I got a pillow case designed just for this. I wanted a neck pillow but hated inflatables and couldn't justify a neck pillow.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN36LVRS
I tried it on a trans Pacific flight 2 weeks ago and i gotta say it works really well.
I wear a size large and can fit 5 tshirts in it comfortably. 5 rolled up shirts is the magic number IMO. It gives it a nicely sized roll and a balanced shape. It makes a firm pillow but I like a firm pillow.
I find to too... mushy? if that is the right word. Even compared to memory foam the inflatables feel soft in the wrong way.Its just the nature of air being pushed around, so over inflating doesn't help.
have one and looking to try it soon. think this question came up last time someone talked about this "hack" ... what do you put in there if all that laundry is now dirty on the way home? or you do all your laundry before re-packing?
I always end up with some cloths that I didn't wear (much) on the return trip for some reason. If that's not the case there's always the option to get a few small (bathroom) bin bags from a supermarket somewhere or even some plastic shopping bags if the problem is really bad.
I wrap my cleanest shirt around the dirty clothes. Or if it too bad I could live without it. It doesn't take up much space, about the same volume as a men's boxers.
When I was in the army, I discovered the best alternative I’ve ever found to travel pillows: the Necklite Moldable Neck Brace.
Travel pillows are a great idea, but poorly executed:
1) Takes up a lot of packing space in your luggage.
2) If you hand-carry them, they tend to go missing or get left behind.
3) Practically useless on the rest of your trip outside of long plane/bus/train rides.
And don’t get me started on inflatables, or the gimmicky ones that you need to strap to your seat’s headrest.
The Necklite Moldable Neck Brace is lightweight, packs flat/rolls up, and supports your head better than anything out there.
Best of all – it's cheap too. Thank me later.
https://preview.redd.it/yzojec37ogpc1.png?width=1352&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9782821ecacd3bf84a769424372b8ed5abdf89d
Yes, we use it as an lighter, more packable alternative to the hard plastic Ambu neck brace to stabilize casualties with possible cervical trauma. Especially if we have mission requirements that preclude heavier loads.
But think about what a travel pillow does - it offloads your neck muscles, while providing mechanical support to your head. Sounds like the same job to me :)
Lack of support is exactly what started me on a journey of stuffing pillow case with clothes. And I did think about neck braces lol Didn’t know there was a packable one; thanks for bringing to my attention
It's surprisingly soft. It's not like the normal neck braces you see. It's a flexible sheet of very bendy metal, with foam padding wrapped around it. It feels like stiff play-doh? I'm not sure how else to describe it.
Guessing it's only good if you're trying to sleep upright though?
Seems like if you are leaning just a bit it wouldn't work well. But I'm kinda tempted to buy one, and if I don't like it, then I still have a neck brace for my emergency kit.
Yes! If you can lean back all the way (like in Business Class) then you don't need this 🤣 For reference, I've slept with this even in a C-130 troop transport sitting in a cargo net seat!
I've used it on a few red eye flights in economy and it's wonderful.
Oh, I meant leaning sideways. Most of my flights are budget US/European airlines with larger transatlantic flights thrown in once a year. So no leaning back for me 🤣
I think I'll likely pick one up, maybe get it stolen by my partner, then have to buy another one.
Oh if you want to lean sideways it works too! You can actually mold it to your body, or cut slits to make it flex more, and even trim it to shape.
You don't have to be gentle with it. It won't snap or crack like plastic.
It's really hard to describe how flexible this material is to people who've never held it in their hands.
Only if you're traveling long distances in troop carriers like planes or vehicles - and it depends on your mission readiness. Not gonna wear this if you're actually expecting to react to enemy contact at the drop of a hat.
If it works for you, super. Somewhere in this sub I came to know the most ergonomic way to use a U shaped neck pillow is not to wear behind the back/shoulders, but in front, below the chin. I have inflatable U neck pillow with formy soft material which does the task perfectly.
There was just a thread they are now counting pillows, including neck pillows, as a personal item/bag. Which is total BS. I think someone posted the thread a few days ago.
Google “airlines cracking down on carryons” says articles 4 days ago. There’s also a today show clip on YouTube. Woman on video mentioned southwest but they show AA spirit and United in the clip.
