel pillows especially, make sure to air them out in a dry place (no humidity). Fluff them occasionally and launder as necessary.
Always use your Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow with a pillowcase. We recommend you purchase some extra pillow cases from us, so you can swap them out regularly, as well as use one as a general pillow protector and another as your pillowcase from when you sleep. This will help protect your travel pillow from oils.
Wash your outer down travel pillow in warm water on the gentlest cycle using a mild detergent. Remember, with down, always double the rinse cycle to remove residue. Spin cycle as normal to remove as much moisture as possible. When drying, use warm heat or low heat and let the cycle dry for longer than you normally would. Make sure your outer down pillow is completely dry. High heat during the wash or dry cycle can cause the pillow fabric to shrink.
Wash your outer microfibre pillow the way you would normally wash and dry other synthetics. Don’t use too much heat to prevent damage to the microfibres.
You can wipe the polyurethane inflatable travel pillow insert with warm water and mild soap as needed.
Every Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow comes with a set of easy-to-follow instructions for storage and care.
How should i store my Pillowpacker® Pillow?
The number one enemy of bedding is moisture, and that’s true for our down travel pillows and microfibre travel pillows.
Make sure that when you aren’t bringing it on your travels, you store your Pillowpacker® pillow unrolled and unbunched.
If you need to store your Pillowpacker® pillow in a bag or tote, make sure it’s breathable and won’t accumulate moisture.
Don’t store it in a non-breathable plastic bag or bin—moisture can’t escape.
EveryPillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow comes with a set of easy-to-follow instructions for storage and care.
How long will my Pillowpacker® Pillow last?
We manufacture our pillows to last. Both our down travel pillows and microfibre travel pillows are made of high-grade materials to our exact specifications. Our inflatable travel pillow insert is held to the same high standards. Our pillowcases offer an extra layer of protection against oils, moisture, and wear.
Every Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillow comes with a set of easy-to-follow instructions for storage and care.
With proper care and use, your pillow will provide you with years of travel comfort.
How reliable is the inner Pillow?
Our travel pillows are really two pillows in one. The exterior down pillow or microfibre pillow is the comfort pillow, and the interior polyurethane pillow is the inflatable travel pillow that makes your Pillowpacker® pillow go from portable to full-size.
The interior polyurethane inflatable pillow is tough, tear resistant, flexible, and resistant to dirt and grime and should last for years. It’s also easily washable with warm water and mild soap.
We hold our inflatable interior pillows to the same high standards as our down and microfibre pillows. The manufacturer subjects our interior pillows to a multi-day inflation test against defects.
Although it’s tough, we understand polyurethane isn’t invincible—but it is easily repaired. If your interior inflatable pillow does spring a leak, you can fix it with a polyurethane repair kit available at virtually any hardware or outdoors store.
OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT PILLOWPACKER® PILLOWS
What sizes of Pillowpacker® Pillows are available?
Pillowpacker® travel pillows come in one size, roughly half the size of a regular bedroom pillow. Testing revealed that this was the optimum trade off between compactability when deflated and rolled up and sleeping comfort when full inflated.
However, between packed-up and ready-to-go, the final size is up to you, and depends on how much you want to inflate the interior pillow.
Can i pick up a Pillowpacker® Travel Pillow in Stores?
Our Pillowpacker® inflatable travel pillows are only available online or for local pickup. Cutting out the middleman helps us keep your prices down.
If you do live in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, feel free to call us at 613-828-4104 and make an appointment to swing by our headquarters for local pick-up and inspection, and help you save the costs of shipping.
I have a bad Back/Neck, Can a Pillowpacker® down Travel Pillow help?
We’ve had an incredible amount of customer feedback from patients with sore necks and backs who’ve benefited from our down travel pillows. You can even see some for yourself here! We’re always happy when people tell us that Pillowpacker® is the travel pillow for neck pain. Maybe it’s our contoured insert or the warm, embracing comfort of quality down. Maybe it’s both. What we do know is that travelling shouldn’t be a pain in the neck!
Remember: Pillowpacker® isn’t a medical product, so be sure to talk to your doctor before travelling.
Questions About Travelling With Your Pillowpacker® Pillow
I’m travelling somewhere that is very cold. How will that affect my Pillowpacker pillow?
When air gets cold, it condenses. This will make your pillow feel like it has deflated while you use it. If this causes the pillow to become uncomfortable, simply add a little more air to the pillow. Be careful when doing so because any warm air you put in to the pillow will cause the air inside to expand, causing the inflatable to burst if there is too much air in it.
Does your pillow count as a carry on when boarding a flight?
If you are carrying your pillow in your hand when you check in for your flight, then it will be considered either a personal item or an additional carry on. A small pillow will be considered a personal item. A regular sized pillow would be considered too large to be a personal item and will be considered an additional carry on. If you want to avoid extra fees, keep your Pillowpacker pillow in your carry on bag until you get on the plane.
When is the best time to inflate your pillow on a flight?
It is best to wait until the plane has reached cruising altitude before inflating. At this point in the flight, cabin pressure will have stabilized making it much easier to inflate the pillow exact amount you want.