Trtl Pillow review: My honest thoughts & experience (2024)

One of my least favourite feelings in the world is nodding off while travelling, only to jolt awake as my head lolls over – or worse, falling asleep in the most awkward position imaginable, leaving me with a neck ache that lingers all day.

I’ve tried all the usual sleep aids, from the clunky U-shaped travel pillows to the flimsy cheap synthetic ones provided by airlines. But none keep my head from rolling around like a washing machine. Considering how regularly I travel – whether on planes, trains, or buses – this was becoming a serious issue.

I need something to support my neck whenever I’m attempting to sleep in a seated, upright position. Ideally, it would allow my head to tilt slightly to the side without leaving my neck painfully crooked. It would be nice if it could sing lullabies, too, but maybe that’s asking too much…

So, when I first caught a glimpse of a Trtl travel pillow on a flight I knew I had to find out what it was and whether it could be the solution I was after. I decided to try out their newly launched ‘cool’ version (Trtl Pillow Cool) since I am prone to heating up. In this honest Trtl review, I’ll let you know how I got on!

What is Trtl?

Trtl is a travel accessory company known for its supportive travel pillows. Instead of the traditional, chunky U-shaped pillow, they designed a wraparound scarf that fits snugly around your neck. Inside the scarf is a supportive frame that keeps your head propped up, allowing you to tilt slightly to one side – without your head wobbling around like a bobblehead.

They offer their innovative travel pillow in a few different styles, including their original Trtl Pillow, Trtl Pillow Plus (with adjustable height), Trtl Pillow Cool (with a lighter cooler fabric), and Trtl Pillow Junior (for younger travellers).

In addition to their travel pillows, they also offer a variety of other travel accessories like sleep masks, compression socks, and packing pods.

How does it work?

The Trtl Pillow is relatively simple to use, but it doesn’t work like the traditional travel pillows I am used to. Instead, it requires to you to wrap it around your neck in the correct position, like this:

1. Start by positioning the Trtl travel pillow around your neck. Inside the Trtl pillow, there’s a flexible support frame designed to cradle your head and neck. Adjust the pillow so that this frame aligns with the side of your head where you naturally lean – left, right, or slightly forward.
2. Once you have the frame positioned, wrap the scarf fabric around your neck and secure it with the Velcro fastener. This adjustable closure keeps the pillow snug, helping to hold your head in place without slipping.
3. With everything wrapped and secured, lean your head to rest against the support. The frame will keep your neck in an upright position, letting your head tilt slightly while preventing uncomfortable bobbing or drooping.
4. When you’re done, simply unwrap the pillow, fold it up, and tuck it away in your bag. The compact design makes it easy to store for your next trip. Or use their pillow carry bag and attach it to the outer of your bag.

My experience

I have been using my Trtl Pillow on all my recent travels, including long train, car, and plane journeys. I will describe how the pillow fared in detail, including its appearance, ease of use, quality of sleep, comfort, and packing. I will also draw upon the general experience of customers who have reviewed Trtl online.

Appearance

The TRTL Pillow is not a traditional U-shaped travel pillow. Instead, it looks more like a cosy fleece scarf with a curved plastic rib hidden within the fabric. The internal support sits between your shoulder and chin on one side, and the scarf wraps snugly around your neck. When worn, the TRTL Pillow resembles a scarf rather than a bulky travel pillow.

The pillow comes in a neutral grey or black colour, depending on which model you buy, so it isn’t at all garish. The Trtl Pillow Junior does come in a few different patterns and colour options, which is perfect for kids!

Ease of use

I find the TRTL Pillow easy to use, with a simple wrap-around design and a velcro fastening, but it isn’t as simple as sliding on your U-shaped travel pillow. Despite this, putting it on is still pretty straightforward. Just tuck the curved plastic frame between your shoulder and chin so that the curved part sits flush with your neck, then wrap the rest of the fleece fabric around and secure it with a velcro fastening. Find more detailed instructions above.

Finding the right place to tuck the plastic frame into is the hardest part. If you don’t put it in the ideal place that works best for you then you’ll struggle to get comfortable. Once I found the ideal placement for this, using the pillow became a lot easier. It took a few practice runs, which I did at home before trialling it out on public transport!

