We put the SleepKeeper pillow bag to the test

I don’t know about you, but I like to take my comfortable and well-loved pillow from home with me when I hit the road. However, given that I normally head somewhere sandy, muddy or full of the red dirt of the outback, it doesn’t usually come back in good shape.

Actually, the shape is perfect, that’s why I love it.  What I mean is, it usually comes back filthy. On my last trip, I even found a 7-year-old-sized dirty footprint on my pillow after one of the kids climbed into my swag to filch my phone so they could watch a movie.

It was a bit surprising to find this dirt stamp on my pillow because they have their own swag and devices to watch movies on. Kids!

I found a really cool solution though in this simple pillow bag called the SleepKeeper. It’s basically a waterproof pillow bag but it has this really awesome feature that allows you to roll it up swag style to a third of its size and carry it around.  This also means I can now fit it into and take it more places.

SleepKeeper testing

Now, when I first got my hands on the SleepKeeper, I was a little sceptical. Naturally, I decided to test out its dirt and water repelling capabilities. Grabbing my second favourite pillow (aka my husband’s pillow), I rolled it up swag-style as per the instructions and then took it outside to play a game of catch with the kids.

It also got slammed into a mud puddle numerous times and then finally, soaked with the hose. We had to wash the mud off somehow, right? The aim was to get it disgustingly dirty and then take the cover off to see if it actually does keep the dirt, mud and water off your pillow.

The result

Guess what? It really does! Despite my poor treatment of the SleepKeeper, my pillow was completely clean and dry inside the case. I was also really impressed with how small it rolled up and the fact that it has a carry handle. So although I’m yet to take it away on a maiden voyage to somewhere sandy, dusty or muddy for the week, I’m 100% sure my pillow is now going to be in schmick condition when I do.

In fact, I reckon I could strap it to the tray with my swag, spend a whole day hooning around in the mud and it would be good to go come bedtime.

For those of you with kids, these would be ideal for the back of the car as the compact size when rolled up means it can double as a travel pillow. The handle allows it to be clipped to a backpack and it would be perfect for sleepovers and school camps.

More info about the SleepKeeper

Cost: $39.95 

Diane Tippler created the concept when a friend asked her to make a pillow bag for when she travelled. The idea was to keep her pillow hygenic and minimise the size so it would travel well. When another friend asked her to create a waterproof one for her son in the scouts, the SleepKeeper was born. A durable and practical product that was useful for all kinds of travellers. 

Jessica Palmer