ceejay_za

What is the best type of earplugs for flying? I'm not so much worried about people or baby noise, but I hate that drone of the engine.

What would cut that out best? Silicon? Wax? Memory foam? Those cheapo yellow foam ones?

I assume noise-cancelling headphones are best, but they're a bit difficult to sleep with

Reds2011

Have you looked at Bose QC20's? NC in an earbud form factor.

Great bit of gear, couldn't live without them.

edsh

You said earplugs, not ear buds, so these came to mind:

Hearos Ultimate Earplugs. They are comfortable, last for quite a while, great and blocking out noise, and very inexpensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

KevinDTW

I use earplugs every night for sleeping, both at home and while traveling, and have done so for a long time. The best kind for noise reduction are the foam or PVC kind that you compress/roll-up and insert into the ears. Most earplugs give their Noise Reduction Rating ("NRR") on the package, and you should look for a NRR of 32 or 33 dB. Wax earplugs usually only offer 27 or 28 dB NRR and do not work as well. You can find decent earplugs at supermarkets or drugstores, and they are very cheap. A pair of foam or PVC earplugs IME will last several weeks before you need to replace them. I order mine online from a website called The Earplug Superstore and I usually get an assortment package with a number of different styles.

One bit of advice: they take a little getting-used-to -- you need to learn how to compress and insert them properly, and you should acclimate yourself to the feeling of having them in. So get some and try them out a few times first. But with the right pair used properly, they work amazingly well and are a very cheap solution to unwanted noise.

gfunkdave

Moving to Travel Products...

alphaod

What's your budget?

If you want the best, I would suggest custom made plug or if you want earphones too, custom in-ear monitors.

For the earphones, they blocked out the majority of the noise and if you play music at a very light volume, you basically won't hear any more noise. Of course they're also very good and comfortable earphones being they're custom fitted.

There are many options. I use Ultimate Ears.

glennaa11

I wear the foam ones every night and they work great for me. You can get them in a jar from CVS for a few bucks for like 100. They last a while before you need to replace them. The ones that are a little bigger and are sort of bell-shaped I find are a little better and stay in my ear and seal better than the smaller more cylindrical ones. On the plane I usually just use whatever is in the amenity kit but I do carry some with me as well.

SamRothstein

I agree the foam ones are best, if used properly. I've never used them on flights, but use them inside my helmet when riding my motorcycle to cut out the roar of the wind. Even cheapo basic ones will make a drastic difference, enough that I can listen to my in helmet speakers clearly, and still hear sirens and horns. Wind noise inside a helmet can be MUCH louder than engine noise IME.

ck777

+1 for hearos. I have to wear them every night for bed. My better half who sleeps on the other side of the bed likes to start up a chainsaw through out the night. I'm a light sleeper and I still sometimes still get woken up. I'm still looking for something that can block out even more sound.

I've used them on the plane and they are good.

pilotalan

+1

I had a set of custom earplugs made, they were so quiet I fell asleep during an F-15 fighter demonstration.
I fly my own plane, I actually cannot fly with the earplugs in under my headset, because the headset volume doesn't crank up high enough to be able to hear air traffic control through the earplugs.

I carry them with me, but only wear them when there's a crying baby or something, so that I can hear what's going on in the plane (like "Oh my god, we're going to crash!").

Here you can get professionally made earplugs, or DIY kits to mold your own.
http://www.earplugstore.com/best-cus...ear-plugs.html

ck777

Here you can get professionally made earplugs, or DIY kits to mold your own.
http://www.earplugstore.com/best-cus...ear-plugs.html[/QUOTE]

I like the idea of a DIY kit before forking over money for a custom fit. I noticed on the site they are rated NRR26 and hearos are 33. I think NRR is pretty subjective but wondering if hearos would still be better than a molded DIY.

kschoena

You could say that I am a little bit of an experienced earplug user as I have been wearing them for the last 36 years. I have tried but never found anything better and more effective than Quies wax earplugs (disposables). The custom mades I got on several occasions were maybe slightly better but given the extra cost not worth it.

On the many long plane rides I take I usually put in my Quies and on top of them the Bose QC25 headphones ... and then it gets super silent :-)

ScatterX

+1000

When I want silent silent, the combo of good/cheap earplugs and the Bose NC headphone is the gold standard.

Anybody happen to know what the equivalent NRR rating of the earplugs and Bose NC headphones combo is?

Loren Pechtel

I like the idea of a DIY kit before forking over money for a custom fit. I noticed on the site they are rated NRR26 and hearos are 33. I think NRR is pretty subjective but wondering if hearos would still be better than a molded DIY.[/QUOTE]

I would guess that the 33 is if they work perfectly in your ears.

pilotalan

I don't buy that for a second. Because the DIYs are self-made, they probably have to be very conservative on the NRR.