Review: Grand Trunk Goods Travel Pillow
Specifications:
- Fabric: Water-resistant polyester
- Stuffing: High-loft poly
- Dimensions: 8"x6" (stuffed)
- Dimensions: 20"x16"x7" (fully-expanded)
- Weight: 12oz
- Price: $19.99
Our Thoughts:
There is nothing better than a good night's sleep to get you ready for another day of exploring. I have, for nearly every camping and backpacking trip I have ever been on, just rolled my (clean) clothing up to use as a pillow at night. I have never given much thought to the use of a travel pillow but when the opportunity arose for me to get one of Grand Trunk's Travel Pillows I jumped.
I have been using the Travel Pillow during the last four months of traveling, which has ranged from airline flights and car trips to tent and hammock camping. It packs down to a storage volume that is nearly 50% larger than the Grand Trunk Double hammock we reviewed last year. While it does fold out to 20in by 16in and a 7in uncompressed thickness, it does not provide much 'cushion' when supporting my head. The pillow can be 'cinched' to a smaller footprint via an elastic band that runs around the perimeter. This works great to create the right amount of fluff to support my head and neck while in a hammock or resting my head against the fuselage on airline flights. The pillow could even be bunched up enough to provide enough support for sleeping in a tent, although it tended to bulge in the center. This resulted in my head wanting to shift to the side and slide off of the pillow while sleeping.
Conclusion:
While the Travel Pillow has done everything it was designed to do, and did it well, I don't think I would run out and buy one. The only issue I see is the price and what you get for $20. I know I am paying a premium for the ability to reduce the space my gear is taking up. It would be one thing if I were comparing this against sleeping with a standard pillow from my house, but I look at my old method of folding up (clean) clothes for under my head. I guess I see this as added equipment I would have to carry around. This opinion really applies to all travel pillows of this style, I guess I would rather spend my $20 on something that was more dual purpose.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Travel Pillow for free from Grand Trunk as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations in consideration for review publication.
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| Double Hammock (left) compared to Travel Pillow (right) |
I have been using the Travel Pillow during the last four months of traveling, which has ranged from airline flights and car trips to tent and hammock camping. It packs down to a storage volume that is nearly 50% larger than the Grand Trunk Double hammock we reviewed last year. While it does fold out to 20in by 16in and a 7in uncompressed thickness, it does not provide much 'cushion' when supporting my head. The pillow can be 'cinched' to a smaller footprint via an elastic band that runs around the perimeter. This works great to create the right amount of fluff to support my head and neck while in a hammock or resting my head against the fuselage on airline flights. The pillow could even be bunched up enough to provide enough support for sleeping in a tent, although it tended to bulge in the center. This resulted in my head wanting to shift to the side and slide off of the pillow while sleeping.
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| The Travel Pillow measures approximately 7in thick |
Conclusion:
While the Travel Pillow has done everything it was designed to do, and did it well, I don't think I would run out and buy one. The only issue I see is the price and what you get for $20. I know I am paying a premium for the ability to reduce the space my gear is taking up. It would be one thing if I were comparing this against sleeping with a standard pillow from my house, but I look at my old method of folding up (clean) clothes for under my head. I guess I see this as added equipment I would have to carry around. This opinion really applies to all travel pillows of this style, I guess I would rather spend my $20 on something that was more dual purpose.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Travel Pillow for free from Grand Trunk as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations in consideration for review publication.