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Best Neck Pillow Shopping Guide with Pros/Cons

We have all seen people on flights with a neck pillow. The most common one is a U-shaped microfiber based pillow. People with neck pillows just look so happy. Generally they are sleeping, or leaning against the side of the their seat wall to look out the window. They just look so comfortable! For a person that has to travel around for work or someone who simply adores long trips, a neck pillow is a wise idea. It protects your neck, supports it, provides warmth, and tag=mattressnuti-20. Products are also generally cheap and portable so you should give them a try. Here’s what we found to be the best neck pillow based on our exploration of products. Let’s take a peek at the pros and cons, features and benefits, and more related to each product on our list. Also, if you are interested in more traditional memory foam pillows , body pillows, or lumbar support pillows (for sitting in an office or long commuting trips), you can take a the guides we’ve written for those as well. Now then, if you are on board with buying yourself a nice and new neck pillow, let’s take a peek to see what are the best neck pillow available online.

Summary of Neck Pillows That We Explored

Name of the product # of reviews # of stars Read Reviews Amazon Promotions
Trtl Super Soft Neck Pillow 6278 4/5 See Reviews See Promotions
BCOZZY Chin Supporting Travel Pillow 1958 4.5/5 See Reviews See Promotions
Qingta Neck Pillow 83 5/5 See Reviews See Promotions
Physport Neck Pillow 61 4.9/5 See Reviews See Promotions
Simpletravel Neck Pillow 57 5/5 See Reviews See Promotions

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What’s the Best Neck Pillow available online ?

#1 Trtl Super Soft Neck Pillow

best neck pillow #1

When talking about travel neck pillows, we usually think about the traditional u-shaped memory foam one. It’s the most popular because it has everything we normally describe – tag=mattressnuti-20, portability, warmth. However, what if I told you there was another contestant? A rival that dares to say it’s even better than the traditional neck pillow? The Trtl Pillow shown here is actually an excellent rival for the spot of the best next pillow. It’s a really interesting and original design because it’s essentially a super soft sheet that wraps around your neck and holds it in an ergonomic position. Within the sheet they have this neck support brace on the left side which holds your neck up. Because of the fleece cloth on top, the sheet tends to hold it’s shape by friction between adjacent surfaces. They call this the “hammock effect”. Plus it’s incredibly easy to pack and move with because it’s just a sheet + brace. When I tried it, it really helped keep my neck stable and warm. It’s just so simple and elegant, so I think it deserves the spot as the best neck pillow available. Plus, take a look at all those reviews and high ratings…I’m not alone in my analysis.

What we liked:

  • Simple and effective product
  • Very nice and warm
  • Easy to pack
  • Good for your neck

What we didn’t like:

  • Some people have a hard time sleeping in the position that the neck pillow provides
  • It may not fit to your neck size – shorter people tend to have a more difficult time using this pillow
  • Beware of cheap knock offs available online!
See Reviews
See Promotions on Amazon

#2 BCOZZY Chin Supporting Travel Pillow

best neck pillow #2

It may be surprising to many of you that traditional u-shaped travel pillows didn’t get the top spots on this list of the best neck pillow available. That’s because the market has evolved to have several competitors like this Bcozzy chin supporting pillow. This pillow is the second best neck pillow on our list because it has a similar design to the u-shaped pillow but then goes a step further with a small tweak. When you think of the u-shaped pillow, you wonder, what happens if your neck is a bit longer than the height of the pillow? Wouldn’t it provide almost no support? Well you’d be right. However, the Bcozzy shown here wraps around the neck and then stacks in front like you see in the picture. That tweak makes it so support your chin better than a u-shaped pillow regardless of the length of your neck. I thought this made perfect sense as to why this pillow now has a ton of reviews and high ratings. However, this design is also harder to pack than the Trtl above, so I gave it a lower rating. A flat sheet is just too simple and efficient in comparison to this lump.

What we liked:

  • Clever design.
  • Solves a neck pillow problem that hadn’t been taken care of.
  • Incredibly tag=mattressnuti-20able. Out of those 1900 reviews almost every single one (even the low ratings) gave the pillow a 5/5 for tag=mattressnuti-20.