I recommend trying different positions for the plastic support frame – try the side of the neck, under the chin, or even at the front of the neck. Once you’ve found your ideal position, you’ll find it easy to use the pillow.

Support

At first, I found the feeling of the internal support frame to be a little odd and rigid, but that turned out to be a really good thing. It was solid enough to stop my heading from rolling about. It kept my head nice and stable so I was able to nod off to sleep without suddenly jolting awake.

This was particularly useful when I used it on the bus and in a car, where you’re more at risk of sudden movements. The support frame kept my head in a stable position even during turns and on bumpy roads.

I can be a pretty restless sleeper, so I do benefit from moving my head from side to side at times. In this case, I do need to readjust my pillow so that the support frame sits on the other side of my head, which requires me to take it off and put it on again. Although I have sometimes gotten away with just twisting it around my neck without it coming loose. But considering how much extra sleep I get when using this, I don’t mind the occasional switch-up.

Quality of sleep

Sleep quality is incredibly personal, there are so many factors at play. Therefore, my sleep experience using the Trtl Pillow won’t necessarily be an indication of your own. What I can share, which may be helpful to you, is how my sleep quality changed when using a standard travel pillow versus the Trtl Pillow.

I typically sleep very little when travelling, even with earplugs and an eye mask. I can never get comfy and no matter what pillow I use my head lulls forward, causing severe neck pain and very light restless sleep.

When using the Trtl Pillow I find am able to get to sleep a lot quicker and I can stay asleep for longer with way fewer interruptions. I am never able to sleep the whole way through a journey and I don’t think any kind of pillow is going to help me with that, but I can get a few solid hours when wearing this!

Comfort

The stiffness of the internal frame can take some getting used to. For me, it felt a little strange, although not that uncomfortable. But after a few uses it felt a lot more normal against my neck.

The material itself is soft and feels much nicer against my skin than any other travel pillows I have used. Since I have the Trtl Pillow Cool version, it is also really lightweight, so it didn’t heat up underneath the material like it can with the original version, as per other Trtl Pillow reviews.

If like me, you have long hair, then make sure to put it somewhere that you find comfortable before wrapping the pillow around your neck. If my hair sits on the bare skin of my neck and chin I find it really itchy. So I try to place my hair behind my head before wrapping the pillow.

I also found that the pillow fits comfortably even with earphones on. However, I doubt you’d comfortably be able to wear headphones since one of your ears will be pressing into the side of the pillow, leaving no space for anything sitting on top of your ear.

Packing

Unlike your typical U-shaped travel pillow, you can’t wear the Trtl Pillow around your neck as you walk around the airport. It would make it quite difficult to turn your head and it would feel a little bit odd. Instead, you need to fold it up and carry it, or place it in your bag.

Thankfully, I find it quite lightweight. But it does take up a bit of space in your bag and it is a bit of an awkward shape to just carry around with you.

But there are a few solutions! If your bag is already pretty full, you can wrap the pillow around your arm. Or you can use the handy travel bag to store the pillow, which can then be clipped onto your rucksack.

Trtl review verdict

Since using the Trtl Pillow I have been able to sleep in the most awkward of places, like middle-row seats on aeroplanes and aisle seats on buses that are driving through bumpy terrains.

The rigid internal support frame doesn’t feel the comfiest but once you wrap the scarf around your neck and allow your head to sink into it, it almost feels as if you are being supported by the mattress on your bed at home.

All other travel pillows I have tried provide little to no support for your neck. U-shaped pillows still allow for ‘bobblehead’ movement which causes me to wake up regularly or leaves me with a horribly stiff neck. Not what you want when you arrive at your holiday destination!

Therefore, even though this pillow may cost more (around £50) than the average travel pillow (around £15), the quality of sleep that I got from using it was well worth the price tag!

Moreover, it packs down to a smaller size than most travel pillows. So it won’t feel like a burden carrying it whenever you aren’t using it. I will certainly be recommending this pillow to all my digital nomad friends and frequent travellers!