My wife has been reading a new book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Normally this wouldn’t be relevant to this blog, except this book combined with being snowed in have created a state where she has been passionately cleaning out our closets for the last week. I now have three garbage bags full of clothes to donate/trash – and much to my chagrin there are a few sets of pajamas in there.
I am a person who has never bought a real set of pajamas in my life, but somehow I am also semi-obsessed with airline pajamas. Maybe it’s that they’re “free” (yeah right). Anyway, here are my impressions of the various pajama sets I have, listed in order of accrual. Oh, and did you know I’m giving away a set of Cathay pajamas and a Rimowa amenity kit? Synergy.
Lufthansa 2012
Lufthansa pajama’s are made by Van Laack. Whatever that means – Banana Republic is already above my cost threshold for clothes. The design choice is interesting – the pants are of a rougher material – almost like hospital scrubs. The shirt is of a softer material and has a collar that you can pop so you look cool.
These pajamas will always have a special place in my heart because they were the first pair I ever got, but the shirt is starting to get pilly. I appreciated the pants because they didn’t get static-y on the plane or at home (very big for me), but they’re not “soft” and comfortable to wear around the house, though they have useful pockets!
The shirt is nice and soft and very comfortable to wear – I wear layers at home because we keep the heat low and it served as my middle layer for a long time.
American Airlines 2013
Back when my Award Booking Service was in its fledgling infancy, I helped book my friend and his family a trip to Taiwan. Since he was my buddy and I was one of his first clients, I asked for a set of AA pajamas as payment instead of my regular fees (he was flying with a 3 year old and would get an extra unwearable set anyway).
The AA pajamas are actually quite comfortable – they are soft and spacious which of course I appreciate. They aren’t really that aesthetically pleasing, they kind of feel like those old Magic Eye things, and they can get kind of warm since they’re not made of cotton (polyester I think). We use the top as a pillowcase on occasion. I like to wear the pants around the house but they can definitely get static clingy, which is annoying. They also lack pockets which is unfortunate functionality wise.
Lufthansa 2014
We didn’t fly any first class flights in 2013 (thanks for nothing, M!), so the next set of pajamas I added to my collection from actually flying were from Van Laack and Lufthansa once again. The pants feel pretty much the same, while great for the plane I don’t have much use for them at home.
The shirt seems a little thicker and softer now, and thus more comfortable – so I prefer this set to the set I got in 2012. Other than that, it didn’t seem to me like too much had been updated. Moving on.
British Airways 2014
British Airways pajamas, made by Orvec, definitely receive my silver medal. They are very simple and understated – just straight blue with the BA logo and “First” on them. But pajamas don’t need to have flair – they just need to be comfortable. I find the BA pajamas have comfort in spades. They are 100% cotton, so they breathe very well, and they are just super comfortable and relaxing. They replaced AA as my “lounge around home” pants and I wear the shirt semi-regularly. Simple, classy, and comfortable. Biggest downside: no pockets
EVA Air 2014
EVA Air is special because they are one of the few airlines to offer pajamas in business class. Since they have to offer so many sets, I wasn’t expecting much, but they exceeded expectations – they even had pockets!. They weren’t amazing and are degrading fast, but they were comfortable and nice to sleep in. My two bones to pick: tons of static, probably the most of any set I own, and the medium is too tight on me haha. Well, I guess that’s my own problem.
[Photo of form fitting pajamas redacted. You’re welcome]
Cathay Pacific 2014
My favorite airline pajamas hands down are from Cathay Pacific. Made by PYE, they are 100% organic cotton and they are what I imagine real, purchased pajama sets are. They are very soft, comfortable, very little static cling, breathable – simply put they are amazing. I guess Cathay Pacific used to offer Shanghai Tang pajamas and that was a big deal – if those pajamas are better than these than hats off. Even the slippers Cathay gave out were nicer than what I had received on other airlines – they take their sleepwear seriously. And of course – pockets 🙂 Oh, and did you know I’m giving some away? What a deal!
Final Thoughts
Free pajamas are great. Each one has a special place in my heart – I guess they are my souvenirs. It’s kinda silly and stupid to write about them, but when you’ve got pajamas on the brain, what’re you gonna do? (Jess: There are not enough garbage bags in the world to get rid of your stupid pajama collection. See above photo.)
Hah! I’ve been thinking about a PJ post myself… Of course, I have to disagree with you on the Lufthansa pants – yes they are “scrub like” but I find them to have stood up since 2012 quite well, never pilly or wrinkly, and soft enough for me.
If you want a funky looking pair of PJs, you definitely should try QR — or I can send you a pair, I have like 3-4 unopened sets, and will probably have another couple (or more) next month.
………..yes I want them as long as my wife isn’t reading these comments
Ii started the miles hobby just over a year ago and have done more flying, but still haven’t booked a first class trip. I think it’s awesome that you wrote a post about pajamas. I’m eager to get my first pair and then build my collection from there.
Thank you for a great post and sorry for your loss (pajamas).
I get a kick out of airline pjs. Inevitably, I will carry home all the unworn sets. Yet I don’t wear them. But they are free. And they are fun. So I put them in a big plastic bin. Once a year or so, I take them and my excess amenity kits to a FlyerTalk dinner in San Diego. Everyone gets to go thru my treasures and take anything they want. I think those of us who are blessed to fly international F are extraordinarily blessed. It’s a lot of fun to give a taste of that experience to others.
Wow – that’s awesome. That’s a great idea!
Seconded!
My wife has also taken to giving away amenity kits as pencil boxes for her sixth graders
Ha ha, we have the Shanghai Tang ones. They look . . . very Asian. They’re really nice quality but would definitely make you stand out in a pajama party. 😉