Looking for recommendations on a good travel pillow. I've seen 3 types: inflatable, buckwheat and memory foam. Which works best?

I find that a folded-up sweater works just fine.

I have a stuffed faux lambswool pillow that's wonderful.

I bring my everyday pillow than it becomes a great travel pillow

I have an inflatable and a buckwheat. The inflatable is easier to carry but since the pillow is plastic with a fabric cover it gets very hot.

I like the buckwheat better although it's a bit of a pain to carry and takes up a lot of room.

The memory foam works great but does take up some room in your carry on. I have seen people just carrying it separately instead of packing it. Also, they compress quite tightly and of course spring back to shape.
I hate to say it but the $50 one was much better than the $18 one but that had more to do with the shape they were cut in. For the most part the heat-sensitive foams do tend to contour to the shape of your head/neck.
My wife actually likes the inflatable one better so she can adjust how "poofy" it is.
We just endured a 21 hour flight so we had plenty of time to experiment.
While a rolled up sweater or blanket is a decent substitute I still tend to get a stiff neck so I have been trying every alternative.

Has anyone tried one of the "first class sleepers" that drapes over the back of your airline seat and supposedly provides you with complete back support? Here's an article about it: http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roa...asssleeper.htm
but I am interested in others' opinions.

We just buy 2/$5 'large' travel pillows at Walmart. They smoosh down into our bag - we get them out for the plane, stuff 'em back in the bag, and tote them around until we don't want to anymore.

Down . . . I have a white goosedown travel pillow from L.L. Bean that I won't leave home without . . . it squooshes down to nothing, plumps back up with a good shake . . . I've given one to all my travel friends and they, too, love them. They are not in the catalogs anymore but they do still have them in stock if you call them.

Sandy (in Denton)

Wow! Am I glad to hear you can get the goosedown travel pillows from LL Bean. We had two that we bought from Linen and Things, and they are perfect. Very comfortable, next to no weight and I can even smoosh one into my briefcase. However, hubbie left his on a plane two years ago, and I have not been able to find anybody who carries them since. They all carry foam--which isn't as comfortable and doesn't smoosh.
I did read a suggestion that you take a regular feather or goosedown pillow, make a double seam down the center, cut between the lines, and voila! two travel pillows.

Vera

Sandy B, I'm so glad to hear you can get goose down travel pillows from L.L. Bean. I bought two goose down pillows, baby size, from down comforter stores, but they don't carry them any longer. We never travel without them. As someone said before, they fold up to nothing and they are the only comfortable kind to use when traveling on a plane.

We even use them in hotels, etc. Just put one on top of the hard pillows they usually have and it feels sooo much better.

There's this brand of orthopedic pillows for people with bad backs/necks/shoulders/etc... called Tempur. It's from Denmark.

They have the travel kind that can be rolled up and takes up minimal space. When you unfurl it, it sprongs back into shape and still has excellent support. Little pricey but if you have a bad back, its worth every penny (or so they say)