What we didn’t like and why it’s the #2 best neck pillow on this list:

  • The materials could be better. I could see how the stitching could come apart and then the stuffing would come out. Mine didn’t get affected but some other customers have found this to be an issue.
  • If you wash it a lot, you can damage pillow rather quickly.
  • Harder to pack than the #1 best neck pillow above
See Reviews
See Promotions on Amazon

#3 Qingta Neck Pillow

best neck pillow #3

The Qingta neck pillow is an interesting product. The manufacturers basically took the original u-shaped neck pillow, expanded the height/thickness of the pillow, and then added on a hood. You might think this is just a cheap rip off, but something interesting happens when you add the hood….you get shade from light. This combination makes the neck pillow incredibly tag=mattressnuti-20able and provides it new utility compared to our #1 and #2 pillows above. Also, the hood prevents some of the noise of the airplane or car cabin from bothering you while you try to get some sleep. Once again, it’s just a simple tweak on the original u-shaped pillow but it offers several large advantages. One might even say that this looks “stylish” because of the hood + neck pillow combination. But I don’t care about the style as long as it is efficiently supporting my neck and allowing me to sleep. So, on the basis of support and warmth we give this a high rating. For the ability to pack and wash, we don’t give it a high rating. All those cords can get tangled in a drier and the weird shape of u-shaped pillows also prevents it from packing tightly into a backpack or suitcase. It’s a great #3 for our list of the best neck pillow available in retail.

What we liked:

  • Has a nice looking hood to prevent sound and light from affecting your sleep
  • Looks stylish
  • Quite warm and tag=mattressnuti-20able! I got some nice shut-eye with this product.

What we didn’t like:

  • Cords can get tangled while washing / drying
  • Not easy to pack compared to our #1 best neck pillow above
  • On top of the hood, this product has little new to offer compared to a traditional u-shaped pillow
See Reviews
See Promotions on Amazon

#4 Physport Neck Pillow

best neck pillow #4

The Physport travel neck pillow is pretty tag=mattressnuti-20able and a great alternative to a u-shaped neck pillow. The main difference here is that it comes with a pouch for storing your phone and wallet. Why did the manufacturer think that this was useful? I have no idea. Are they afraid that people will come by and steal your wallet while you are sleeping on an airplane? Perhaps. But, regardless of their poor customer studies, the pillow itself is really tag=mattressnuti-20able and far better than other blow-up u-shaped neck pillows that I’ve used. The memory foam on the inside supports well and it doesn’t sleep too hot (just warm enough to be tag=mattressnuti-20able). The cover can easily be taken off for washing so you don’t have to worry about it getting dirty. And it’s reasonably easy to store in carry on luggage. Since this pillow is so close in feature sets to a standard u-neck pillow, I decided to rank it #4 on this list of competitors to the best neck pillow.

What we liked:

  • Classic u-shaped design
  • High quality soft memory foam.
  • tag=mattressnuti-20able, easy to store.

What we didn’t like:

  • Your head may fall forward when you are sleeping.
  • Lacks in originality and innovation.
  • The pouch for carrying phones etc. is a very odd product feature. I didn’t find it useful but perhaps you might.
See Reviews
See Promotions on Amazon

#5 Simpletravel Neck Pillow

best neck pillow #5

Simpletravel brings a new design to the table rather than the classic u-shaped travel pillow. At first you might think that this is a very weird looking pillow because it almost looks like a bullet proof vest. But then you see how people use it and it all makes sense. The idea is to inflate this pillow on a plane, and then use it to either: a) sleep by leaning back and using it as a vest, b) sleep forward by putting your head into appropriate hole in the front, or c) sleep on the pull out tray table by resting your head and using it like a regular pillow. It’s a very innovative design. However, the surface material and the air on the inside aren’t nearly as tag=mattressnuti-20able as some of the other pillows on our list which conform to your neck (via memory foam or cloth). It’s also not very warm because that’s not what it is designed for. And, when you need to inflate/deflate something so large you can expect there to be some annoyance (not only because of funny air sounds but also because it’s not very easy to pack and take along something so large). So, if your goal is to get sleep with support in any sleeping position, go for this pillow. If you also need warmth or contoured tag=mattressnuti-20 around your neck/chin, then perhaps try our #1 best neck pillow above. I think this product definitely deserves to be on our list, but it’s very user dependent.

What we liked:

  • Bigger in size for all the different ways you could sleep
  • Unique design.
  • Excellent firmness and support.

What we didn’t like:

  • Inflating and deflating might become a nuisance for some people.
  • It’s so large so packing it is tough
  • Not warm or snug. It’s designed for different sleep positions.
  • Not very soft in comparison to other pillows on the market
See Reviews
See Promotions on Amazon

Summary

We hope that you enjoyed reading about the different neck pillows available and what we consider to be the best neck pillow in retail. When you’re evaluating pillows, think about how easy they will be to pack, to inflate/deflate (if necessary), how warm they will be and whether they will provide you the right amount of comfort (depending on your neck/chin and any ailments that you have). These are all factors that will affect whether the neck pillow will be right for you and if it will help you enjoy your trip. I’d also recommend taking a look at lumbar pillows which are great for commuting and office work but can play double-duty for travel as well. And, ofcourse, if you are in the market for some memory foam pillows or minimalist furniture like trundle beds, you should take a look at those articles. Good luck!