You're too small and too soft to travel with me.
Written: Feb 08 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Travel sized, no foam odor, nice covering, soft (which is a con, too)
Cons: Small, pricey for the quality, too soft, doesn't have good memory
The Bottom Line: A small travel memory foam pillow that may be fine for the average user but is too soft for those who need firm neck support.
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| PattyTherre's Full Review: Body Form Memory Foam Travel Pillow - Softer Alter... |
I am a great believer in memory foam - pillows and mattress covers. I own the Isotonic Memory Foam Pillow Standard Size and tried the Isotonic Extra Loft Memory Foam Pillow. I have also tried and used Thempur Pedic pillows.
Because I had a serious neck injury and now have bulging discs that I have to live with, I need quality and support to keep my neck aligned.
I was watching TV late at night when I saw an infomercial for the Body Form Memory Foam Travel Pillow - Softer Alternative To Tempur Pedic! touted as the best foam pillow for travel - or any time.
I do travel a bit and I lug my own foam pillow with me. I figured a somewhat smaller one would be great to take with me and even use in the car on the rare occasions that I close my eyes and let my husband drive by himself.
A couple weeks later, I owned this pillow.
Wow. Don't let anyone tell you that all foam pillows are alike. I am here to say they most certainly are not!
Manufacturer Hype About This Pillow
The Body Form Pillow is constructed using a contoured design. It supports the head and neck in a manner that keeps them in alignment with the rest of the spine. The Body Form Pillow is manufactured with visco-elastic foam (memory foam). The foam is temperature and pressure sensitive. This ability of the foam allows the pillow to mold to any size or shaped neck and head ensuring correct neck and head alignment for everyone.
Manufacturer Info
Just the Facts, Ma'am
The pillow is 12"x10"x4" which is really travel sized compared to the standard of about 21"x15"x4". It is off white and has the typical wave design - a higher loft on each side and a valley to rest your head. The height is the standard four inches which is generally what doctors feel is the right height of the foam when side or back sleeping. Stomach sleepers can flip the pillow over and it is flat, with no hills and valleys.
This pillow came with a rather unique white pillow covering that looks like mesh on the back and feels like simple cotton on the front where you typically lay your head. It slips off for easy washing.
The pillow is lightweight and easy to toss into the car for travel but isn't much of a pillow for long trips when you use it for several nights as your primary pillow.
My Story
I am not much of a visual person when thinking of sizes so, when the pillow arrived, I was shocked that it was so small. Then again, it is called a travel pillow and I should have expected a small pillow. It didn't look that small on TV though.
Moving past that, the pillow seemed nice. The covering is a good one and the shape is a mini version of my every night pillow. I figured this pillow would save wear and tear on my at home one while traveling and possibly even support my neck while traveling in the car.
I always bring my Isotonic Memory Foam Pillow when traveling but, with a short two night trip coming up, I decided to test out the Body Form Memory Foam Travel Pillow.
I reluctantly left my pillow behind and brought the mini pillow with me.
In the car, it just didn't cut it. The way the pillow is shaped left me with a hump against my upper back when I leaned against it as I tried to rest in the car. If I adjusted it so I cradled my neck on the bottom "hump", the pillow got in the way of my husband viewing traffic on my side and that wouldn't do. I sent it sailing into the back seat for one of my sons to use and the one who likes foam pillows (The other refuses to use them. He thinks they are "lame".) slept all the way to our destination. However, he does that when he is sleeping against the window with no pillow so that wasn't a good test.
In the hotel, I tossed the soft, flat pillow off my side of the bed and replaced it with the Body Form. Yikes, it was small. It took up so little space compared to my big ole regular pillow.
In bed, I finally was able to give the pillow a work out. I laid my head down and the pillow seemed to deflate under the pressure. They claim it's softer than the more expensive brands. That it is. But when it comes to foam, if it is too soft, you lose the whole "memory" thing and end up with a flat wafer for a pillow.
This one isn't THAT soft but it allows far too much flattening leading to less support for the neck. The neck "hump" collapsed under my weight and the pillow was nearly humpless meaning I was not getting the support I needed from it.
The next morning my neck throbbed. I was miserable and took it out on everyone as usual.
And I still has another night to go!
The next night wasn't much better. The pillow was small and just too mushy for me. I am aware that I use these pillows therapeutically and not just as ergonomic pillows, so people with no neck issues may have no problem with the way this pillow flattens. In fact, some may like that it isn't as firm as other, more expensive foam pillows.
But, if my neck isn't cradled and my head and neck aren't aligned, everything goes out of whack and I am a miserable, hurting, no fun to be around b … er …woman.
The pillow is not badly made and has no strange odor like some foam products. It has a good cover and it is small enough for travel (which may or may not be a plus for people). It has the standard four inch loft that is recommended by doctors.
But it's just too soft to do the job it is intended to do - at least for those of us who need proper neck alignment to avoid pain.
I returned home and gave this pillow to my cats . My dog had stolen my old Isotonic Memory Foam Pillow so I figured the cats would like this little foam thing. They do. They sleep in the valley and feel secure with the humps on each side surrounding them.
But for almost $40.00, that is an expensive little cat bed!
Where To Get It
This pillow is sold all over the net. I saw it at Overstock.com as well as several sites that sell pillows. This brand is apparently quite popular and lower priced than other brands.
I am not sure where this pillow is sold offline. You can probably find it at better bedding stores and possibly medical supply stores. Price varies from $30.00 to $45.00 which is expensive for the quality and size, in my opinion.
And My Final Say…
The Body Form Memory Foam Travel Pillow may be a Softer Alternative To Tempur Pedic! but that may be its downfall. It’s TOO soft. It doesn't have a heck of lot of memory either.
The idea behind the memory foam concept is that the foam springs back immediately and that it reshapes when you move your head so you never end up with your neck out of alignment.
This little pillow would go flat and stay that way, slowwwwwly reshaping.
While this is made well and may be a good travel pillow for those who simply like the memory foam concept, if you use one because you have neck injuries or issues, you will find this pillow may add to your problems, not help them.
I give this pillow 3 stars. It's average for the average person but below for those of us who rely on memory foam pillow to keep us pain free.
I recommend it but only for those who have no neck injuries or issues and like soft foam pillows.
Recommended:
Yes
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