Samsonite Luggage Inflatable Neck Pillow with Cover, Red Pepper, One Size

Finally decided a travel pillow would be a good purchase with a long trip looming. I bought four different pillows to compare. One I ordered from China for $2 (with ear plugs and eye cover on eBay), one was the Lewis N. Clark travel pillow available here on Amazon (~$14), one was the cheaper $7 Samsonite travel pillow available here, and the last was this Samsonite pillow with cover for $12. I'll preface this review to say that I've only tested these at home in airplane-like chairs; I have not flown with them yet.The $2 pillow actually wasn't terrible. If you were careful with it chances are it would work fine. It's a little small, and no washable cover. It is some kind of vinyl or PVC that they coat or spray with something like velour to give it a somewhat fabric-like texture. For $2, not bad in a pinch - and it uses a pinch valve for air insertion (you pinch, squeeze, or bite the valve together partially and then blow in it to inflate it). The $7 Samsonite pillow is essentially identical to the cheap pillow I got from China, except Samsonite put their name on the side of the pillow. Otherwise no different. Really. $5 more for their name. Needless to say, no reason to get this one. My last choice of the four.The Samsonite pillow from this page that includes the removable cover for $12 isn't bad. It is definitely of better quality than the two cheapies. The air bladder is better built, and a removable cover is always nice. It also has a little pocket on it that you can stick an iPod and earphones into, or keep earplugs in. It is also a little bigger than the other two. I'm not a fan of the material they used on the cover (I would also suggest avoiding the Pagoda Blue color as well, which is what I have here). It's kind of a velvet material. It reminds me of a material that a young child would think was great. It is very soft, but it doesn't remind me of sheets or a regular pillow at all, and I wonder how that material will look after it is used and washed a few times. But this is really just my personal preference; perhaps you would like it better. To put air in this pillow you have to unzip the cover and get to the pinch valve, same type as the ones above. This is kind of a pain, and you will have to do this again to deflate. But otherwise this pillow is perfectly functional, and again, of somewhat better quality than the first two.The Lewis N. Clark adjustable pillow is a little more money (I paid $14), but I quickly decided that if one isn't going ultra-cheap, it is the pillow of choice. It has several advantages. It is a little bigger. It has an agreeable and removable (and therefore washable) fabric cover. It also includes a little case to stuff it into. But best of all, it inflates in like two seconds - literally. No little pinch valve to pull out. Instead you pull off a cover over about a 1" diameter valve and blow into it. One or two blows, depending on your lung capacity, and it's full. And once you fill it up you can adjust the firmness quickly just by pushing the little button at the back of the valve opening. I'm not sure how well I'm describing this, but just know that this system really works well. Near instant inflation and adjustment of firmness to your liking. It is much better than the pillows that have the little pinch valve. It is enough better that even a cheapskate like me is going to pay the extra money for it.All of these pillows are of essentially the same type shapewise, although their size varies a little. I can't help with comparisons to the long, thin pillows that you wear across your body. I don't fly enough to justify the expense of those type of pillows.What I cannot comment on yet is the durability of any of these products. However, my impression looking at the pillows initially is that all of them should be handled with care. I would expect the two cheapest to be least durable, and the Lewis N. Clark to be the best. I will be keeping the Lewis N. Clark and the cheapy $2 pillow. If I have any issues I will update this review. I will also post this review at the other product pages for the items from Amazon.Wishing you all a little rest on your travels...3/14/16 - Update:Since Amazon has reminded me that folks are still occasionally looking at this review, let me just follow up by saying that I am still using the Lewis N. Clark pillow are remain pleased with it. Definitely a good purchase for me.