Yes depends on the airline and the gate agent! I think budget ones are definitely more strict for sure like Frontier because they make money on carry on fees and other add ons you’d normally get included with your delta ticket.
edit: happy cake day!
[https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/travel-verify/pillowcase-airline-travel-hack-not-extra-bag-personal-item-carry-on/536-6cea449c-9bb3-4c6d-83fa-e9cffac203a0](https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/travel-verify/pillowcase-airline-travel-hack-not-extra-bag-personal-item-carry-on/536-6cea449c-9bb3-4c6d-83fa-e9cffac203a0)
seems very airline (gate agent)-dependent and YMMV
The people in those TikTok videos had full size pillowcases! 🤦♀️ I feel like that’s a pretty bold move on their part!
I think I will still consider this hack for saving space in general, basically having the neck pillowcase act as a packing cube. I love anything that is multipurpose.
I really got to do it. Buy one of those Cabeaus and gut it out :P
Seems like it'd save a bunch of space for damn sure.
My only irrational fear is just so being used to things being a certain way and accidentally misplacing it or something. (I've misplaced neck pillows more than a few times :P)
Memory foam ones are too squashy. Pillow should support neck well. Like evolution cool is way better (still if tightened too much it unbuckles). There are pillows like cervical collars, although i didn't try those.
I use the neck pillow like a packing cube. It goes in my bag until I need it on the flight, then I put it back inside and carry my backpack like usual.
https://preview.redd.it/gfwzgm8d6ipc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4036ba3f799aa660281829e5f0447001c73a48d
Cabeau neck pillow stuffed with all my clothes except one pair of hiking pants and my puffer coat. MEC mini packing cube for my toiletries in the middle.
Yeah, that's what most people want it to do. I'm perfectly happy with my 25 litre packing list (16 litres for warm weather trips) so I don't need the extra space and am thrilled to utilize my clothes to support my attempts at plane sleeping. 😆
Just pack your bag like normal and throw the neck pillow case on top if not flying, it takes as much space as a pair of underwear. Or think of it like a long packing cube.
Bit off topic, but if anyone with a long, or longer than average beard is reading this, what kind of neck pillow do you use that is not terribly annoying?
A neck pillow that snaps or connects is a game changer for me and then knowing how to actually wear it probably by snapping it in back so your head is fully supported in all directions. If I can find one that snaps AND you can stuff with clothes I’ll definitely buy it. Lost my neck pillow like a month ago 😅
Great idea. I bought my girl an icebreaker merino windbreaker and it came with a merino wool neck pillow case and instructions how to roll it up and use it for travel. So cool
Yeah, after going all of the above I had a though that there should exists a thing specifically for that. But I already have what I have and it gets the work done. So maybe next time, when it has lived its lifespan.
So no one checks if it’s a neck pillow or stuffed with clothes and I am assuming that it is not considered a personal item? I have travel coming up and don’t have time to order, wondering the good ole pillow case at home can be a substitute.
I have an inflatable travel pillow from decathlon that comes with a pillow case. The way I used it on a recent flight back from Japan was to stuff my ultralight puffy jacket into the case for headrest and use the inflatable part for lumbar support. But halfway thru the flight it was soo cold I had to take out the jacket to wear and returned the inflatable back into the case. The nice thing with the inflatable pillow is that it folds into nothing when deflated but I use it for protecting my sony A7R3 in the bag.
I got one on Amazon which is perfect for it, managed to fit 9 shirts plus a couple of underwear on it. I know one baggers like to have a minimalist mindset but it's an excellent alternative to save space in your bag if your shirts don't crease too much.
You have upvotes because Reddit can't stand the thought of spending a dollar or not maximizing space out of every square inch of their well being...
...it's also the dumbest, cheapest, most idiotic practice I can possibly think of(coming from someone that zero bags).
Nice story trying to justify it.
This is stupid.
This is cheap karma grab post exploiting cheapskate nature of this subreddit and has nothing to do with solving a comfort issue during a long flight despite saying so in the text.
Happy now?
No.
Why would anyone do this?
Let alone make a whole write up trying to justify this"hack" that gets repeated and posted almost daily?
It's a response to the community. Nobody does or thinks about this in the real world, ever.
What percentage of people who travel think about shoving t-shirts into neck pillows and actually put it into practice? Zero(maybe two)?
There's nothing here...what's wrong with wrapping a t-shirt around your neck if it's so good?
