Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Best duvet?  (Read 17665 times)

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Best duvet?
« on: January 16, 2015, 11:05:11 am »
I am thinking of buying a new duvet but want to get away from something synthetic.


Goose down seems to be the best but to buy a good one they are very expensive.


Has anyone got experience of the duvets filled with fleece?
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2015, 11:15:30 am »
The other Sally has wool bedding I think so I'm sure she'll be along soon.

I opted for silk, partly because at that time the only woollen duvets I could source were chillingly expensive.  I used to have a down duvet (gift) but I turned out to be allergic to the feathers.  Silk seemed the obvious choice, as I too had gone off synthetic, and you can get silk pillows too.  The duvet seems lightweight compared to synthetic but it's very cosy. Not cheap but it's lasted for ages.   In the depths of winter I add a woollen blanket on top, and I have a woollen mattress topper which is wonderful.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2015, 11:16:22 am »
Get a wool one.  They are warm, and cool, breathable, wicking and light :) .   As a sheep keeper how can you not?! ;)

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2015, 11:20:37 am »
The Woolroom have a sale on atm.... :)  (http://www.thewoolroom.com/)

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2015, 11:41:38 am »
I bought the whole set from The Wool Room - duvet, mattress cover and pillows - and I absolutely love it.

I do put a thin wool blanket over the top on the coldest of nights.  When it gets colder still I may need to wear thicker pyjamas - I'm just using a very thin long cotton top at the moment - and/or another wool blanket.

I used to have to sleep with an all-night electric blanket, and prefer to just have a hot water bottle, so the new arrangement suits me perfectly.  I may prewarm the bed if it's really cold, but tbh a hot water bottle is plenty - having the wool under and over, (and pillows too), my own body heat plus the hottie soon radiate enough to warm the whole space.  In less than a minute, I'm lovely and warm, and usually then push the hottie to the side of the bed!  I'm usually asleep within two minutes of snuggling down.

It breathes, so you stay lovely and warm, but don't overheat.

Be aware though, if you do like an all-night blanket, you may find you get way too hot!  I wouldn't buy the wool mattress cover if you want to keep an electric blanket on overnight.

The setup I've bought has two duvets, a 200 and 300gsm one.  They popper together so you can use them as one for the winter.  Changing the duvet cover has always been a job I've hated (really hated), and even more so if using two duvets, but the wool duvets have just a bit more stiffness about them, no feathers to move around and leave one end empty, so changing the cover is a doddle.  And the poppers mean it's as easy to use two-as-one as it is to use one alone.

I've only had mine a few months.  Rosemary's had woollen bedding for longer, so hopefully she'll call in and let us know if there are any issues arising over time.

The Wool Room do also do some wool/alpaca duvets, which are warmer still.  I haven't tried those so can't comment on them.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

clydesdaleclopper

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2015, 11:43:00 am »
I have an alpaca one from Faralacey mill as I am allergic to dust mites. It's great.
Our holding has Anglo Nubian and British Toggenburg goats, Gotland sheep, Franconian Geese, Blue Swedish ducks, a whole load of mongrel hens and two semi-feral children.

Baois Glas

  • Joined Jun 2014
  • Ireland
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2015, 12:00:20 pm »
I have a 13.5 tog Goose feather one, it's mostly feather but I like my duvets heavy, and it's lovely and warm. I have no heating at the moment and I am lovely and toasty in bed.  ;D
Mine is a king size and I got it from ebay for about £35.
How many acres how much light
Tucked in the woods and out of sight
Talk to the neighbours and tip my cap
On a little road barely on the map

Alistair

  • Joined Sep 2012
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2015, 12:02:57 pm »
I've got a goose down one, the geese came from Poland and apparently are the finest down producing geese there are. It was about £350 from john lewis ..... It's amazing about a foot thick literally, light as a feather soo warm and comfortable

It's about a 15 tog rating fwiw - no idea what that means

I've also got a down sleeping bag (going camping / climbing tomorrow) which is good down to about -8 before you notice it's cold and have to put a jumper on, it's 900 fill power down, once again polish, fill power apparently means the higher the number the higher the loft and the warmer per gramme of down, mines 600 Gramms of down, not that I keep the labels that come with stuff and learn them or anything, Ive had it 15yrs, use it loads and it's still as fantastic as the day I bought it. I swear by down, it's sooooooo warm and comfy but it's not really washable so bear that in mind if your a dirty sleeper.

