Nothing beats the comfort of a feather bed topper. A quality feather bed topper can change a plain mattress into a plush and luxurious place to get a great night’s sleep. Feather down has been used for centuries to create feather mattress, pillows, comforters and mattress covers.

Now you can enjoy the comfort and warmth of a feather bed topper. Available in sizes to fit almost any size bed, feather bed toppers are the perfect sleeping accessory for your home. Different from foam mattress toppers and quilted mattress pads, feather bed toppers can add a layer of softness to any mattress, transforming your bed into a posh repose. Quilting prevents the feather stuffing from shifting, keeping in place especially during washing.

Not all feathers are created equal and quality feather bed toppers typically use a combination of feathers and down. Many species of birds have an under plumage, which is softer than the top contour plumage. Young birds are typically covered in nothing but a soft layer of feather down.

It is this under plumage that is commonly referred to as down. On hatchling birds and species with under plumage, the down acts as an insulator from the cold. The fluff of the down helps trap air between its many layers which in turn helps to retain body heat.

In the creation of feather or down products, different grades of down are used. Depending on how the down is harvested, it can be an expensive commodity. This being the case, most types of feather and down products use a combination of contour feathers and down. In common practice the higher the down content, the more expensive the product. Most affordable feather bed toppers use feathers and down in ratios of 90 percent to 10 percent down.

The softness and insulating properties of feather down makes it a prized commodity. Feather down is prized as a very soft stuffing for pillows, bed comforters and feather bed toppers. Feather down is also used for as an insulating in outdoor clothing and even sleeping bags.

Before the invention of inner springs, foam and other types of modern mattress materials, many different materials were used to stuff mattresses and pillows. Straw, old rags and other types of cloth were often used is early mattress building, feathers and down were used to stuff mattresses. Owning a down or feather mattress was considered a sign of economic wealth and social standing.

Early versions of feather beds were nothing more than cloth bags stuffed with down and feathers. As might be expected, the down and feather stuffing had a tendency to shift and bunch up. Using methods similar to quilting, baffling or cloth panels, were sewn into the inside of the bag. This process prevented the stuffing from shifting around and is still used today. So while featherbeds have been replaced with other types of modern mattresses, you can still experience the softness of a feather bed with a quality feather bed topper.