Complete Support Travel Pillow

If this pillow is the right size for your neck, it's a convenient and light alternative to bulkier bead-filled travel pillows.

At first glance, the Complete Support Travel Pillow by Cabeau looks like a big, bulky item which is hard to justify dragging onto the plane. Part of this is its packaging - in a big clear plastic box which could comfortably hold a nine-inch layer cake. A hole in the box allows prospective buyers to feel what is described as the "super soft memory foam" but this may not be enough to encourage a purchase.

Once you start thinking "out of the box", the picture - and the pillow - improves considerably. Though apparently bulky, unlike bead-filled travel pillows its memory-foam structure allows it to be compressed into a much smaller size which fits in an included waterproof pouch. Once compressed, it actually takes up far less space than a usual travel pillow, reducing its size by at least two-thirds. It also offers a number of other advantages:

• The pillow's unusual stepped design - dubbed "lateral stabilization supports" which rise up from the traditionally-shaped "U", supports your head more comfortably than a typical U-shaped pillow.
• A toggled drawstring enables you to keep the pillow in place, even after you fall asleep.
• A small pocket provides space to hold an iPod or iShuffle so you can easily listen to music via your earbuds.
• A pair of memory-foam earplugs gives you the option of blocking out much of the airplane noise.
• The velvety polyester pillow cover is zipped on, so you can remove and wash the cover,a big advantage if you don't want to keep the germs of all your destinations with you permanently.

Though the memory foam is billed as "super soft", there's no question it provides solid and comfortable support while being very lightweight on your shoulders. . I liked the included pair of memory-foam earplugs, but they were tucked into the media pocket on the side of the pillow, which flattened them. After a couple of days left on a counter, they lost their squished shape and were more usable, but I still found them too big to fit well into my ear canals. The pillow itself is high, so those with short necks may find this pillow to be a little big.

The pillow is available in grey and black.