[Equipment] Do dedicated CPAP pillows actually help?

[Old Moondog]

I'll be doing some back country camping soon and I need a new camping pillow.
Do the shaped dedicated pillows really make a difference or is it mainly marketing?
All good pillows cost around the same and If a shaped pillow would help I'll buy one
I've just bought a couple of 100AH Lithium batteries and a small [ 200Watt] solar blanket to keep them topped up so I'm hoping to get some decent skiing in this coming Southern winter.
Trial run last week with my old pillow and I kept knocking my mask off, a camping mattress and a cot isn't the same as my bed at home

[HalfAsleep]

How about going pillow-less and just using a soft cervical collar, like what you’d use on a plane? It would give you a soft feel without concern for your lying position.

You’ll be lying on your back with a backcountry camping mattress? FYI IMO you’ll sleep about 10 degrees F colder on a cot with mattress than on ground with the same mattress, but you might have already experienced this? Mattress on the ground or in back of a vehicle might more duplicate home. Personally, I’d also opt for wider, because I’d prolly use a weird position on a cot. Then you could use your home pillow?

So, a lot of variables here…. And you might have to sleep in a hat? (I’d wear a balaclava to add warmth to my get up).

PS i’ve spent about a thousand nights camping below freezing (I’m not kidding; I’ve even slept at 20 below), but I know squat about CPAP pillows. I would think they’re just as likely to knock the head gear and mask out of place as a regular pillow, and side sleeping would be worse than back sleeping. I’m quite excited about the balaclava concept, now that I think about it: you could put it over the headgear to keep it in position?

[Old Moondog]

A lot of cold weather sleeping experience including down to -35C. Although winter here in Australia this white season probably around -8C to -11C.
I have enough gear to sleep comfortably down to that lower figure, maybe even to Antarctic temperatures.
Cot warmer than the ground if you know what you are doing, skirts plus under quilts like in hammock camping, but thanx for the warning.
I sleep on my side to start with but often finish up on my back.

[HalfAsleep]

You’re not backpacking, correct? If I slept on my side consistently, I’d prolly try a CPAP pillow with cutouts. The biggest problem, if you do, will be a risk of cutting off your airway when you roll on your back.

If answers are slow in this thread, I’d try the search feature and perhaps the equipment category.

[srlevine1]

Just saying...
Don't forget thermal blankets to protect your batteries which have sensitivity to cold temperatures.

[Rcgop]

I have tried numerous pillows to include the cut out CPAP pillows. These pillows were only good for side sleeping. My pillow is a buckwheat pillow. You fill the pillow to your desired firmness and can shape them to accommodate the mask better than most pillows. Better yet, they come in different sizes that might be good for cot sleeping. 

If you do look into a buckwheat pillow, I recommend reading the information on the Pinetales web sight. That will explain all the good and bad about purchasing buckwheat pillows.

[Old Moondog]

Well it's when I'm on my side that I lose my mask so maybe the cutouts will work for me.