MontBell UL Pillow for Backcountry Hunting and Hiking
The Outdoor Smorgasbord 08.24.12
I mentioned in an earlier post that the biggest hole I poked in my backcountry hunting set-up during our Cohutta, Georgia wilderness marathon hiking trip was my sleep system. The hospital pillow that I thought was such a great idea ended up leaving me tossing, turning, and thinking all sorts of bad words all night! I knew I had to fix my pillow situation before our monumental archery elk hunt coming up in September.
After a rather exhaustive search of websites where people know their stuff (namely backpackinglight), I arrived at the MontBell UL Pillow.
It is pretty large for a backpacking pillow and has a great stem valve that makes inflation a breeze. I have slightly above-average lung capacity and it takes me 3.5 – 4 full puffs to completely inflate. The key to MontBell’s design is the gussets that form a two-tier design for your head to nest in. On my side and laying on my back, the pillow was sturdy under my head, cushioned enough not to give me a headache, and extremely lightweight – 2.5 ounces including the stuff sack.
On nights where I won’t be wearing my Stoic Hadron puffy for added insulation, I’ll probably wrap the pillow for added cushion and comfort.
Here’s a picture of the MontBell UL Pillow compressed down into its stuff sack. No, I didn’t pick up this gem from Sam’s Club – just showing a credit card for size reference.
If you’re interested, the MontBell UL Pillow also has tabs that make it easy to connect to MontBell sleep pads. You can also modify most other pads (Big Agnes, etc.) to accept the tabs which keeps the pillow in place throughout the night. I probably won’t use them, but they are there for those who are interested.
I’m 28 years old and I am currently stationed at Auburn University where I am pursuing a doctorate degree in wildlife sciences. Before this stage of life, I spent the better half of my life living in Alamance County, North Carolina. I’m convinced that my father’s love for deer hunting fostered a permanent infatuation with the outdoors in my life. As a 12-year old, I killed my first deer at my grandpa’s farm in northwestern PA. From the time that bolt-action .243 barked in 1996, it was a slippery slope towards obsessive addiction. My passion is white-tailed deer hunting, especially with archery equipment.
However, as my blog name would suggest – I don’t consider myself a one dimensional outdoorsman. I am just as likely to be wading shallow lake waters trying to arrow prehistoric bowfin and torpedo-shaped grass carp, busting the January brush for cottontails, combing hillsides for antler sheds, calling ducks in a timbered swamp, battling monster flathead catfish, or setting traps for beavers and raccoons. My passion also takes me outside NC boundaries – bowhunting elk in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, glassing pronghorn in Wyoming’s plains country, stalking mulies at the base of the Bighorn Mountains, waiting for a Kansas whitetail to funnel past a treestand. The list could go on.
I guess the thing that makes me somewhat unique is that I have taken my love for the outdoors and genuinely made it my life’s pursuit. I received a 4 year degree in wildlife sciences from North Carolina State University in December 2006. Since then, I’ve also completed a master’s degree that focused on using GPS collars to examine how adult bucks react to hunting pressure at Chesapeake Farms, Maryland.
My current project at Auburn University also uses GPS technology but my objectives are different. I am looking at breeding strategies by different age class bucks in a very unique, high-fenced deer population. I also intend to address the controversial issue of fair chase, as well as spearhead numerous side projects while at the University.
Well, enough about me, my wife is extraordinarily beautiful if I do say so myself. We were high school sweethearts and were married in January 2008 and were joined in September 2011 by our beautiful daughter Raelyn Mae.
Finally, what can you expect from my blog. I will bring you many exciting experiences, practical how-to tips, and candid product reviews, but I also want to bring you a unique perspective from the science behind the great outdoors.
