You've seen them, in places like Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Austria.

Presumably they're down comforters but they don't buch up like the ones in the US nor leak out feathers like the ones I've had. They're thicker like down comforters than the thinner ones with insulate material like Holofill.

Main thing is that they're smaller than comforters in the US yet they do a good job of weighing down the edges so that no drafts get in.

And the non-bunching is a big deal.

Anyone try getting these for home use?

Hello scrb, I am not sure I understand your post but I will tell you what I have always had.

And that is down European comforters (also called a duvets) which has a baffled (sp?) stiching, stiching that goes from top to bottom and also side to side so that you "see" squares. The cover of the comforter is a very good sturdy cotton and I have never had a "leak". I do not know what you mean about "they're smaller than comforters in the US"..I have always purchased the size according to the bed such as king, queen, full(double) etc. Regarding drafts, that has never been a problem.

But I will say that the comforters I have purchased have been expensive but having said that they last "forever" so in the long run they are worth every cent.

I am not sure if I answered your questions or not and probably didn't but if not hopefully some other Fodorites will be able to do so.

Oddly enough our hotel in Paris last August had these on the bed. Not really needed in summer!

Rob

"Comforters", is that what they call duvets in the U.S. Well, you learn something new every day.

Why are they not needed in the summer?
We have duvets (two singles) on our bed all year round. We have wool filled ones for winter and silk filled for summer. Usually though the silk ones stay on most if not all of the year. I can't stand the weight of down duvets.
Why two singles? To stop my OH from stealing the whole thing and leaving me shivering in the middle of the night .

For more about duvets than you could possibly want to know, go to Duvet Central, aka John Lewis (http://www.johnlewis.com/Home+and+Ga...oductType.aspx)

Their website's not geared to foreign transactions (you have to decide what you want, then email their export department). But not even an eider duck knows as much about duvetology (sometimes known as 'playing tog') as the boys and girls in JLP's duvet departments.

Comforters in the US can refer to any type of padded covering. They can be filled with synthetic, like this:


http://store.kinglinen.com/floral002-q.html


..or the European style,like this:


http://www.thedownstore.com/catalog/...comforters.htm


or this (from a NYC store that I recommend):

http://www.harrislevy.com/categories/Bed/Comforters/

Funnily enough I have never come across the Tog rating outside Britain, certainly here in NL it is completely unknown.

I wonder what the difference is between an Hungarian goose and a Russian one?

I've seen togs used in Oz and NZ baby stores to help stop babies overheating.

I've never seen them them used on the Continent (they're always defined by BS numbers, and I've never seen a DIN equivalent). So how DO you define the thermal efficiency of a duvet over there?

Or are your houses all so well insulated you don't have to?

"Comforters", is that what they call duvets in the U.S. Well, you learn something new every day

Actually, it's confusing because they also call a comforter what we would call an eiderdown. That is a down filled quilt sewn into a permanent cover.
A duvet is like a big pillow with a removable cover.

This is an eiderdown
http://www.coverupdesigns.co.uk/images/Eiderdown.jpg

This is a duvet
http://www.everloftproducts.com/images/duvet.jpg
without its cover

The ones I'm talking about are not stitched at all. Simple covers, nothing fancy, usually one color, appears to be cotton, with no sheen.

If they're filled with down, it's surprising that the stuff doesn't bunch up, which is one of the key differences from those seen in most US stores.

The other thing, like I said, is they're small. They're not big enough to drape over the sides and end of the bed.

Or not drape over the sides as much as the ones sold in America.

That is why I'm so surprised that they cover you with enough margin to prevent drafts on the sides.

Oh and I want to emphasize Northern European hotels.

Maybe because I've done most of my traveling in France, Spain and Italy in the spring and summer that hotels put these comforters away but I've never seen them in those countries.

And one thing I will have to add is that you generally get better value in hotels up north. Better facilities, amenities like Internet usually included (whereas it's more common for Italian accommodations to try to tack on charges, if they offer Internet at all).

And the breakfast is uniformly good, with cold cuts and cheeses as well as pastries and cereals.

Of course, other reasons why Italy is more popular than Germany, for instance.

One explanation that I once read, about the "smaller" size duvet found in Europe -- that down indeed can warm you up quite a bit! and it helps that you can stick a foot or an arm outside its warmth, if you overheat.

When I read it, I realized that had been my experience.

Another nuance of the terminology: In the US, often when one uses a comforter, one also uses 2 sheets, a top sheet as well as a bottom sheet.

In Europe, when a hotel bedroom is furnished with a duvet AND a duvet cover (the "envelope" that the duvet slips into), often there is no top sheet; instead, the cover itself is changed and laundered.

>>>Why are they not needed in the summer? <<<

We found it much too warm and had to
throw it off. As there was no top
sheet there was nothing at all to cover us...

Rob

I regularly sleep with a leg or an arm or even all of me uncovered, even in a hotel, if I am too warm. I retrieve the duvet when I have cooled down again. In the summer the duvet is on the bed, but not often on me.
I can't see what the problem is with sleeping uncovered if it is warm tbh - who is going to see you?

Do bear in mind that, in a hotel, the duvets are reset every day. Presumably, this would include a good shake-out and re-spreading on the bed. So, even if you got the same exact duvet, you may not get the same results.

I do, however, use a duvet with a cover. We have a couple of different weights that we bought at Ikea.

I have a duvet at home, and no, I don't call it a comforter and neither do any stores where I shop. They call it a duvet.


I don't agree that somehow all duvets in Europe are wonderful and all in the US "bunch up" or "leak". It depends what you buy. Mine certainly doesn't leak.

I dislike sleeping with no covers, also, and it has nothing to do with someone seeing me, one shouldn't assume your own thoughts are the same as everyone else. I dislike iot because I simply am not comfortable sleeping with no covers. I don't know why, I suppose what I'm used to. I cannot relax and cannot sleep well that way because my body just doesn't like it. It has nothing to do with anyone else nor the temperature.

can't see what the problem is with sleeping uncovered if it is warm tbh - who is going to see you?

I'm not comfortable sleeping with no covers, and generally, I prefer something heavier than just a sheet. It's got nothing to do with being "exposed".

Re duvet vs. comforter. I always thought a comforter was the kind that has a built-in cover (usually not plain), and a duvet is the kind you put a cover over.

I, too, had a problem with getting too hot under a duvet, but not liking to sleep without a cover. Somebody else on this forum suggested taking the cover off and just sleeping under the cover. Sounds good to me, though I haven't tried it yet.

Hi scrb: If you're looking for one to use in your home you may take a look at IKEA. We've bought a few there, lots different sizes, weights, fillings, etc. If you don't live near a city that has an IKEA you can look online also. We too like having individual duvets.
Susan