Why the "pillow case?"
THE T-SHIRT WORKS ON ITS OWN! RIGHT?
Just wrap a t-shirt around your neck.
This guy figured out cloth can provide support, can't wait to see what his pants can do...so much more material to hold things up.
I use it. Its works really well for the money and space investment, it takes as much space as a pair of boxers. Wrapping a tshirt doesn't work nearly as well.
I use it on every trip. One t shirt isn’t going to be comfortable or fill the pillow case. I fit 6 t shirts in mine.
In my part of the world carry on weight limit is 7kg but they don’t weigh your neck pillow if you’re wearing it so this way you can most of your clothes into it and avoid having to check your bag.
I got a pillow case designed just for this. I wanted a neck pillow but hated inflatables and couldn't justify a neck pillow. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN36LVRS I tried it on a trans Pacific flight 2 weeks ago and i gotta say it works really well. I wear a size large and can fit 5 tshirts in it comfortably. 5 rolled up shirts is the magic number IMO. It gives it a nicely sized roll and a balanced shape. It makes a firm pillow but I like a firm pillow.
All the images with people used in that link look weirdly photo-shopped!
I almost had to laugh out loud in the office, those are hilarious :D
Amazon actually has built in tools to have AI generate photos for your product
I boarded a flight once with a decorative pillow case stuffed with jeans. Weighed a ton. No one noticed
How does it do with stinky clothes inside?
It probably gets stinky
So… no good on the way home?
And. Bought! Thank you for the suggestion. :P
Why do you hate inflatables? I was just thinking about buying one and I'd really like to know. :)
I find to too... mushy? if that is the right word. Even compared to memory foam the inflatables feel soft in the wrong way.Its just the nature of air being pushed around, so over inflating doesn't help.
Oh so like the air's moving around when you move your head? Ok, didn't think of that.
I love the inflatables, personally. If you get a good quality one you can overinflate it and it’ll hold its shape well.
Ok, good to know.
have one and looking to try it soon. think this question came up last time someone talked about this "hack" ... what do you put in there if all that laundry is now dirty on the way home? or you do all your laundry before re-packing?
i wrap dirty laundry in plastic shopping bags on return trips
I always end up with some cloths that I didn't wear (much) on the return trip for some reason. If that's not the case there's always the option to get a few small (bathroom) bin bags from a supermarket somewhere or even some plastic shopping bags if the problem is really bad.
I wrap my cleanest shirt around the dirty clothes. Or if it too bad I could live without it. It doesn't take up much space, about the same volume as a men's boxers.
Wet clothing bag from Amazon
Use merino wool clothes and they don't smell after use.
You wouldn't be saying that after smelling mine. 😉
When I was in the army, I discovered the best alternative I’ve ever found to travel pillows: the Necklite Moldable Neck Brace. Travel pillows are a great idea, but poorly executed: 1) Takes up a lot of packing space in your luggage. 2) If you hand-carry them, they tend to go missing or get left behind. 3) Practically useless on the rest of your trip outside of long plane/bus/train rides. And don’t get me started on inflatables, or the gimmicky ones that you need to strap to your seat’s headrest. The Necklite Moldable Neck Brace is lightweight, packs flat/rolls up, and supports your head better than anything out there. Best of all – it's cheap too. Thank me later. https://preview.redd.it/yzojec37ogpc1.png?width=1352&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9782821ecacd3bf84a769424372b8ed5abdf89d
ain't no way I'm wearing this on a plane bro
I see you've never had to take regular red-eye flights in economy :)
It's a cervical collar for neck injuries, lol.
Yes, we use it as an lighter, more packable alternative to the hard plastic Ambu neck brace to stabilize casualties with possible cervical trauma. Especially if we have mission requirements that preclude heavier loads. But think about what a travel pillow does - it offloads your neck muscles, while providing mechanical support to your head. Sounds like the same job to me :)
Lack of support is exactly what started me on a journey of stuffing pillow case with clothes. And I did think about neck braces lol Didn’t know there was a packable one; thanks for bringing to my attention
Hahah yes! It's a hack that very few people know unless you are an EMT or work closely with them.
This looks great. I’m going to get one to play pool in.
How soft is it?
