So I just moved into my college dorm, which just so happens to be in a place that's quite hot. My older weighted blanket is good, but it is still a little stifling and as I've been using it for years at this point I want a change. I've done a fair amount of research on this subreddit, but there seems to be very few posts about the difference between down and down alternative comforters. That being said, I'd like to spend around 400~ dollars and if someone could explain which is generally better (down/down alternative), some good brands that will last awhile, and anything else in-between that y'all think I should know, that'd be great.

I've been using down duvet inserts for awhile, and I really hate the feathers that leak out and the shifting. These are box stiched duvets that I've had and after awhile all the down feathers go to the edge with the middle being nothing but cloth. And since they are box stiched all the fluffing i try to do cannot get the middle filled up again. I also hate the feather dust that flies around everywhere when i take it out of the cover.

So i'm thinking of down alternatives which are hypoallergenic and some are even temperature regulating. Does down alternative stay fluffy better? Or will have the same problem?

As the title says, has anyone bought a down alternative/synthetic down comforter that is not garbage after a year?

Back in August I bought the Pottery Barn Hydrocool down alternative duvet insert.

I am currently a college student and thus funds are limited, however I am a chronic insomniac and have a lot of sleep issues, so a good comforter was something I was willing to splurge on. It was definitely not the most expensive option on the market, but for $150, I didn’t expect it to completely fall apart within 9 months. By the time I moved out of my dorm in May, the filling had bunched up into pockets, leaving parts of the comforter completely flat.

I’m now going back to school for my sophomore year and would like to buy a comforter/duvet insert that will last until I graduate. I have a down comforter at home and it’s my favorite thing, but it requires too much upkeep for college. Wirecutter, The Strategist, etc. all love the Brooklinen, Buffy, Parachute, Company Store, LL Bean, etc. but I keep seeing reviews on the stores’ sites themselves and on reddit that they all have this issue.

So, if anyone has bought an down alternative comforter in the past three years—from one of the brands listed above or anywhere else—that is still relatively intact, tell me!!

Hi all, long time lurker, reading through the amazing posts by such knowledgeable people. I am looking for a new queen down comforter. Mine is almost 20 years old and flat as a pancake. Something mid- warm. I’d like it to hang over the sides of my queen size bed. Should I get a queen size down insert and a king duvet? What is a mid warmth down fill number you’d recommend? I’m so overwhelmed by all the choices!

rn I have a bedsure lightweight duvet insert, polyester shell and filling. I tried a silk filled duvet to see if I would like it better and I absolutely hated how it clung to my body, so I now realize that down alternative is my fill of choice. I'm considering a new comforter because 1. I have a full size but think a queen duvet might look a little better and 2. I'm wondering if some comforters might sleep a little cooler without having zero loft. But I've been comparing all sorts of brands in the <$200 range and wondering if there's even a major difference or if I should just save my money on a nicer cover?

ETA: right now the options I'm looking at are quince premium down alternative, pottery barn recycled down alternative, or just keeping an eye out at homegoods/tj maxx etc for a deal on something with a cotton shell. I was also looking at saatva's down alternative, but that would be a bit of a splurge for me and I wanna make sure I can return it if I'm not happy with it... am also open to real down but a little conflicted about it as a vegetarian (more sustainable though) and also a little apprehensive when I read about people saying they get feathers and dust everywhere

You can easily spend $300, $400, or $500 on a down comforter. Are these comforters much better than Costco’s $100 Pacific Coast Platinum European Comforter?

I'm looking for a quality down-alternative comforter or duvet insert. (I have allergies hence down-alternative)

Ignoring the cheap ones that go for $30-60 on Amazon, it seems like there are 3 prominent brands on the internet. Would like to buy one during black friday sales. Any opinions on which is the best? Looking for king size comforter that provides warmth, but doesn't get too sweaty for Seattle nights. We keep the room temp around 69 degrees at night, and a bit higher in the summer.

Brooklinen ($239)

Parachute ($263)

Buffy ($207)

Hi! I'm looking for a comforter/duvet insert made of anything but down, and is good for a warm climate/hot sleepers. No budget! Building my comfiest dream bed lol.

editing to specify that it can be anything that's not down!

Hi all, I’m considering pulling the trigger on buying a down insert from IKEA due to the amazing price. Also, is down or down alternative better? I live in western NY (Buffalo area) so we have long winters. I don’t really sleep or cold, basically in the middle. Any recs? I’m not trying to spend more than $150! LMK if they are worth it! Thanks

I’m search of a great, FLUFFY comforter for cold winters. Mine (which was $200 on sale) lasted two years before the filling started moving around. Tennis balls in the dryer and fluffing it myself didn’t work. The entire area that I usually sleep under on my side of the bed has completely lost it’s filling. (See photo- with the light shining above it, you can see the left side has lost it’s filling compared to areas around it). I realize it may happened a little, but this is ridiculous. Need a fluffy, warm comforter that won’t do that.

My title probably covered it all. No matter how low I turn my AC, I wake up sweating. My current comforter and duvet aren't great and I think both have polyester.

I'm an animal lover and can't support down or feather but I really miss the super plush company store down comforters my best friend had when we were kids. Basically I'd like it as plush as possible but not hot.

Does anyone have something like this that they can recommend?

I’ve searched tons of threads and was looking at Costco’s Downlite hotel & resort Hungarian white goose comforter, but it seems too light for her. She’s perpetually cold and I want super fluffy and less flat. Then I found Feathered Friends’ Bavarian 700, but it’s out of stock 😭 I don’t feel like Ikea or Amazon brands would be top-tier quality? I’d prefer not to spend more than $500 for a king but will spend up to $1k if it’s worth it.

Is it better to stuff two duvets in one cover, and if so, anyone have good experience with this method with specific brands? I just want her to be comfy for the winter and years beyond. She just had several uncomfortable surgeries.

