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Are you looking to purchase a summer duvet, but are wondering what you should be looking for?
A summer duvet is a thin, breathable, and more lightweight alternative to a regular, year-round duvet. For anyone who feels the heat in the summer or struggles to regulate their temperature on hot nights, a dedicated summer duvet can be ideal for helping you to stay comfortable and cool.
In this article, we look at the guide to buying a summer duvet, from what to look for to the ways you might benefit.
The Best Summer Duvets
Best Overall – Silentnight Cooler Summer Duvet
Best For Allergies – Slumberdown Anti Allergy Summer Duvet
Best For Cooling – Luxear Cooling Coverless Duvet
Best Super Light – Night Comfort Luxury Summer Duvet
Best For Luxury – Snuggledown Hungarian Goose Down Duvet
Why choose a summer duvet?
A lot of people find that their regular duvets aren’t suitable for the warmer summer months and purchase a dedicated summer duvet to help them adapt to the change in weather. Summer duvets are typically thinner, breathable, and lightweight, helping to keep away heat and retain coolness during the warmer nights.
People often have very specific needs for their duvets, including temperature regulation. The reasons someone might choose to buy a summer duvet are likely to differ from person to person, but let’s have a look at some reasons someone might need a summer duvet:
- Temperature regulation gets harder to control in the hotter months, so a thinner duvet is probably more suitable to help you stay cool and comfortable.
- A regular duvet is unlikely to help with issues like sweat, whereas a summer duvet can be ideal for helping to manage this and keep you cool and wick away the sweat that occurs during hotter nights.
What is the best tog for a summer duvet?
Aim for a lower tog rating for a summer duvet. Anything lower than a 7.5 rating is likely to keep you cool enough to manage summer nights but aim for around 4.5 for ideal temperature management. This tog is a great deal lower than the tog rating of 13 that you would typically look for in winter, and this should be reflected in the duvet itself.
The tog rating of a duvet refers to how much heat the duvet is capable of retaining, with higher ratings indicating a greater level of warmth. Something around the 4.5 mark is likely to keep you cool during the summer months, but you can always go lower if you feel this is too warm.
The perfect tog rating will differ between individuals, and you should consider your own needs before purchasing. Think about how much temperature regulation you require, whether you need sweat-wicking properties, and how much coolness you want to get from your duvet.
What is the best duvet material?
For summer duvets, you want to look for something natural, lightweight, and breathable. Polyester fillings are a fantastic option that offers a very airy duvet great for regulating temperature at an extremely reasonable price. It’s also hypoallergenic, making it great for anyone who would struggle with other natural materials like feathers.
Another option is goose down. Although goose down is a great option during winter, it is breathable and lightweight enough to also be a fantastic summer material when used correctly. Goose down can wick moisture away and help you to control your temperature during summer. You can also save money by using it year-round.
To keep you cool, avoid heavy materials like wool, which are insulators and would be too warm for hotter weather. Whatever your choice, try to opt for materials that are purposefully light, breathable, and airy.
Best Selections
Best Overall – Silentnight Cooler Summer Duvet
PROS
- Machine washable
- All sizes available
- Comes with a 5-year manufacturers guarantee
CONS
- Not suitable for use without a cover
The Silentnight Cooler summer duvet is a reasonably priced 4.5 tog duvet that is an incredibly popular choice. It has over 8,500 ratings on Amazon with over 90% of these being 4 or 5 stars. Highlights from customer reviews include ‘’I love everything about these duvets. Not only perfect for Summer, but also a godsend for Menopausal women like myself in the winter!’’ and ‘’Extremely comfortable, silky soft duvet that is very light and breathable. Just what I need as I overheat quickly in bed.’’
This duvet is manufactured in the UK by the household name brand Silentnight. It comes with a 5-year manufacturer’s guarantee and is fully machine washable. The fill of this duvet is made from eco fibres. These are made from 100% recycled materials and keep the mattress feeling light and breathable. At 4.5 tog it is an ideal choice for a lightweight summer duvet.
Best For Allergies – Slumberdown Anti-Allergy Summer Duvet
PROS
- Manufactured in the UK
- Well priced
- Pillows and a mattress protector are also available in this range.
CONS
- It may not have enough filling in it for some people.
The Slumberdown Anti Allergy duvet is an affordable and breathable summer duvet that is incredibly popular with its buyers. At the time of writing it is the number one best selling duvet on Amazon UK and has over 36,000 ratings. Over 90% of these are 4 or 5 stars. A couple of highlights from customer reviews include ‘’I liked this product because it is extremely soft, warm and comfortable without feeling `heavy` or `suffocating.` I would buy this product again if I needed another duvet. I highly recommend this product.’’ and ‘’This is a nice lightweight summer duvet, perfect for my daughter’s bed.’’
As for the duvet itself, it is 4.5 tog making it an ideal weight for a summer duvet and is fully washing machine and dryer friendly. The filling of the duvet is made from Anti Allergy materials which help reduce the build-up of dust mites and bacteria. This is tested and approved by Allergy UK. Slumberdown has a full range of these anti-allergy products so you can also get pillows and protectors to complete the set. The duvet is available in all sizes and also in different weights.
