I purchased a featherbed topper from Costco online for about $90 in hopes it would give me more of a "sink-in" feeling on my 9" of FBM latex bed. I also want to have a 100% natural bed that does not contain chemicals or produce off-gassing, so it was this over the memory foam toppers and cuddlebed.  Lucky for me the featherbed came the same time as my St Geneve Wool cover that's so highly recommended here.

Both of them on my bed was pure bliss airflow-wise. I would not get hot in this New York summer weather, and felt like my body was maintaining a naturally cool & comfortable temperature throughout the night. It was really great.

Unfortunately the featherbed topper ended up sinking in the middle after several hours of sleep, causing me to have back pains (yet again) by the time I'd wake up. Not only that, but the smell of the down feathers was pretty rank, and it overtook my small room. This *needs* to be aired out before use, and even then the smell will remain... though won't be as potent.

Ended up repackaging it for a return as back support is much more important to me. Now I'm rolling with the Wool cover alone, which is good but honestly not nearly as good as the featherbed combo.  Now the back pains are gone and the room smells great. Just wish I had that breathability back!  Maybe a firmer core + firm topper would have helped my back (I chose the softest available on foambymail's site), but the smell issue would still remain.

Oh well, the forum mantra seems to be "you can't have it all." That is definitely my experience here.  Just wanted to give a heads-up for those looking to get a really cool, breathable sleep.

budgy wrote:

Budgy, what do you think sleeps cooler:  a featherbed or a wool topper?  Which provides more comfort?  Thanks!

 

A featherbed will make a larger difference in terms of comfort...breathability really depends on the featherbed itself....flight feathers are not very breathable (afterall...they are designed to provide lift on a flying dinosaur),  these are used in cheaper featherbeds, the feathers are pokey and they have no real loft whatsoever, so over time the feather bed goes flat.  The lack of breathability can also be part of the reason for the smell. 

Body feathers are what is used in the more expensive featherbeds, they are pretty breathable and wouldn't make someone sleep hot, because they are loftier they also don't flatten out so much, and they can be relofted somewhat by shaking them around.  The lack of large quills also makes them a heck of a lot more comfortable.  The most expensive featherbeds from St. Geneve have an extra chamber in the top side of the beds filled with a thin layer of duck or goose down (depending on price).  This will make everything even softer and more breathable yet. 

All this being said...the same company that makes these wonderful featherbeds also sells featherbed covers filled with wool (St. Dormier Featherbed Kovers).   So they obviously believe the wool is atleast breathable enough that it won't negatively effect the comfort.

Budgy, it looks like the St. Geneve has one with goose feathers/down and one with duck feathers/down.  Is there a noticable difference between the two?  They seem to be the only brand that I have seen that talks about using body feathers.

Do you have any opinion on Daniadown?  Any other brands to consider?  Thanks!

I am looking for something with a soft, sumptuous feel but breathable (not hot sleeping) as well.  I have never tried a featherbed, so it is something I am now considering.  It looks like a fair amount of people like them. 

We have had both the high end St. Geneve featherbeds in our store....I personally haven't noticed any difference between the two in terms of the comfort.  I imagine the goose down one is slightly more breathable.  But a really good quality duck down is better than a cheap goose down.  I imagine a Daniadown is going to be pretty nice too, haven't tried one before. 

Just be forewarned that any of these are going to make even a firm mattress feel REALLY soft.  It's not always the right type of feel for everyone.  I myself don't know if I woud want to sleep on a featherbed every day...but in the store for 10 or 15 minutes there's just nothing better.

Interesting posts. I would like to chirp in here.

I love St.Geneve featherbeds.  I also love Ogallala featherbeds and encourage you to check out both before making a choice. 

I use both brands on our different beds and use the St.Dormeir mattress protector over most of them.  We have a lot of house guests and I have never had one complain.  We just have trouble getting them up for breakfast in the mornings! :-) 

My featherbeds seemed to need more fluffing when I did not use a mattress protector over them.  I fluff mine every morning when I make my bed.  Back to the original post, it is very important to select a very high quality featherbed.  The cheap ones do pack down, can poke you with quills and often can smell rather foul...:-) 

Bottom line it appears to be a consensus that foam mattresses are greatly cooled with the addition of a St. Dormeir mattress protector.  And, the addition of a featherbed (a good one!) is an added luxury.

Nice, thanks for the feedback all.  I have a local St Geneve dealer.  I'll swing by and inquire about their featherbed toppers

CozyOnTheFarm wrote:

Holy cow those Ogallala mattress pads (not the featherbeds) are approx $1800 for a king.  $2040 on the mfg website.  They call them "mattress enhancers".  Yowsers!!

After a terribly hot, sweaty night in winter I ordered the Deckbette :x  Will let you know how it turns out...

Just an update, I got it yesterday and man is it stinky. Gonna air this puppy out for several days before I even think about sleeping on it.

Preliminary thoughts: It's very plush @ 4" and the quality is better than the costco model, but $200 better remains to be seen. Will post back once I begin using it

Threw it out. After two months, it still reeks.

I hear goose down doesn't retain as much oil as duck down (the type I got). Food for thought for anyone else wanting to go this route.

Good way to waste $300.