This opens a search on REI rather than a product page — we haven't verified a direct link for this one, and the results may include other brands.
We may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Therm-a-Rest Air Head Lite Pillow — Specs & Analysis
Manufacturer specifications, compared against every other camp accessories in our database. We do not test gear in the field — we measure, verify, and compare.
The Air Head Lite is a hybrid pillow with a foam-insulated inflatable core and a soft brushed polyester cover. It collapses to a fraction of its inflated size, and the foam layer provides insulation and cushion that pure inflatable pillows lack. A solid middle-ground option.
Who Is the Therm-a-Rest Air Head Lite Pillow Best For?
Bikepackers who want a hybrid pillow that balances comfort and weight. If that describes your riding style, the Air Head Lite Pillow should be at the top of your shortlist. It sits in the Camp Accessories category alongside 10 other products we track.
How It Compares
At 55g and $45, the Air Head Lite Pillow is 15g heavier than the lightest option in this category (the Rawlogy Cork Massage Ball at 40g). The most budget-friendly option is the Sea to Summit X-Cup Collapsible at $12.
The price-to-weight ratio comes in at $82 per 100g — a premium price point, but you're paying for quality, materials, and design that justify the investment for serious bikepackers.
What We Like
- +Foam layer adds genuine cushion beyond inflation alone
- +Brushed polyester cover is soft and grippy
- +Lightest hybrid foam-and-air pillow available
Watch Out For
- −Foam layer means it doesn't pack as small as pure inflatables
- −Cover is not removable for washing
- −Takes longer to dry than a bare inflatable pillow
The Bottom Line
We haven't scored the Therm-a-Rest Air Head Lite Pillow, and neither has anyone else we can cite. It's here for its verified specifications and dimensions, which is what the fit tools run on — a score is an editorial judgement, and we don't hand one out until someone has a basis for it. What this page can tell you is measured: 55g, $45, and how both sit against every other camp accessories product we track.
Price checked against the manufacturer on 18 August 2026 — see the source.
Specifications and dimensions come from the sources listed above. Where a page draws on first-hand riding, it says so.
What it packs down to
Therm-a-Rest publishes a packed size of 3 x 3 x 4 in, which is 0.6 litres as a folded block. Of the 55 bags we track that publish a capacity, 54 have room for it and 1 do not.
Volume is computed from Therm-a-Rest's own packed size, treating a two-dimension figure as a stuff sack. Bag capacities are the makers' published figures, not ours — 12 of the bags we hold dimensions for publish no capacity and are left out of the count rather than assumed. A stuff sack does not reshape itself, so read the headroom as room to spare rather than a guarantee it goes in easily.
How it compares
Against the 11 camp accessories we hold published specs for.
At 55g the Air Head Lite Pillow is lighter than 7 of 10 alternatives we track. The category median is 76g.
At $45 it undercuts 4 of 10 of them, against a median of $40. That works out at $82 per 100g — above the $29 median for camp accessories.
Weight and price come from published specifications. Cost per 100g is a blunt measure — it rewards light gear and says nothing about durability or whether the thing works — so treat it as one input, not a verdict.
More in Camp Accessories
Ultralight camp chairs, pillows, and accessories that make bivvy life more comfortable.