Introduction to Down Alternative Comforters and Other Bedding
Down bedding is the most traditional type of bedding, used by a far greater proportion of people here in the U.S. when compared to any other bedding material. Down is made from the undercoating of a bird's plumage. The kind of birds from which down is extracted include geese, ducks and other types of water fowl.
The undercoating sits beneath the layer of feathers, and is a softer, fluffier material. Some grades of down include a little feather which alters the stiffness of the product. Down is used in pillows, comforters, mattresses, mattress toppers and many kinds of bedding. It's also an essential component in camping equipment, such as sleeping bags and insulating garments. It's used in camping gear precisely because of its high warmth-to-weight ratio. A very light down sleeping bag can comfortably insulate a sleeper in subzero temperatures.
Life After Down
However, many people have opted to try down alternative comforters. There are three basic reasons for this. The first of the reasons is that down is sometimes a more expensive material in comparison to other materials. To cut down on costs, families or campers will turn toward synthetic fills and down alternative comforters which don't cost as much. The second reason is a moral one. Many feel that sacrificing birds for their plumage to put into our products is a form of animal cruelty. Harvested materials like wool, which doesn't destroy the animals, is a preferrable alternative. Production of synthetics don't involve any animals at all. The third reason is a health-related one. Children and adults alike seem to suffer from asthmatic and allergic reactions apparently triggered by down. These triggers are either allergens in the down itself, or allergens derived from dust mites that thrive ond down. Down alternative comforters may be one option for these symptoms.
Pros and Cons of Down Alternative Comforters
On this website, we discuss a bit about the pros and cons of down fillers. Down is actually a superb material. We will also go through several filler materials for down alternative comforters, such as wool, silk, alpaca, and the many, increasingly common, synthetics that are filling up both the camping market and the home bedding markets. We will also remark on the basis for down allergies and asthmatic reactions, and what the current research tells us. The story seems rather complex actually, and before jumping the gun by converting your whole house into a down-free zone, consider taking a look at the current medical research to make a more informed decision.
Sorting Out The Alternatives
Because the synthetics market for down alternative comforters is so big, with so many brand names for the filler (Primaloft, Pureloft, Thermolite etc) and just as many different brand names for the products (Lands' End, Sears, North Face etc), it's pretty confusing to try to get a grip on all of the possible products. To help you, the reader, in understanding this market, we have devoted a section to the all the different synthetics in down alternative comforters, explaining the material in each one, how it feels, what it looks like, and how it compares to down.
Going Beyond Synthetics
In reality, there are more than synthetics which can become your down alternative comforter at home. For example, silk comforters is very popular in Asian, and is priced comparably with their equivalents in the U.S. We hope you'll be able to learn from all the information provided on this site. In the end, we hope you can come to a satisfactory decision concerning which down alternative to get, and that it can ultimately solve your problems, whether they are related to camping and hiking, cost or nasty asthma and allergies.
