Down Alternative: This fill is typically made with synthetic materials like microfiber polyester, or fibers like lyocell, wool, or luxe silk. Sweaty sleeper? Lyocell and wool might be your ideal fill, as they have moisture-wicking properties. Down alternative fills are generally easier to care for than down fills (nearly all are machine washable), and more lightweight, too. They’re often cheaper than down duvets, so if cost is top of mind for you, this might be the fill to pick. Some options for a Queen size bed run as low as $25.
Once you’ve got your fill preference, think about how warm you like to be when you snuggle up every night. Similar to shopping for a comforter, people who often wake up cold in the middle of the night should look for a duvet insert that has higher grams per square meter (GSM), which is equated to its fill power, or how stuffed it is with fluff. The higher the GSM, the heavier the duvet and the warmer it will be. Duvets start around 200, which might be nice if you’re living in a warm climate with air conditioning, and go as high as 750 for those living in snowy climates. Keep in mind that duvets with a low GSM aren’t low quality, it just means they’re more lightweight; making them good options for hot sleepers or for warmer climates, as we mentioned. As a general rule, if you’re not sure where to start, a comforter or duvet with a 300 to 400 GSM is a good happy medium.
You might also want to look for baffle box or diamond stitching, which sections off the duvet to keep the fill from clumping together. With a duvet specifically, you should check to see if the duvet insert has corner ties, so it can be affixed to a duvet cover to keep from bunching up while you sleep. Once you’ve found your dream duvet, you can encase it with whatever duvet cover suits your fancy, from breathable linen to crispy percale, in practically every color and design.
We’ve used this guidance and scoured hoards of reviews to find the best duvets and duvet inserts for every kind of sleeper. Heads up: Some of the options on this list are also called comforters, which, like we mentioned above, can sometimes be interchangeable because they’re frequently paired with a cover. You’ll find top picks at every price point from beloved brands and retailers like Casper, Parachute, Amazon, Boll & Branch, Brooklinen, and more. A very cozy snooze is just an order away.
Other Articles
