Hello, soon I will be moving into my second college apartment, and if it’s anything like my previous apartment, they will supply me with a plastic rock-like bed. I would like to transform this into a heavenly cloud. I have very nice sheets/pillows/pillow cases/and a down comforter picked out, now all I need is a cloud-like topper. I have been researching for a week and have narrowed down my choices to two options, but I cannot decide which will be more comfortable or what the pros and cons of each would be. Either a 4 inch memory foam topper + a down alternative “memory foam topper cover” OR a feather bed. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to link to specific products but I have found multiple possible feather beds, some 5 inches tall and some with a small layer of down on top as well. I appreciate any insight/advice because I have been slaving away on my computer for way too long trying to find the best possible materials. Thank you!
Hi walkpdp,
A down alternative topper and a featherbed will be fairly similar.
A featherbed or down alternative topper can add some “cush” or “surface feel” to a mattress but they compress so easily that they primarily add a little bit of cushioning directly under pressure points (like hips and shoulders) but they aren’t as effective as a foam topper (memory foam, polyfoam, or latex foam) at redistributing body weight across the surface of a sleeping system and relieving pressure across the larger surface area of the body or providing support under the more recessed areas of the body (such as the small of the back for back sleepers or the waist for side sleepers). They are also a higher maintenance item because they need to be fluffed up on a regular basis because they pack down and compress with use unlike a more resilient foam topper. There is more about featherbeds or fiberbeds compared to foam toppers in post #2 here and the other posts it links to.
There are also different types of softness/firmness that different people are more sensitive to 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 and foam will provide more effective “pressure relief” softness.
There is more information about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
There is also more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to that can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success. It also includes a link to a list of some of the better and more reliable online sources for toppers I’m aware of as well.
On a mattress that is much too firm I think it would probably be safe to say that most people would be better off and probably prefer a foam topper (either memory foam, polyfoam, or latex foam).
Phoenix
Thank you for your quick and detailed reply. I have looked through the posts you have linked me and have learned a great deal of information. It seems that a foam topper will be most useful to me. However, I am very much looking for a soft, fluffy, cloud-like feeling. Would it be unreasonable to have a memory foam base with a feather bed or something similar on top of it?
Hi walkpdp,
No … there are some people that may prefer to use both … one for overall “comfort” and pressure relief and one for “feel”.
I would probably purchase the foam topper of your choice first though and then decide whether it would also be worth adding the featherbed or down alternative topper as well since you may not need or even prefer it.
Phoenix
I really appreciate your help, it’s nice to finally have some solid knowledge after surfing through hundreds of pages of biased and uneducated reviews on the internet. In terms of comfort, do you think there’s a big difference between featherbeds and down alternative toppers? From what I understand, featherbeds offer greater comfort but require fluffing, and it seems to me that the only reason to choose down alternative would be for allergy reasons.
Hi walkupdp,
While there are different versions of each and it would depend to some degree on the amount of down and feathers in the featherbed and also on the specific type of polyester fiber that is used in the down alternative topper (there are different types of polyester and some are “slicker” than others and do a better job of approximating down) … I think it would be fair to say that outside of allergies … most people that prefer this type of topper would prefer a feather/down combination because it tends to feel softer, is more durable, and by most people’s standards would be more “comfortable” overall but different people may have different preferences so the most reliable way to know which one you would prefer would be based on your own personal testing and experience.
Other than allergies and the differences in their overall “feel” … the biggest difference between them would be cost since a featherbed is generally more costly than a down alternative topper.
Phoenix