Nordstrom and Saks seem to carry that brand. Maybe you could go to one to check out their bedding.

Isn't Garnet Hill fairly reliable as having quality products? Correct me if I'm wrong. All I"ve ever experienced of theirs are their sheets, and they're great.

I think Lands End also makes excellent down comforters. Their clothing has gone WAY down hill, but I don't think their bedding has. Could be wrong, of course! And Lands end is tied in with Sears, so you can have it sent to Sears, open the box there, feel it, and if you don't like it, reject it right there.

Are you absolutely sure that you need a down comforter? I have two, and it's been YEARS since I've last used one. Even though we keep the house freezing cold in winter, haven't felt the need to sleep with one --- and I like it toasty warm.

I use one of the fluffy IKEA duvet inserts.

Begonia, if anything, you want a comforter to SQUEEZE into a duvet cover. That way, it stays fluffy and warm. If it's too small, you have excess duvet cover, which looks bad, is uncomfortable, and makes the comforter work less efficiently.

Btw, I recommend wool-filled comforters with a GOOD flannel duvet cover (winter only) and sleeping directly underneath that, no sheets. Soooooo soft and warm and cozy.

I love Garnet Hill quality. I'd order without hesitation and it's easy enough to return if you're not happy.

I think sleeping under down is beyond compare...so much so that I often pack my down sleeping bag to use when I'm a guest...just can't stand the heaviness of other covers anymore.

Oh, but the new IKEA inserts are even fluffier than my down comforters. (Maybe they are weighed down by dust).

Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA inserts

I would NEVER buy a comforter just because it has a high-priced designer name like Eileen Fisher. I do wear some of her clothes, but she is in the clothing business. Buy from Cuddledown, Land's End or IKEA.

In California, there isn't much of a need for down, but we experienced a down blanket at a hotel, and we now have 4. Some are much heavier than others, and all purchased on line, sight unseen. You get what you pay for mostly. There is pure down, and then some have those pin feathers sticking out.

I plan to cut one of the heavy ones into two, drive around with them, and if I see a homeless person in winter, toss it to them. I feel sad for those people.

Stick with wool and cotton; temperature regulators, soooo comfortable..

I have two of them in my house in Maine and we love them, well not me as I never go up in the winter, but you family.

Thank you so much for all inouts!

Babyg,

I went to Nordstroms recently, no trace of such a thing. Only their "Nordstroms at Home" comforter which was really bad: down flying everywhere. No, I didn't go to Sacks, a bit too much out of the way for me.

Nosoccermom,

Yes - we do want a down comforter for the cool season.
I hate the feel of anything synthetic, including filling; for a long time we slept with what we had (some old bedding my husband had before we married) but when I slept in a 100% natural fiber bed a few years ago, like I used to growing up, I was instantly reminded of what I'd been missing all these years. For me, even the most phenomenally made synthetic can't beat even sub-par natural bedding.

Initially I did want to go the wool way. But after ordering an Australian wool- filled comforter from Overstock that had raving reviews all over, I gave up wool. It was itchy and scratchy and felt 100 times less nice than even a low quality down comforter. I could feel the "scratchy" even through a duvet cover.

I realized that just like with sweaters, if you want the wool to be super-soft and cuddly, it must be some darn high end wool - which is going to make the comforter too expensive.
After all, I don't think they are going to make cashmere down comforters any time soon. :-)).

Patricia43,

I completely agree with you. I wanted really badly to get away with a less expensive, basic comforter and not pay anywhere more than a couple of hundred dollars for a king. I asked for suggestions on another board and pretty much everyone "scolded" me about trying to buy down on the cheap. I was told to just go ahead and pay the money to get a quality one because I will regret it if I get a cheap down comforter. When I asked "how much" they thiunk I should pay for a king, soemone said wirhour hesitation 600.

I won't pay this money anyway. For me even 400 is quite a lot...but when I saw that they got this one from 700+ to 400 and Garnet Hill seems reputable, plus the dimensions work well, I thought this might be it.

