Best travel pillow

I bought the super duper Rick Steves' pillow, and no, I don't think Rick got a commission from it. Haven't used it yet, but I like the design and I'm anticipating that it will be "better than the average neck pillow" since it affords greater coverage to allow for sleeping while sitting up. Anyone here ever use this pillow?

My daughter and I have the perfect one for us. Bought it at Target. It is 15" x 5" (expanded) like a memory foam. It will crush down to about 5" x 4" in our day back packs. We use these as neck pillows on planes, trains and as a bed pillow. The case and pillow can be washed easily when traveling. We use to tie them once we crushed them down, but found stuffing them in the day back pack is faster and easier.

I bought Rick's super-duper one years ago. Didn't like it and have not brought it with me since the one trip I tried it. I haven't found a good one yet.

I still have a cheapo one I just picked up at some dollar store. Regular U shape,, flocked covering,, I have used it for a few years now,, and it hasn't leaked on me yet( amazing ,, since I think I paid 3-4 bucks for it) . I picked up two at the time, lost one.. wish I had more. I don't think it matters which pillow someone else recommends, we are all so different. I personally find the micro bead ones to big,, and I like using an inflatable one underinflated and in the small of my back while not trying to sleep. Plane seats seem to be concave,, which is so stupid as 9 hours of sitting with ones back curved in is so painful.

I like the Eagle Creek Comfort Travel Pillow. Blows up really easily (3-4 breaths), deflates easily when needed; has a soft microfleece cover. A bit bulkier when flat, though, than other pillows. I used the Rick Steves' Deluxe Travel Pillow in the past but was disappointed. After just a few uses it started deflating even when I didn't want it to, and the design wasn't all that comfortable for me.

I just got delivery of the Rick Steves deluxe travel pillow. I inflated it and tried it out and right away I am disappointed with how it feels. It's awkward and not conducive at all to resting. For a lot more money ($27 including standard shipping from Magellan's) you can buy the Eagle Creek pillow mentioned by someone else. I think it's an exorbitant amount to pay for some inflatable nylon, but I've ordered it because I've got to get some sleep on a 14- hour flight to Rome. By the way, I don't have a lot of respect for Magellan's. They refused to post my critical (but honest and helpful) review of an item I purchased from them. They only publish rave reviews, and selectively scatter some innocuous criticism with their reviews to give the illusionn of honesty and transparency. They're also over-priced. My two cents.

Gwen: REI sells the Eagle Creek Comfort Pillow for $20. http://www.rei.com/product/719269?preferredSku=7192690035&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-7192690035&mr:trackingCode=8F784FFE-FB85-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

Janet, thanks for the tip. Magellan's also priced them at $19.85. It was the Standard Shipping that boosted the price to $27. I've never ordered anything from REI- maybe their shipping is cheaper? In any case, I already paid my money to Magellan's.

It's been a few years, but we tried Rick's pillows twice, and had terrible experiences with both. First one leaked on the first flight it was used on, instantly useless. Second one held up, but we didn't find it very useful. Ultimately, I ended up trying the "inflatable komfort kollar" (available from Magellans and elsewhere). Although it looks weird and feels weird at first, it's the only inflatable pillow I've found that actually allows me to get a little sleep on a long flight. Not perfect, but useful enough to justify lugging it along IMHO. YMMV.

Anything with a comfortable fabric on it....................... My best technique is to inflate it halfway, then adjust from there (like a sleep number mattress). Completely inflated isn't comfortable (for me).................................... Remember if you inflate it fully at ground level, it can't expand as you climb and may get a leak. It's better to wait until you level off to break out the pillow.................... If it's leaking at altitude, it's really leaking. When you land the pillow will lose volume because of the change in pressure, not because it's leaking.

I have a Nap pillow I got at Brookstone for $20 several years ago. I think it's perfect. It weighs nothing and I just clip it on the handle of my carry-on.

anyone tried this one? Reviews are good! http://www.amazon.com/TravelRest-Ultimate-Inflatable-Travel-Pillow/dp/B001DYDAEK/ref=sr_1_2?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285635432&sr=8-2

Gwen - There's a Magellans store in Santa Barbara if you're up for a drive and they carry something you can't find anywhere else. I agree the prices aren't the lowest but I like the selection (and the store is convenient for me).

My Eagle Creek travel pillow just came today. It is sooo much better than the Rick Steves Deluxe travel pillow! I think it's probably going to be about as helpful as any of these travel pillows can be on a long fight. It is very easy to inflate and deflate and has its own built-in carrying pouch. I'm still pained by what I had to pay for it, but at least I got something that might actually work.

I recently went to Target to look at travel pillows. They seem to carry a pretty good assortment (inflatable, microbead, u-shaped, small rectangle, etc.) I think there were at least 7 different styles. I chose the small rectangle that is filled with microbeads and covered with a washable fleecy case. Not only do I want a pillow for the flights but I find the pillows provided in European hotels (in general) to be to flat and skimpy for me. My travel pillow will either be on top of or underneath the hotel bed pillow for extra height. I'll write after my trip (leaving this Sunday) to report on how my strategy worked.