I'd recommend the Brooklinen Down Comforter to (almost) anyone – here's how reviewing this lightweight layer went

The Brooklinen Down Comforter features on almost every one of our bedding buying guides. H&G sleep editors, past and present, rave about this comforter: how soft the cotton sateen feels between your fingers, how well the down fluffs up after a quick plump. So, when I finally got the chance to test the Brooklinen Down Comforter myself, I jumped at it.

The Brooklinen Down Comforter comes in every size, from Twin to California King, and three warmth weights to suit every sort of sleeper and every type of climate. I tested the Brooklinen Down Comforter in the All-Season weight, though I think it's a bit of a misnomer. I doubt that this comforter could keep me warm in the depths of winter: it's more of a summer number.

As H&G's resident sleep writer, I've tested some of the world's best duvet inserts. I know my down from my down alternative, so I know what I'm looking for in a quality comforter: breathable fill, ethically sourced; premium fabric; and a reasonable price point. I'm pleased to report that the Brooklinen Down Comforter excels in (almost) all areas, though it's certainly on the more expensive side.

Brooklinen Down Comforter review

I tested the Brooklinen Down Comforter for two months as winter turned to spring. At first, I found the comforter a little too thin for comfort, but it soon came into its element as the weather warmed up. I'd recommend the Brooklinen Down Comforter for hot sleepers and warmer climates, but I'd suggest that cold sleepers shop for the best warm comforter, instead. 

Brooklinen Down Comforter | Was $379, now $322.15 at Brooklinen
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Brooklinen Down Comforter Specifications

Who would the Brooklinen Down Comforter suit?

• Hot sleepers: the Brooklinen Down Comforter comes in three weights – Lightweight, All-Season, and Ultra-Warm – but I think these comforters come up a little thin. That's no bad thing, especially not for hot sleepers, who get to appreciate the look and loft of real down without sweltering under a thicker duvet.
• Anyone who wants to learn how to style a bed in seconds: the Brooklinen Down Comforter is surprisingly low-maintenance. All you need to do is give it a good fluff and it should puff right up to form the base of a beautiful bedspread.

• Conscious shoppers: the Brooklinen Down Comforter is filled with real duck feathers, ethically sourced from Canadian Hutterite farms. This comforter gets the DOWNMARK seal of approval, which means that every stage of production, from farm to factory, meets the highest quality assurance standards. If you like the look of Brooklinen, but you prefer to purchase vegan products, you could always opt for their Down Alternative Comforter, instead.
• Sensitive sleepers: Brooklinen claims that their down is hypoallergenic and treated with antimicrobials to bust the bacteria that breed in hot, damp environments, such as bedrooms. To put their claims to the test, I asked my sister, who suffers from a minor feather allergy, to spend a night with the Brooklinen Down Comforter. She sneezes at the slightest provocation, but she didn't have any problems with the Brooklinen Down Comforter.

What's it like to sleep on the Brooklinen Down Comforter?

I had heard such good things about the Brooklinen Down Comforter, but when I first pulled it out of the box, I was skeptical. I couldn't believe that something so thin could keep me warm, especially during a cold snap in late winter. I felt a little chilly that first night, so I decided to layer the comforter under the Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket. It worked a treat, keeping my comforter securely in place and trapping those last little bits of heat. 

Come March, when the weather started to warm up, I decided to strip back the blanket. This is where the Brooklinen Down Comforter really came into its own. The comforter is densely packed with down clusters, which creates plenty of air pockets to retain heat and maintain loft. In the milder weather, the Brooklinen Down Comforter kept me just the right side of warm and dry. 

Onto more practical matters. The Brooklinen Down Comforter is finished with a baffle box construction to keep things neat and tidy. These little stitches help to distribute the down evenly throughout the comforter, so that there are no lumps, no bumps, and no cold patches. 

My only real complaint concerns the size of the comforter. Brooklinen tends to bundle sizes together, so you're shopping for a comforter that's Full/Queen or Twin/Twin XL. I tested the Brooklinen Down Comforter on a Queen-sized bed and I found that it didn't always cover the entire bed, especially as I started to toss and turn. This didn't prove too much of a problem for me, sleeping alone, but if you're sharing a bed, you might leave your partner out in the cold.

How does the Brooklinen Down Comforter rate online?

The Brooklinen Down Comforter has more than 2,000 verified reviews, 80% of which are five-star ratings. Happy customers praise the light and fluffy feel of the comforter, which would make a perfect summer duvet. There are a smattering of more mixed reviews, as well. A few customers wonder whether the fill could be more evenly distributed between the cells, while others agree with me that the comforter should be a bit bigger to create a dramatic drape over the bed. Most of these comments read more like constructive criticism than complaints, and it's safe to say that the vast majority of customers are very happy with their purchase. 

Should I buy the Brooklinen Down Comforter?

An All-Season Brooklinen Down Comforter in the Full/Queen size retails for around $380, though it's often discounted in the bedding sales. That might still sound like a lot of money to spend on a comforter, but that's the price you pay for heaped handfuls of ethically sourced down. You could shop a down alternative duvet and save hundreds of dollars, but you won't get the same thermoregulation or lovely loft. Think of it as an investment: you're spending a larger sum now on something that will last to save from spending even more on cheap synthetic substitutes.

How we test comforters

We put a lot of thought into how we test comforters. It's more than a matter of sleeping on the job. Our expert testers sample comforters for weeks, if not months, to assess their breathability throughout the seasons and monitor their performance over time. 

For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each comforter against the same criteria: comfort; loft; breathability; and the all-important price. We expect different results from different sorts of comforters. In the case of a down comforter, like this one from Brooklinen, I'd expect those fluffy feathers to produce high scores for comfort and loft and slightly lower for breathability. I'd also expect the Brooklinen Down Comforter to be more expensive than a cheap synthetic substitute. 

Some of our tests are simpler than others. To gauge the comfort of a comforter, we curl up under it and see how we feel. The best comforters should feel soft and squishy between your fingers. To assess loft, we give the comforter a good fluff and see how much it puffs up. It's a matter of personal preference, but I think a nice, fluffy comforter looks so much better as part of a bedspread. Our thermoregulation test is a bit more scientific. We conduct our own experiments every night, sleeping under the comforter and seeing whether it keeps us warm or cool. We cross-check our findings with verified customer reviews to offer a range of perspectives and give you the fullest possible picture of what it might be like to use this product.