Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight.
Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight.
I have tried about 5 inflatable pillows and didn't like any of them. My head felt like it was on a balloon. When tenting, I use a Them-a-Rest compressible pillow that I cut open and stuffed more foam into. It's very close to a real pillow now. When hammocking, I use a small stuffed pillow from REI. It's not as much of an issue in a hammock.
Ditto this. I used to have the cheap inflate-with-a-straw pillow but was not happy. They always had that "head on a balloon" feeling. Plus they were not durable. I checked out the StS pillows at my local outfitter. They had an ultralight version of that pillow but it also had that balloon feel. The deluxe version was much better for me
I probably tried more inflatables than that before I found an inflatable I liked (Exped). I used stuffed pillows for a long time. I bought tiny ones from a fabric store. I found them much cheaper and much more comfortable than stuffed "camping pillows". I just didn't like any of the camping specific ones. I used the fabric store ones when weight wasn't critical and I was willing to carry an extra few ounces. I suspect they may have been pretty close to what your modified Thermarest was like and a fraction of the cost. They were fairly light, very comfy, and compressed well.
That said, for me the right inflatable and the right inflation level avoids that balloon feeling. I find it doesn't feel like an inflatable at all. So I finally gave up on stuffed pillows altogether.