I tried 2 viral products meant to make long-haul flights more comfortable. I'd only pack one again.

• I've taken a handful of economy long-haul flights but never loved the traditional travel pillow.

• I've been determined to find the viral accessories that actually work.

• I tried a foot hammock and an inflatable travel pillow. In the future, I'll only pack the hammock.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: Long-haul flights suck. And long-haul flights in economy suck even more.

While it's a privilege to travel and explore destinations all around the world, getting there isn't always easy.

I'm not the only one who thinks so. A quick search on Amazon shows over 10,000 results for travel pillows, and the market for air-travel accessories has expanded beyond the traditional crescent-shaped neck pillow. There are inflatable options, foot hammocks, compression socks, eye masks, and more.

As someone who's embarked on plenty of long-haul flights, I set out to make the experience more bearable and figure out which of the tens of thousands of plane accessories actually make a trip more comfortable.

I tested two viral products this year: a foot hammock and an inflatable pillow. Here's which one is permanently on my packing list.

TikTok convinced me to ditch the typical travel pillow

I've had my fair share of issues with the circular travel pillow. The few I've tried never sat high enough on my shoulders, leaving me craning my neck and in pain.

For years, I booked window seats, bundled up jackets as pillows, and used plane walls as my support.

This led me to my first viral product: the foot hammock.

I often wanted to scrunch up into a ball in my window seat. I longed to press my knees against the seat in front of me or dig my feet into the seat pocket, but I also wanted to avoid annoying the person in front of me.

With the foot hammock, I could wrap a strap around my tray table and position the hammock so my knees hugged my chest. In this system, my weight pressed down onto the floor instead of against the seat in front of me.

I used the hammock on a 10-hour flight to Switzerland and loved it. It was easy enough to use, and I could put my feet on the ground because it didn't take up much space. The one I bought off Amazon from the brand Zoklu cost just $9.

Now that I'd figured out comfort for the lower half of my body, I was ready to figure out a replacement for my bundled-up jacket.

Another viral product I'd eyed for years was the cube-shape inflatable travel pillow.

Instead of leaning to the side, the traveler places the pillow in their lap or on a tray table and leans forward. I thought I'd prefer this sleeping position over craning my neck, so I went to Amazon and purchased the $21 Kimiandy inflatable travel pillow.

It was a purchase I regret. I used the pillow for 13- and 15-hour flights and found that it was way too big.

I was lucky to have empty middle seats when I tested the pillow, but if a someone had been next to me, it would've been impossible not to bump them with it. Since there wasn't enough space to put the pillow by my feet, I also needed to inflate and deflate it throughout the flight, which felt like an unnecessary hassle.

No passenger is the same. Plenty of positive reviews highlight why people love the inflatable pillow.

"It has completely changed flying for me," one person wrote. "It is decently compact, inflates with about 4-5 breaths, feels durable, and supports my head/neck just right."

Meanwhile, some reviewers complained that the foot hammock wasn't large enough for both feet and might not be the best product for taller people.

Each accessory has its positives and negatives, and I'm figuring out what I love and hate. I'll try more flight accessories in the future, but my foot hammock will be on my packing list.

Read the original article on Business Insider