Best For Cooling – Luxear Cooling Coverless Duvet
PROS
- It does not require a duvet cover
- Good cooling effect
- Machine washable
CONS
- Limited sizes are available
The Luxear coverless duvet is primarily a blanket but doubles up well as a summer duvet. It uses cooling technology to keep the duvet much cooler than a regular one. It is well received by reviewers with over 80% of its over 800 ratings being 4 or 5 stars. Highlights from a couple of these reviews include ‘’Tts brilliant cold cosy lightweight and strangely feels like a cold light weight summer quilt when on. I would recommend to anyone who was looking for something cool but cosy.’’ and ‘’Really impressed with this duvet so far, it really does seem to be more breathable than any other duvet or quilt I’ve tried, and stops me getting night sweats as badly.’’
A slight downside of this duvet is its limited sizes. At the time of writing it is only available in 150x200cm which is the equivalent of a king-size duvet. The design of the duvet is double-sided so there is a cooling side on one side and a regular side on the other, this is great for finding which one is perfect for you. The duvet is also fully machine washable, great for keeping it clean and hygienic.
Best Super Light – Night Comfort Luxury Summer Duvet
PROS
- All sizes are available
- Machine washable
- Super soft
CONS
- It may be too light for some people
The Night comfort summer duvet is a super light 1.5 tog duvet that is a great choice for those that sleep warm. It has over 2,000 ratings on Amazon with over 85% of these being 4 or 5 stars. Highlights from customer reviews include ‘’It feels very comfortable and soft and I certainly didn’t need to throw the duvet off as much as normal. Highly recommended.’’ and ‘’It arrived in good time. It’s soft and light and my other half is happy. Do recommend.’’
The outer cover of this duvet is 220 thread count microfiber which is soft to touch and the inner fill is hollowfibre. This keeps the duvet light and breathable, ideal for keeping cool as you sleep. The duvet is also available as a 3 tog version if you prefer something slightly more substantial. The duvet is fully machine washable and can be tumble dried on low heat.
Best For Luxury – Snuggledown Hungarian Goose Down Duvet
PROS
- Available in a range of different styles and sizes
- Super soft 300 thread count cotton cover
- Machine washable
CONS
- It will be too expensive for a lot of people for a summer duvet
The Snuggledown Hungarian goose down duvet is made from a blend of 80% goose down and 20% small goose feathers. The outer cover is a 300 thread count cotton. The duvet is highly rated on Amazon with over 900 ratings, around 90% of these are 4 or 5 stars. Highlights from customer reviews include ‘’If you check out similar goose down products at John Lewis etc they will cost 3 times the price so this duvet is a real bargain.’’ and ‘’An amazing investment, well worth the money as the materials mean it works with your body heat, and not become stifling which can happen with the modern polyester filler duvets.’’
The duvet has an internal box structure design which ensures that the filling stays evenly distributed throughout the duvet. This is great for keeping its shape after being machine washed and tumble dried. The duvet is also non-allergenic. Manufactured in the UK, this duvet is great for breathability and keeping cool on those warm summer nights.
What to look for in a good summer duvet?
Price
Prices for summer duvets are fairly similar to those for regular duvets, which may come as a surprise to anyone expecting to pay less. Anyone looking for a summer duvet should expect to spend around £25 up to £100 for a decent duvet, although the price will differ depending on the brand, features, and size you purchase.
Duvet features
When choosing a duvet, consider some of the specific features you might want to get from it. Are you looking for something hypoallergenic? Do you prefer a natural or synthetic material? Consider how you can customise your duvet to meet your own needs and requirements.
Easy to clean
As with anything you use regularly, you should try to keep your duvet as clean and hygienic as possible to ensure it works its best. Many summer duvets come in materials like cotton or polyester, which can be machine washed but other materials can be trickier to easily clean.
Pros and cons of summer duvets
Pros
- The main benefit of a summer duvet is that you can better regulate your temperature, keeping yourself cool and comfortable during the hotter summer months. A regular duvet is less likely to help you achieve this, but a summer duvet can help you massively.
- Summer duvets can also be very versatile. Materials like cotton and goose down can be used in both winter and summer. This means you can save money and storage space by purchasing a single duvet that can be used year-round.
Cons
- Duvets in general might be too much for some people in summer, especially people who are more comfortable with fewer layers. Even a thin, lightweight summer duvet can be too heavy for some people who prefer to feel cool and comfortable on hot nights.
- Considering year-round duvets are available and that not everyone requires a duvet in summer, a summer duvet can be a pricey purchase. They are perhaps not suitable for anyone on a budget who doesn’t want to spend too much on something they use only part of the year. If this is the case then combination duvets can be an excellent option.
The Verdict: Summer Duvets
Summer duvets are ideal for anyone who wants a little more control over their temperature in the warmer summer months. A regular duvet can be too thick and heavy to make for a decent night’s sleep, so aim for something lightweight and breathable to make sleeping in summer comfortable and cool.
Last update on 2024-11-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API