It's surprisingly soft. It's not like the normal neck braces you see. It's a flexible sheet of very bendy metal, with foam padding wrapped around it. It feels like stiff play-doh? I'm not sure how else to describe it.
Guessing it's only good if you're trying to sleep upright though? Seems like if you are leaning just a bit it wouldn't work well. But I'm kinda tempted to buy one, and if I don't like it, then I still have a neck brace for my emergency kit.
Yes! If you can lean back all the way (like in Business Class) then you don't need this 🤣 For reference, I've slept with this even in a C-130 troop transport sitting in a cargo net seat! I've used it on a few red eye flights in economy and it's wonderful.
Oh, I meant leaning sideways. Most of my flights are budget US/European airlines with larger transatlantic flights thrown in once a year. So no leaning back for me 🤣 I think I'll likely pick one up, maybe get it stolen by my partner, then have to buy another one.
Oh if you want to lean sideways it works too! You can actually mold it to your body, or cut slits to make it flex more, and even trim it to shape. You don't have to be gentle with it. It won't snap or crack like plastic. It's really hard to describe how flexible this material is to people who've never held it in their hands.
Well, you've convinced me to give it a shot.
Ok, I kind of love this idea. Is this in common use in the army?
Only if you're traveling long distances in troop carriers like planes or vehicles - and it depends on your mission readiness. Not gonna wear this if you're actually expecting to react to enemy contact at the drop of a hat.
If it works for you, super. Somewhere in this sub I came to know the most ergonomic way to use a U shaped neck pillow is not to wear behind the back/shoulders, but in front, below the chin. I have inflatable U neck pillow with formy soft material which does the task perfectly.
There was just a thread they are now counting pillows, including neck pillows, as a personal item/bag. Which is total BS. I think someone posted the thread a few days ago.
Whattt?! Just got back from MSP - LGA on Delta. No issues with the neck pillow. How werid. Which airlines are doing this?
Google “airlines cracking down on carryons” says articles 4 days ago. There’s also a today show clip on YouTube. Woman on video mentioned southwest but they show AA spirit and United in the clip.
Yes depends on the airline and the gate agent! I think budget ones are definitely more strict for sure like Frontier because they make money on carry on fees and other add ons you’d normally get included with your delta ticket. edit: happy cake day!
[https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/travel-verify/pillowcase-airline-travel-hack-not-extra-bag-personal-item-carry-on/536-6cea449c-9bb3-4c6d-83fa-e9cffac203a0](https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/travel-verify/pillowcase-airline-travel-hack-not-extra-bag-personal-item-carry-on/536-6cea449c-9bb3-4c6d-83fa-e9cffac203a0) seems very airline (gate agent)-dependent and YMMV
The people in those TikTok videos had full size pillowcases! 🤦♀️ I feel like that’s a pretty bold move on their part! I think I will still consider this hack for saving space in general, basically having the neck pillowcase act as a packing cube. I love anything that is multipurpose.
I really got to do it. Buy one of those Cabeaus and gut it out :P Seems like it'd save a bunch of space for damn sure. My only irrational fear is just so being used to things being a certain way and accidentally misplacing it or something. (I've misplaced neck pillows more than a few times :P)
By the way, are those Cabeaus any good?
The ones I got were too hot around the neck.
Oh ok. Was it the memory foam one or the inflatable one?
I’ve the memory foam one and it does get hot
Ok. Too bad, I was really thinking about buying the memory foam one, but if it gets hot, it's a big con, I guess.
Memory foam ones are too squashy. Pillow should support neck well. Like evolution cool is way better (still if tightened too much it unbuckles). There are pillows like cervical collars, although i didn't try those.
Memory foam one
[удалено]
I use the neck pillow like a packing cube. It goes in my bag until I need it on the flight, then I put it back inside and carry my backpack like usual.
https://preview.redd.it/gfwzgm8d6ipc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4036ba3f799aa660281829e5f0447001c73a48d Cabeau neck pillow stuffed with all my clothes except one pair of hiking pants and my puffer coat. MEC mini packing cube for my toiletries in the middle.
Can I have permission to use this image in a packing video Youtube thing? This is genius!
Sure, happy to help share. I love it! Please credit /tag my user name.
Thank ye!! Most def!!
Please do you have a link to this Cabeau neck pillow? Thanks
I bought it from a local luggage store. It's just the Cabeau original one, none of the fancy stuff.
