I’ve taken the Sleepy Ride on several flights, and it really does come down to what kind of space you’re working with. I was excited to have it with me on a recent ITA Airways flight to Rome, but between the fully-reclined folks in front of me and the personal item I had with me, the setup just wasn’t working. However, on a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to New York (in economy), it was perfect. I could sit stretched out, with my heels on the footrest, or plant my feet fully on it so my legs were still in a 90-degree angle, but elevated.
It’s not a cure-all to economy’s tight quarters, but it does give you more ways to get comfortable. I move around a lot, so sometimes I’d have one foot on it and the other elongated under my seat (I’m 5’6″, for reference). And while I’m always nervous to bother the person in front of me, they’ve never seemed the wiser. Unless I’m really packing light, I’ll bring it along—and I’m always glad to have it. —Madison Flager, senior commerce editor
Not for me
My test flight for the foot hammock was a dream scenario. On an Aer Lingus flight back to New York from Dublin, I had an entire two-seat row to myself to fully sprawl, with no worry about odd looks from my seatmate as I wriggled around trying to find a comfortable position in the hammock. At 5’9″, I usually scrunch down a little in my seat when it comes time to sleep, and rest my feet comfortably on the metal bar of the seat in front of me. With the foot hammock, I was flush for positions: I could tighten it up so my feet were lifted from the ground, loosen it to form a makeshift calf support, or pop my feet into the hammock so that my knees were parallel to my waist. None of them were comfy.
What was comfortable—and a direct result of the fairly empty flight—was putting the hammock over the tray table of the seat next to me and sitting sideways with my feet up in the stirrup, knees resting on that seat’s back. Since my armrest didn’t go all the way up, it was a way for me to spread out comfortably while being supported by the hammock—a configuration that is only possible in an empty row. I’m a ride-or-die aisle person and I can only imagine how impossible it would be to extricate myself from the hammock each time one of my seatmates were to need the bathroom or a walk down the aisle. Final verdict? If your feet already touch the ground, you can pass on this accessory. —Meredith Carey, former travel bookings editor
The verdict
Overall, Amazon reviewers lean the same way as our editors. Of the more than 3,400 customer ratings, 58 percent gave it five stars, with another 27 percent giving it three or four stars. The one-star reviews say there wasn’t enough room in their coach seat to raise their legs (to note, all of our editors tested it in coach). Many people who didn’t love it say it doesn’t work well for tall people, while those who wrote glowing reviews frequently mentioned it’s a game-changer for short people. Clearly, height is the determining factor, though as always, there are some outliers, including reviews from people who are 5’8″ to 6′ and found it useful and ones from shorter people who said there wasn’t enough room under their seat to stretch out their legs. Our recommendation: If you’re around 5’6″ or shorter and fly often, or are embarking on a long-haul flight, it’s worth trying out, especially given the price point.