I really didn't think I'd use the phrase 'dirty sleeper ' when I woke up this morning (I woke up clean I may add)

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2015, 12:28:41 pm »
I love seeing that there's a new post by Alistair - I know I'm going to get a laugh!   :roflanim:

I've a friend with a goose down duvet who also swears by it, she's had hers for about 30 years, I think. 

Two of the things that appealed to me about the wool ones over a goosedown one was that (a) the setup I've bought has two duvets that can be poppered together, so I've a choice of three weights and should be able to be comfortable in all seasons, therefore, and (b) so I am told (but cannot yet confirm), even when it's warm, the wool breathes so you shouldn't get overheated underneath it.  I thought this would perhaps be less true of goosedown?
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2015, 01:29:26 pm »
I swear by down, it's sooooooo warm and comfy but it's not really washable so bear that in mind if your a dirty sleeper.

I really didn't think I'd use the phrase 'dirty sleeper ' when I woke up this morning (I woke up clean I may add)
I'm not sure I am a 'dirty sleeper' but the dog was sick on the bed last night so perhaps something more washable would be good or me.
I hate getting into a cold bed so often put the electric blanket on beforehand and then switch it off when I get in but then find I get very hot during the night and start throwing the covers off again. So perhaps the wool one would work for me. Lots of food for thought here.
thanks folks
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

clydesdaleclopper

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #10 on: January 16, 2015, 01:55:08 pm »
One thing that puts me off goose down is the barbaric methods used to collect it - often the geese are repeatedly plucked whilst still alive.
Our holding has Anglo Nubian and British Toggenburg goats, Gotland sheep, Franconian Geese, Blue Swedish ducks, a whole load of mongrel hens and two semi-feral children.

mowhaugh

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Scottish Borders
    • Facebook
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2015, 03:09:33 pm »
I also have the bedding from The Wool Room - expensive, but very worth it, it has made a huge difference to my sleeping, but the best thing is, both my husband and I are happy with the temperature, which always caused problems before.  I have also noticed a significant improvement in my son's night time asthma attacks since i got him wool bedding.

FCA

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2015, 04:36:40 pm »
I researched this quite a lot and last September bought a mattress cover, pillows and duvet from Southdown Duvets - http://southdownduvets.com.  They are quite close to us so we were able to visit and see the farm, sheep, set-up and products.
We have found these wool bed products to be just what we wanted and my sleep has improved hugely - I think mainly due to my body temperature being better regulated.  The Southdown Duvet website is full of information about why wool is so good for bedding products, so it's a good place to start researching what you might like for a duvet.
Please don't take this as a sales pitch (we're totally unconnected to the company) - even if you don't end up buying a wool duvet their website makes for very interesting reading.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2015, 04:50:06 pm »
One thing that puts me off goose down is the barbaric methods used to collect it - often the geese are repeatedly plucked whilst still alive.

I had heard this too, especially about Russian down - pretty horrible  :furious:.  I suppose my silk worms are slave labourers but I have a feeling they don't notice   :spin:

Everyone is so enthusiastic about wool duvets, but I can't try one as I don't need a new one.  My silk duvet (from Jasmine Silk) has lasted a few years and will last a while longer yet  :love:  Mr F is a dirty sleeper  :tired: so I would usually expect to have to replace our duvets fairly often.........

 Interesting to hear about others' experiences with wool though.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2015, 04:51:59 pm by Fleecewife »
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

hafod

  • Joined Jan 2013
Re: Best duvet?
« Reply #14 on: January 16, 2015, 07:39:20 pm »
We have a baavet http://www.baavet.co.uk/shop/index.php?route=common/home.
It used to take me ages to get warm in bed but I haven't had this problem since we switched to a wool duvet. It seems to regulate my body temperature somehow as I never get too hot either. I would 100% recommend. They have stalls at many shows around wales and the borders and quite often have special deals on (actually just looked and they have 25% off on their website until the end of the month). We bought the pillows too but I'm not as keen on these - they seem to have compacted and become quite solid - perhaps I have a heavy head!

 

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