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Product Review: Cabeau Memory Foam Evolution Neck and Travel Pillow

What Is it: The Cabeau Memory Foam Evolution Neck and Travel Pillow.

Price and Where to Buy: On sale for $29.99 at Amazon.com or $34.99 from Cabeau’s website.

Pros: The Evolution pillow is made out of memory foam, which is much more comfortable than the standard inflatable travel pillow. The cover (80 percent cotton, 20 percent Polyurethane), is pretty plush too, and easily unzips for machine washing. The pillow does roll up pretty compactly into the included travel bag—the pillow itself is 9.5″ x 10″ x 5″, and squishes down to about 4.5″ x 5.5″. The pocket on the side is a nice addition, and provides easy storage for your phone or iPod. The bag features a Velcro strap which lets you easily attach the pillow and bag to your suitcase’s handle for easy carrying.

The Evolution is well-designed, with raised side supports to keep your head from falling to the side. For those who tend to nod off with their head falling forward, you can wear the pillow backwards for frontal chin support.

Cons: Although the Evolution can be compacted pretty well, it’s still heavier than a typical travel pillow (11.6 ozs.) It comes with sliding toggles to adjust the pillow, but the first time we tried it, one of the toggles completely snapped off. (Update: Cabeau sent us a replacement pillow, and the toggles on this one worked just fine, so that may have been a one-off flaw.)

How it Rates:

  • Usefulness: 8/10. Anything that lets us be slightly more comfortable on an airplane is pretty useful in our book.
  • Portability: 7/10. Way bulkier than an inflatable travel pillow, but more compact than other standard neck pillows.
  • Value: 10/10. A memory foam pillow for under $30 is a great deal.
  • Durability: 7/10. The toggle on our pillow broke off the first time we tried to adjust it, so that’s a minus in the durability column. The rest of the pillow seems well-made though, and memory foam usually lasts a long time.
  • Cool Factor: 8/10. Other flyers will be jealous of your memory foam comfort.

Final Verdict: If inflatable pillows just aren’t giving you the support you need, but you still want something that’s space-saving, the Cabeau Evolution is definitely recommended!

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews, or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at editor@smartertravel.com.

(Photo: Cabeau)

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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