OtherwiseI looked everywhere - and it doesn't look like you can get away with much less than 400 for a king anyway, not without some serious compromise on quality (noisy, down flying out, bad stitching, etc).

Tibbrix,

So based on what you say, this might be just the right thing.
My king duvet cover is 102" x 88" and this comforter has 104" x 86", 42 oz. fill for a king. Note the slightly smaller width of the duvet cover and slightly smaller length of the comforter.

Do you think this would work?

Thank you all so, so much for your guidance!

I know what you mean by a loose duvet cover, we had it like this with our current comforter - and I do hate those loose areas at the edges.

nosoccermom, when I click on the IKEA link, I'm sent to a page with a ton of choices -- down & feather comforters, Lyocell comforters and polyester comforters. I know I don't want down - there is no down comforter that doesn't make me too hot during the night. Which is the fluffy one you were referring to specifically?

>>

We have that problem with our current comforter and new cover. I think I'll have the cover made smaller by a few inches - it doesn't need to be as big as it is to fully cover the bed and some of the sides.

Desertdance,

Logic would say that in the South, we wouldn't need a down comforter either. But the truth is it can get VERY cold at night during late Fall through May and I hate turning up the thermostat.
We slept cold many nights with that horrible synthetic comforter, and then we ended up getting one of those cheap fleece blankets from Target to throw on top of the comforter - and then I felt stifled and clammy. I learned that anything synthetic is NOT a solution.

Plus, there's no comparison to that feeling of sleeping in down - even in the South. If thermostats are where they WOULD be if we paid for energy what people in other countries do, the whole South would be covered by down.
Not only do we get more restful sleep in a colder room where dry heat is not pumped up like crazy all night long, but we also save money.

I just hope that this comforter is medium, year-round type and not too heavy. Not that we intend to use it in the summer anyway, but hopefully it will still be good for those fall nights when it gets cool, but not very cold just yet.

That is actually the PERFECT size for your duvet! I believe someone once told me you want the comforter to be two inches larger on each side that the duvet cover. And, as I said, since it will keep the down comforter puffy, since it can't flatten out, it'll also keep you warmer.

I'm with you. I sleep with my windows open year round, unless it's below 20 degrees outside. But I NEVER have heat on in my bedroom. I have the vents in the floor closed in fact so that heat CAN'T get in there. So much healthier, better sleep, so cozy and comfortableâ¦hard to get up in the morning or run to the bathroomâ¦but worth it. and lower heating bills.

We waste SO much in this country! I love my flannel covered, no top sheet, down comforter in winter.

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Wed, Jul 16, 14 at 11:51

I just hope that this comforter is medium, year-round type and not too heavy

42 oz. "medium". I hope it works for you, but I'd be dying under that comforter. I had one that was 35 oz. and couldn't stand how hot it was. I'd like a King-size one that's only about 25 oz. but they're hard to come by!

Begonia, it might be wise to get a medium weight down comforter and a flannel comforter to put on it in the dead of winter, when it's coldest. That way you can get three seasons use out of it simply by changing out the duvets.

Garnet Hil flannel is very nice, as is LLBean. Just don't wash them in hot water! Lukewarm at best!

I use a down comforter all year in New England. You would think that it is too warm in the summer, but with A/C I still feel comfortable with it and can throw it off when it's a little too much. I really love mine.

I bought down comforters from IKEA. I found their prices very good but the main reason I bought there, is that they provide information about the materials they use and they try to stick with simple materials. 100% cotton cover and down or feather filling. Nothing else. The company does try to be more eco-conscious than many other companies which I appreciate.

Their warmest rated 5 comforter is $149. for a queen and is filled with down, 100% cotton cover. They also have a slightly less warm rated 4 comforter for only $49. that has 85% feathers and 15% down. I've put two of them in one duvet to get a full fit that I like. I've also bought the down filled comforter for a family member, we both enjoy our comforters.

sjhockeyfan,
it's the stra. I have it in warmth factor 1 for DH year-round and in 1 and 3 for the rest of the family, depending on the season. It's so inexpensive that I replace it whenever it's starting to clump after too many washes.

Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA duvet insert

They don't say anything about the weight of this Eileen Fisher comforter. I was hoping it was medium because yes, we don't want anything overly heavy; but it doesn't have a level.
Maybe I should call them?

The reason why I keep thinking about this one is not because I couldn't find others just as good at this price, but because of the dimensions. Everything else seems to be too big for my duvet cover which I want to continue to use because it is a high quality piece. Otherwise I am going to have to pay for a new duvet cover too.
This seems to have just the right dimensions.

I couldn't live without my down comforters. We moved to Florida from NY and they came with me. I bought them many years ago from Company Store. They contain down from Scandinavia, assembled in USA.

You need to see where the down comes from. Much down is now coming from China where I hear they are soaked in chemical pesticides. Not something you want to sleep with.

Look for made in America and what Country of Origin the down is from.

I have two comforters, both King. They go into a duvet and I still have one folded on the foot of my bed...July, in Florida. I have them professionally laundered at a Dry Cleaners. I have them washed, not dry cleaned. The dry cleaning chemicals can ruin the down.

Love Company Store down. Hopefully they still use feathers from Norwegian Countries.

Jane

Definitely get the weight info. If anything, you want cooler because you can always add a blanket if need be, but if it's too hot, you're stuck.

Isn't 42 oz. the weight?

Have you looked at Costco? Easy to return if you don't like it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Costco down comforters

Interesting, Jane, that IKEA is a Swedish based company. Of course, that doesn't guarantee where the down is coming from, but I will look into it. Thanks for pointing that out about China sources. Something I try to avoid for anything I purchase, but it's not easy.

edit: btw, I just went to the Company Store website and they were having a clearance sale and looks like they're out of the larger sizes for the most part.

This post was edited by prairiemoon2 on Wed, Jul 16, 14 at 12:59

I called and they did confirm that this is a warmer than average comforter.
I will have to skip it as we need medium.
I will probably end up with something from either Company Store or Three Dog Down...I just wish they made the King slightly smaller so it will fit into my duvet cover.

I am in AZ - home of the dry heat. Keep the bedroom at 69 during the summer and we love to hunker down under a comforter but don't like the weight of anything too heavy.

After buying and discarding countless down comforters, we purchased a silk filled one at Costco. It was one of those traveling show things. We paid $270 plus tax but that was 2 years ago. King 106 x 96. Washes easily, doesn't bunch up line so many of them do.

Website is smartsilk.com and it looks like Amazon may carry them. Amazon typically has a generous return policy too. I too could not buy a comforter sight unseen unless I knew I could easily return it.

This is a good chance for me to thank a poster here named Sharo. She mentioned on a previous thread that you could buy discounted Company Store comforters on eBay from a company called wny_liqidators. I have been off and on checking that site and just purchased a queen size Primaloft comforter. With shipping I paid $71 and it sells new for $229. It arrives here in a couple days.

graywings,

Do these liquidators also have down?
I think Primaloft is a synthetic, is that correct?

Also, does anyone know if I could go with a 110in width comforter and somehow make it fit into my 102 W duvet cover? Maybe tuck it under and clip it with something at the edges?

In theory I could just get another duvet cover to fit my new comforter but I don't think I can easily find one of the quality I have one at a reasonable price.
It will be enough that I will sink so much money into a quality down comforter - I would hate to also buy yet another high quality duvet cover.

Yes, they have down comforters. They seem to have more down comforters than synthetic ones.

Primaloft is a synthetic - that's what I wanted.

According to their web site, Costco down comforters use down from Southern France (Pyrenees), 100% cotton, and are Made in the US. They come in light, medium, heavy.

I just came back from Costco. They had the king size down comforters mentioned above, with 500 thread cotton, for 150.00.