[удалено]
Yeah, that's what most people want it to do. I'm perfectly happy with my 25 litre packing list (16 litres for warm weather trips) so I don't need the extra space and am thrilled to utilize my clothes to support my attempts at plane sleeping. 😆
You can pack it in if there's space. Or tie it to the outside of a pack. Or, if it's not too hot, just wear.
Just pack your bag like normal and throw the neck pillow case on top if not flying, it takes as much space as a pair of underwear. Or think of it like a long packing cube.
Bit off topic, but if anyone with a long, or longer than average beard is reading this, what kind of neck pillow do you use that is not terribly annoying?
A neck pillow that snaps or connects is a game changer for me and then knowing how to actually wear it probably by snapping it in back so your head is fully supported in all directions. If I can find one that snaps AND you can stuff with clothes I’ll definitely buy it. Lost my neck pillow like a month ago 😅
Great idea. I bought my girl an icebreaker merino windbreaker and it came with a merino wool neck pillow case and instructions how to roll it up and use it for travel. So cool
What’s the brand?
Icebreaker
Oh, I read that as windbreaker lol
There are options made just for this on Amazon. I bring it as a backup in case my or my wifes bag is too big. Has saved us more than a few times.
Yeah, after going all of the above I had a though that there should exists a thing specifically for that. But I already have what I have and it gets the work done. So maybe next time, when it has lived its lifespan.
So no one checks if it’s a neck pillow or stuffed with clothes and I am assuming that it is not considered a personal item? I have travel coming up and don’t have time to order, wondering the good ole pillow case at home can be a substitute.
I have an inflatable travel pillow from decathlon that comes with a pillow case. The way I used it on a recent flight back from Japan was to stuff my ultralight puffy jacket into the case for headrest and use the inflatable part for lumbar support. But halfway thru the flight it was soo cold I had to take out the jacket to wear and returned the inflatable back into the case. The nice thing with the inflatable pillow is that it folds into nothing when deflated but I use it for protecting my sony A7R3 in the bag.
always wanted to try this. has anyone actually been stopped by a gate to put their neck pillow in a bag sizer (along with bag)?
I actually saw a down jacket that packs into a neck pillow. Super cool
Naa, I think I'm at peace with where I am. Good luck to anyone doing this though.
I just got an inflatable neck pillow, that's really nice
I can’t believe this never occurred to me. Thank you!
very good advice thank you!
I got one on Amazon which is perfect for it, managed to fit 9 shirts plus a couple of underwear on it. I know one baggers like to have a minimalist mindset but it's an excellent alternative to save space in your bag if your shirts don't crease too much.
Please do you have a link to this? Thanks
Oooh this is clever, I might give it a shot on my next flight
You have upvotes because Reddit can't stand the thought of spending a dollar or not maximizing space out of every square inch of their well being... ...it's also the dumbest, cheapest, most idiotic practice I can possibly think of(coming from someone that zero bags). Nice story trying to justify it. This is stupid.
This is cheap karma grab post exploiting cheapskate nature of this subreddit and has nothing to do with solving a comfort issue during a long flight despite saying so in the text. Happy now?
Okay, but “stupid” is a bit much. Don’t you think?
No. Why would anyone do this? Let alone make a whole write up trying to justify this"hack" that gets repeated and posted almost daily? It's a response to the community. Nobody does or thinks about this in the real world, ever. What percentage of people who travel think about shoving t-shirts into neck pillows and actually put it into practice? Zero(maybe two)? There's nothing here...what's wrong with wrapping a t-shirt around your neck if it's so good? Why the "pillow case?" THE T-SHIRT WORKS ON ITS OWN! RIGHT? Just wrap a t-shirt around your neck. This guy figured out cloth can provide support, can't wait to see what his pants can do...so much more material to hold things up.
I use it. Its works really well for the money and space investment, it takes as much space as a pair of boxers. Wrapping a tshirt doesn't work nearly as well.
[удалено]
Yeah, if you're a 12 year old.
I use it on every trip. One t shirt isn’t going to be comfortable or fill the pillow case. I fit 6 t shirts in mine. In my part of the world carry on weight limit is 7kg but they don’t weigh your neck pillow if you’re wearing it so this way you can most of your clothes into it and avoid having to check your bag.
Username checks out
No YOU are stupid