Once upon a time, a single travel pillow design ruled the market: It was the horseshoe-shaped neck pillow or nothing. Over the past several or so years, though, the travel pillow has evolved. Some build or improve upon that classic U-shaped design (inflatable! memory foam!) and others completely upend it (a giant cushioned nest for your head! A neck brace but make it soft!)
As a frequent flyer, I’ve tried plenty, but none have wowed me. For years, I settled on the now-practically obsolete Victorinox Restahead because of its decent stability and compact design. Until now. I recently got my hands on the Pluto Pod Travel Pillow, and I’m officially a convert. Here’s why.
The Pluto Pod can be used as a classic neck pillow, but its built-in hood and eye mask work incredibly well to block out light, loud noises and other distractions, making it perfect for frequent flyers who struggle to sleep comfortably on planes.
What we liked about it
Easy to carry
My biggest resistance to most travel pillows has been size. I’m hugely particular about space efficiency when packing, and I’ve found most travel pillows on the market just don’t provide enough benefit to justify the amount of luggage space they occupy.
I’ve ruled out alternate options that can be attached externally either because of cleanliness (the parts that touch my head or face being exposed to every transportation and airport surface) or annoyance (a relatively weighty pillow hanging off my bag, bouncing around and getting in the way).
When packed down, the Pluto Pod Travel Pillow isn’t the most compact travel pillow, but I’m able to attach it to my luggage without worrying about those other downsides. Depending on how you roll it (wrapping the hood around the outside or inside of the foam sides), you can either slide it horizontally over or snap it vertically to your suitcase trolley handle. I was a bit worried my smaller personal bag — which I also slide over the trolley handle — would get in the way, but it actually all fits.
I prefer to slide the pillow horizontally onto the handle and then put my backpack or tote bag on top, as it seems to fit better and more securely that way, but that’s likely a matter of personal preference based on your actual luggage.
Comfortable in all configurations
The Pluto Pod Travel Pillow is actually three pillows in one. If you need the neck support, you can keep the hood rolled down (doing so doesn’t make it too bulky or bothersome, in my experience); if you want a barrier between your head and the seat, extra warmth or a bit of light-blocking, you can pull the hood up; and if you want to go full-on shut-out-the-world and be left alone, you can pull down the built-in eye mask. You can also use the pillow as a backrest or a more traditional pillow when the pillow is rolled up. Bonus: I also use mine as a tablet stand.
Of course, none of that would matter if the pillow wasn’t comfortable in those various configurations, but it is. At first glance, the base of the Pod looks pretty similar to those ubiquitous horseshoe-shaped pillows. But in my experience, it’s more effective and comfortable. Apparently, Pluto modeled the design off a neck brace and then “dialed it back,” which makes perfect sense.
The foam that wraps around your neck (including in the front) provides a nice cushion while still being sturdy enough to hold its shape (and thus, your heavy, lolling head). Plus, it’s tall enough that your head doesn’t have to travel far to reach it.
But the real magic happens above the neck. The Pod hood is gloriously oversized, so it can easily cover your entire head without feeling restrictive or constantly sliding backward. I have a lot of hair, sometimes worn in a bun on the top of my head, and my husband has a large head (we’re talking, can’t fit into 90% of hats on retail shelves), and the Pod pillow hood fits us both comfortably, extending outward from our foreheads like a personal awning.
I also successfully maneuvered it over a large pair of over-ear headphones, though that was a bit of a tighter fit. Because it’s so large, it serves multiple purposes: creating warmth and blocking out both peripheral and aerial light and distraction. If the hood does feel too loose, you can adjust it to a smaller size by snapping the buttons on the back at the base of the neck.
There’s also a built-in eye mask, attached and tucked into the top of the hood so as not to get in the way when not in use. Pull it down over your face and you’ll be even further ensconced in your own, dark world. The mask is so big that, for me at least, it handily covered my eyes, cheeks and nose (loosely, though, so the soft fabric brushed against my skin without pressing on it). If you want less coverage, you can snap the pillow into the smaller configuration, raising the mask as well.
Conducive to deep sleep
The Pluto Pod Travel Pillow isn’t engineered with some fancy, noise-canceling technology, but between the hood and the mask, it might as well be.
The hood’s slight padding and soft material (a nylon/spandex blend called Spandura, a brand representative tells me) muffle some sounds while the large size and attached eye mask block out so much more that it really is easy to ignore the usual airplane annoyances — crying babies, rattling drink carts, unwelcome conversations — and fall into a pretty deep slumber.
The first time I used mine was on a flight from Chicago to Tokyo. I did have the benefit of being in a comfortable premium economy seat, but I still slept as though I were in business class. I didn’t sleep the entirety of the flight (it was still roughly 14 hours in the air, in time zone limbo), so when I woke up, I let my husband borrow the Pod. He sleeps far less than I do on planes — and even teased me for bringing this interesting-looking pillow on the journey — but after he tried it? Well, the first thing he did upon landing was investigate if he could order a Pod pillow to Japan so he’d have one of his own on the way home.
While in Japan, I used my Pod pillow on multiple cross-country train rides. And since then, I’ve used it on several flights and in a variety of seats, and in every case, it worked just as well as that first trip.
Easy to clean
The Pluto Pod Travel Pillow has a removable, machine-washable case, which makes it easy to clean after every trip. Once it’s dry (line-dry only), I’ve found it equally easy to reinsert the foam into the case and zip it shut. I’ve only washed the Pod Pillow a handful of times, but so far, it’s held up wonderfully with no signs of wear — a refreshing change from my previous standby, which gets more and more piled and worn out with every wash cycle.
A Pod brand representative says that’s by design: The outer portion of the Pod is made from a durable, suede-like textile called Alcantara as well as water-resistant material called WPS Mesh that helps prevent abrasions and tears, whether in the wash or on the go.
What we didn’t like about it
Velcro fastener
Unlike traditional neck pillows, the Pluto Pod Travel Pillow won’t stay in place if you don’t pull the ends together in front of your neck and fasten them together. The velcro on those ends fits together pretty well if you keep the pillow tucked horizontally between your chin and chest.
Still, I don’t like the feeling of something that restrictive around my neck, so I pulled the front ends down into more of a V formation. It works fine, for the most part, but the exposed velcro can be a bit irritating. Not to mention, it’s more prone to attract dust and whatnot.
Limited color choices
I happen to quite like the color of my Pluto Pod Travel Pillow. It’s called Sky Grey on the website, but it looks more seafoam to me. That look may not be everyone’s cup of tea, though, and if multiple people in a household get Pod Pillows, it would be nice to have different colors so they don’t get mixed up. Unfortunately, the only current alternative to the Sky Grey is a limited-edition black pillow with the NASA logo on it, which costs an additional $15.
Bottom line
At $145, the Pluto Pod Travel Pillow falls squarely in the luxury category. The Pluto team clearly put a lot of thought into the design, both from a functional and aesthetic standpoint, and the result is undoubtedly a quality product.
When I use the Pluto Pod Travel Pillow on flights, I sleep almost as well as I did in my 20s, when I had the seemingly magical ability to zonk out within minutes of settling into any airplane seat and wake up only as the wheels hit the tarmac at my destination.
If you only travel once in a while, the Pluto Pod Travel Pillow may not be worth the investment. But if you’re a frequent flyer — especially considering how elusive truly restful airplane sleep is for most people — it’s a worthy splurge.
Looking for a new travel credit card? Check out CNN Underscored Money’s list of the best credit cards currently available.