I recently used this pillow on a 2-week trip on 8 plane flights and it performed wonderfully. The bite valve is a common one; if you haven't used it before it could be frustrating. Just pinch the valve at the base to blow in or to release the air. You can see a flap inside the valve so you may have to rotate your pinch a 1/4 turn to fully open it. Press down with the other hand while pinching the valve and it deflates easily. I roll it up and put a rubber band around it to travel with. Also, do not inflate it fully at first. As the plane ascends, the pillow will puff up even more. The bladder itself seems a little thin compared to other inflatable pillows that I've had and I'm afraid it would pop if inflated too fully at first. Also, I find that a slightly deflated pillow is often more comfortable if the airplane seat is too tall, so your head isn't tilted too far forward. The fabric on the outside it very soft and well-sewn. I would buy it again.

I did not believe the reviewers that had complained about how hard it was to blow up. I played the tuba and french horn for years, and I have a fairly good lung capacity-- surely this would make blowing up any pillow easy.WRONG. Blowing up this pillow was like trying to inflate a piece of paper. Near impossible. It took me nearly 5 minutes of pinching and readjusting to figure out just the right angle to get air in to the pillow, and after that it took me another minute to get it inflated well enough to use... And once inflated enough, it leaked air out of the valve-- which required me to figure out a quick maneuver in which I hurriedly tried to shove the cap on as soon as I finished blowing, so that as little air was released as possible.Once inflated, it was not bad, but not nearly as comfortable as the stuffed pillows looked-- it still felt like I was laying on a fleece covered beach toy-- which I basically was.Deflating it also proved a challenge. I had to simultaneously roll both sides of the pillow down, while holding the valve at just the right spot and angle. If I did not get all three of these parts of the equation right, I was left with a pillow full of air that did not fold up nearly as nicely as it had before.Despite all of this, I don't regret the purchase. It is convenient, takes up almost no space in my bag, and made sleeping on the plane much easier. Stuffed pillows are obviously going to be more comfortable, but they also take up more space. There are other inflatable pillows with better reviews, but they are also more expensive. For a cheap pillow that is easy to transport, and not impossible to use, it is a good deal.

I actually have another brand of these pillows that I bought years ago but couldn't find at the time I ordered this one. My other one is better. You have to unzip the cover on this one to get to the air valve, which is not lined up with the zipper. That makes for a smoother pillow/head surface, but means you can't really blow the pillow up all the way unless you take it out of the cover then wedge it back in after blowing it up. My other version has a button hole over the air valve for easier filling/deflating. The fabric is also a little more plush. Overall though, these pillows are great space savers for people who want a travel pillow for their carry-on luggage or who prefer a custom fill/firmness for their travel pillow.

I would give this product zero stars if I could! I had the exact same problem as Michael B who used this product on a flight to Vietnam. The very first time I inflated it, was on a flight to France. It deflated within minutes. I tested it out in water and there are tiny holes all along the seam, which is why the air leaks out of it so fast. Unfortunately it is too late for me to return it so I will have to throw it out. Don't waste your money on this product.

Love that it can inflate and deflate! I hate carrying a neck pillow while traveling so this is perfect since it folds up. Some people were saying it’s hard to blow up.... u just have to pinch the nozzle with your fingers a bit when you’re blowing it up... it wasn’t hard

Don't waste your money on the inflatable neck pillow. I bought it for a plane trip overseas, thinking it would be perfect for my cervical hernia. I was way wrong because it wasn't confortable at all. I finally settle for the plane pillows instead. Also, it's easy to inflate but good luck to deflate it. I had to bring a sharp object to do it (well, a trombone did the job since you cannot take sharp objects on a plane). Real waste of money for me.

The inflation port is placed awkwardly behind a really crappy zipper. It's very hard to inflate with the cover on but nearly impossible to get the cover on after it's been inflated. It's firm and comfortable though and the little pocket is surprisingly handy. Beats the hell out of paying $25-35 for a lower quality pillow from an airport vendor.

I never learn....I buy these things every few years or so thinking it'll help me on a transatlantic flight but I always have the same old uncomfortable 5 minute cat naps. Stuffing my neck with my sweatshirt is equally as comfortable. It is quite soft though, softer than others I've had.