Last question, are down alternatives as comfy as down comforters themselves? She won’t care what’s in it if it’s gloriously comfortable.

Please help me out if you can, any suggestions and firsthand experiences are greatly appreciated 🙏🏼 I’m definitely not a bedding aficionado

Mostly because I'm unwilling to pay a premium for guaranteed ethically sourced down, I'm eyeing some down alternative comforters:

• Target's premium Fieldcrest brand Warm Down Alternative

• Ikea RÖDTOPPA lyocell and polyester filled comforter

Regardless of filling, I live in a very warm climate, so I will need a lightweight comforter.

Will down alternative comforters disappoint in terms of a luxurious feeling and that beautiful, fluffy look when it's hanging out on the bed?

I want a big fluffy down alternative comforter. I am taking some expensive prescriptions right now, so I'm watching my budget. My comforter chose this moment to take a powder. It's all poofy around the edges and not warm enough in the center any more. I have a comforter cover that I love.

I want a very lightweight but warm comforter. I keep the heat down at night so I'm cold when I go to bed and I wake up in the morning too warm. I'd probably be happier too warm than I would be too cold. I'd like to have this comforter for a dozen to 15 years. I bought my first comforter from Lands End but haven't bought anything from them since their 500 thread count sheets shredded in the dryer within months. But if you send me to Lands End, I'll trust you.

Thank you in advance. This is a very welcoming and helpful group.

I’m on the look out for my next duvet, and wondered whether anyone could give me some insight into what I should be looking for.

My main concern is that I am a very hot sleeper, and in my bedding experience, I’ve so far found a mix of feather and down (higher ratio of down to feather) is the most comfortable to sleep under, in terms of temperature regulation.

I own two duvets, both with the same warmth rating (4.5 tog UK, which is supposed to be for spring/summer, but it does me through the winter as well!)

One is a relatively high quality, 100% British goose down from John Lewis. Still looking and feeling great after 20 years, and an annual run through the washing machine.

My other one is a cheaper (Soak & Sleep) 80% goose down (unspecified origin) and 20% goose feather number.

Now, I like the pure goose down one as it looks and feels lovely and luxuriously puffy, even after all these years. Problem is, even with a relatively low tog rating, I find it pretty sweaty to sleep under, especially in the warmer months.

I kind of prefer the down/feather one as it feels less hot, and more breathable. I maybe like the heavier feel too? But after five years and annual washing, it looks and feels very flat, not as nice.

So, can anyone explain the science of this to me so I can make a more informed decision for my next duvet?

happy to pay a more premium price (£100-300 budget) to make an investment for the perfect product, but also don’t want to make any expensive mistakes - and getting the best value is very important to me! Like, i feel I’m probably not going to notice the difference between a type of goose, or even duck (unless one has more breathable properties than the other) - at least not to make a much higher price worth paying.

Basically, I’d love something with the fluffiness of my pure goose down duvet, but with the more breathable feel of my down/feather one.

Could the lack of fluffiness of my down/feather one be because it’s lower quality, rather than the feather content?

Is duck down more ‘breathable’ than goose? Are different types of goose more breathable than others?

Should I just go for 2.5 tog goose down? Will that also be less fluffy and nice as it’s filled less?

Also, I have an aversion to synthetic materials, having had bad overheating experiences with them staying other places. Am I missing a trick by not trying out some higher quality synthetic, hollowfibre duvets that are actually more breathable than down?

Sorry for the questions, it’s just all I can find from my extensive google searches is that ‘goose down is the warmest’, which doesn’t help me really because isn’t it the tog rating that’s supposed to tell you how warm something is… i don’t know…

I’ve managed to get my mattress comfort level perfect - wool and latex topper on a pocket-sprung base, with an all cotton padded protector on top. Just need to sort out the duvet now!!

Hey guys, brooklinen down comforter all season vs ultra warm. Let me know what you guys think. Also, brooklinen was rated top down by wire cutter and 2 different top 10 sites. It’s $360 on sale. My problem Is that it’s 85% Hutterite duck down and 15% Hutterite feathers compared to Quince 100% down. Quince luxe down looks legit but seems like most people love the brooklinen down. Quince luxe is $379 and the premium is $299.

Or if anyone has any other recommendations let me know .

Thank you!

Hello peeps

I just got my first apartment and I would like my bed to give hotel vibes… fluffy-ish. However, I am extremely confused about duvets and whatnot. Does the down alternative comforter go inside of the duvet or no? 🤔

Thank you in advance

Fluffy and puffy and luxurious but no feathers

Comforter or duvet insert (they're pretty much the same).

Say you don't wanna use any animal products like down (poor geese being plucked alive).

In my opinion, based on my own a couple of hours research, I've narrowed it down to either Eucalyptus, and/or microfiber.

There's also silk, but I read that it traps heat a lot, so probably not gonna go with that.

Microfiber, mainly because I'm intrigued with Snowe Down Alternative comforter. But microfiber itself is pretty much plastic? So, that's kinda meh.

Eucalyptus is probably from Buffy (though I feel like it's because they spend a lot on marketing, so their company comes up a lot). There's also Sheets & Giggles eucalyptus comforter. Unsure between the two.

Between eucalyptus and microfiber, I don't even know the pros and cons other than microfiber is plastic while eucalyptus is plants. Other than that, I don't know which one performs better and/or more durable.

So, what do you think would be best?

down makes me a bit nervous bc I have an old duvet and I think the feathers might leak?

Can alternative down inserts be super poofy? I'm open to this because they're also cheaper.

Also what's the most super fluffy down insert that's affordable?

Thanks all! I have a lot of health problems so I'm in bed all the time... trying to make my bedroom more inviting.