By Ken Hegan for MSN
I’m constantly on the lookout for innovative, offbeat travel gear and gadgets.
Previously I’ve checked out fun carry-ons like the scooter suitcase, Ostrich Pillow, jetlag-fighting glasses, a suitcase you wear like a jacket, and Knee Defender seat clamps that prevent the jet passenger sitting in front of you from slamming their seat back into your knees.
Today I found this simple, comfy-looking Travel HoodiePillow.
Soulful hipster not included Photo: Travel HoodiePillow
It seems like it was inspired by the Hijab that many Muslim women use to cover their heads.
According to the Travel HoodiePillow website, this headwear is made from “premium sweatshirt material,” and has adjustable drawstrings “to block out the world around you.” The pillow also deflates so you can fold it up neatly. Apparently this neck-saving, eye-sheltering, hand-washable product is ideal for “reading, watching TV, studying, listening to music, napping and sleeping.”
I have to respect a company that considers napping and sleeping to be separate actitivies, by the way.
Priced at $19.95 USD, it’s billed as “perfect for airline travel, road trips, business traveling, lunch break napping and anyone looking for a little privacy or shut-eye no matter where they are. The Travel HoodiePillow® provides ultimate cocoonification™ on-the-go!”
I chuckled over how they trademarked the completely made-up word ‘cocoonification™’. But then again, it’s kind of genius. Cocoonification™ is a perfectly descriptive and evocative term for something that lets you shut down your senses and grab some sleep on the go.
Who wouldn’t want to tumble into a glorious state of cocoonification™ on an overnight flight to Europe? Especially if your seatmate is dressed for winter (or has way more body fat than you) and they crank the overhead fan up to Über-Chilly.
First off, it looks so comfortable, I bet you’ll sleep through plane crashes.
Secondly, I’m bald as a baby and leaner than a dumpster diver. So I am always cold on planes. If I want to sleep comfortably on a flight, I have to drape a spare T-shirt over my face because I can’t comb hair over my eyes.
Sure, I could wear an actual, honest-to-god hoodie. But as snugly as hoodies are, they’re a hassle while travelling. Hoodies don’t have zip pockets for your passport or wallet, and the zipper bunches up at the waist. Plus if I want to support my neck, I have to blow up a goofy horse collar or take off my sweater and awkwardly wrap it around my neck [boohoo, travel writing is so harrrrd].
So this Travel HoodiePillow® seems like a good match for my hairless, ectomorphic flaws. I’m sure it’s also useful for shift workers trying to sleep by day, and perp-walking suspects trying to avoid being photographed.
What about you?
Would you wear the Travel HoodiePillow® during your travels and/or arrests?
— Ken Hegan
P.S. The company also makes HoodiePillow® which could save marriages because you can read your Archie comic while your spouse cocoonifies beside you.
Read more of Ken’s travel stories here
Twitter: @KenHegan
Photos courtesy HoodiePillow
Ken Hegan 
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