Snail Style Memory Foam Travel Curved Neck Pillow - U-shaped, Portable, Adjustable Support Neck Brace Pillow

A normal travel pillow is open at the front. That is the whole problem.

The horseshoe shape everyone owns props up the sides of your neck and then leaves a gap under your chin. So when you finally drop off, your head pitches forward into that gap, and the jolt wakes you. Then it happens again. That is how an eleven-hour flight passes without you ever actually sleeping.

This one is a closed ring. The two ends do not stop short of each other — they lap over one another at the front, like the coil of a snail shell, and a strip of grip holds the overlap where you put it. Nothing is open. There is no gap for your head to fall into.

You set the fit by how far it overlaps

Because the ends cross rather than meet, you decide how much they cross by. Slide them further over each other and the collar draws in tight for a slim neck; ease them apart and it opens out. Press the overlap down and it stays at that setting.

The grip strip lives under a smooth flap so it does not snag your hair, your scarf or the inside of your bag while the pillow is packed. Peel the flap back when you want the closure to actually bite.

Memory foam inside, mesh against your skin

The core is moulded memory foam — it takes the shape of your own jaw and collarbone under body heat rather than pushing back against them. That is what stops a firm collar becoming a sore one on hour nine.

The whole inner face, the part that sits against your neck and jaw, is an open-weave mesh rather than more of the knit. A closed ring traps more heat than an open one, and the mesh is how this one gets away with it.

It rolls. It does not dangle off your bag.

Roll it from one side to the other, like a sleeping bag, and it compresses into a short cylinder that drops into the drawstring sack it comes with. It goes inside your carry-on instead of clipped to the outside of it, which is the actual reason most travel pillows get left at home after one trip.

What you get

• One memory foam neck pillow that closes into a full ring, with an overlapping front and a hook-and-loop grip strip
• A knit outer cover that unzips and comes off for washing, with a breathable mesh inner face
• A black drawstring stuff sack to roll it into
• Your choice of dark gray or light gray

Who this is not for

It is a deep collar. That depth is what holds your chin, and it is also the reason it sits high and can feel like a lot of pillow if your neck is short. If you have found ordinary travel pillows already crowd your jaw, this one will crowd it more, not less. It is a comfort product for sitting upright, not a medical brace, and it is not intended to treat neck pain.

Frequently asked questions

How is this actually different from the U-shaped one I already own?

Yours is open at the front. This one closes: the ends overlap and grip, so the front of your neck is supported rather than left as a gap. That is the difference between your head being held and your head being caught after it has already dropped.

Will it feel tight around my throat?

You control that — the overlap is the adjustment. Set it so the collar rests on your shoulders and carries the weight of your head without pressing on the front of your throat. If it feels close, slide the ends apart before you fasten them.

Can I wash it?

The outer cover unzips and comes away from the foam, so the cover is what you wash. Do not soak or machine-wash the foam core itself — spot-clean it with a barely damp cloth and let it dry completely before you put the cover back on.

Why does it arrive flat?

It ships vacuum-compressed so it fits a small parcel. Take it out of the packaging and leave it in open air for a few hours and it rises to its proper shape. A faint new-foam smell at first is normal and airs off.

Does it work anywhere other than a plane?

Anywhere you have to sleep sitting upright with nothing behind your head — coach seats, trains, the passenger seat on a long drive, an airport gate at three in the morning. Buyers also use it at a desk for a short nap.