Hi Pspa123,
Featherbeds are very different from latex and each material performs very different functions. There are different types of softness that different people perceive and prefer to different degrees (see post #15 here) and a featherbed would affect the “feel” sense of softness and provide some padding and relief to specific pressure points but it’s nowhere near as supportive as latex or other foam materials which can re-distribute weight along the entire body surface rather than just cushioning pressure points and which will provide better secondary support (the type of support that fills in and helps to support the recessed curves of the spine). So in terms of “feel” or fine tuning or in terms of adding some padding under specific pressure points a featherbed can be great (and of course there are lots of different types and options) but they don’t have the same feel or perform the same function as latex foam or other foam materials.
Perhaps the closest comparison between the two materials … although it still wouldn’t be the same because the latex would still be much more resilient … would be a topper made from shredded latex and filled rather loosely so the latex pieces can shift and flow and be fluffed up more. A featherbed, like any type of padding on top of a mattress, can also reduce the ability of a highly point elastic material like latex or memory foam to contour to the shape of the body so it can reduce “pressure relief softness” that comes from the foam layers even while it can also add some “feel softness”. In other words … they may feel softer in some ways and firmer in other ways at the same time.
So overall they have some slight overlap (they can both be used to differing degrees for pressure point relief) but I would think of featherbeds more as a “feel” item with a secondary benefit of adding some extra padding to pressure points and useful for fine tuning but not as a supportive material and latex (or other foam toppers) as more of an overall pressure relieving item that is more resilient and supportive and re-distributes weight along the entire body surface more effectively and is part of the basic construction of a sleeping system.
A small list of some of the featherbed sources that can provide you with good information about featherbeds or down toppers on their site or with a phone call are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix