Feathered Friends Bavarian 700 Down Comforter Review

We purchased Feathered Friends' Bavarian 700 Down Comforter so our writer could put it to the test in her own home. Keep reading for our full product review.

It is hard to resist the urge to dive into this inviting, pillowy-soft bed covering by Feathered Friends. Down is one of the best and most luxurious bedding materials because of its warmth, natural temperature regulation, and cloudlike softness. However, all down comforters are not made the same. Their fill power, feather quality, and material of the cover make a big difference in their comfort and performance. We put the medium-weight Bavarian 700 to the test. Keep reading to get our take on this high-end comforter. 

Material: Luxurious with excellent loft

As the name suggests, the Bavarian 700 has a 700-plus fill power with European white goose down. Honestly, the color of the feathers doesn't matter, but the fill power does. 

Fill power refers to the loft or fluffiness of the down. The number indicates the volume of one ounce of down. A higher fill power provides a greater volume of insulation per ounce, which means you get more insulation with less weight. Anything from 700 to 950 is considered top-quality down. 

Also, the birds are bred for this. The geese molt naturally in the spring and their rare feathers are collected by hand. Feathered Friends is Responsible Down Certified, achieving this designation for ethically sourcing its feathers with no force-feeding or live-plucking. 

The Bavarian 700 has some serious loft. When it's on your bed, you can almost get lost in the pillow of each baffle box. Baffle boxes are the stitched boxes that hold the down in place. 

This comforter is also incredibly lightweight. We're not sure we'd ever been this warm under something so light. We also love that it fluffed back into place almost immediately. We’re talking top-of-the-line quality that made us long for bedtime. 

Texture: Needs a cover

The Bavarian 700 is a comforter, but it’s meant to be used with a duvet cover. In fact, the lifetime warranty is void if it’s used without a duvet cover. The Bavarian 700 has cambric cotton ticking to hold in the down. The tight weave prevents feathers from escaping, and it's relatively soft, considering it's not meant to go against your skin. We couldn’t feel any feathers through it.  

We purchased a linen duvet cover, which made the Bavarian 700 feel even more luxurious. With the softness and drape of the linen, we could see the pillowed baffle boxes, which made it look like a bed of pillows awaited. Even after sleeping in the comforter all night, the pockets fluffed back into place.

Washing: Hand wash, easy dry

You have to follow the washing instructions precisely to maintain the lifetime warranty of the Bavarian 700. It can be hand washed or washed in a commercial washing machine and dried with medium heat. 

We understand why it can’t be washed in a home washing machine as this is a seriously fluffy comforter. We don't have a sink large enough to hand wash, but we would consider spot cleaning if we had to. It cannot be line-dried, so make sure you take it to a reputable dry cleaner if you don't have the right facilities at your house. 

However, if you regularly wash your duvet cover, you shouldn't have to clean the Bavarian 700 very often anyway.

Performance: Amazing but warm

This comforter feels amazing and looks inviting, but what about performance? Well, the Bavarian 700 does not disappoint. It comes in three weights—light, medium, and Arctic. We live in a fairly moderate climate where the winter months are roughly around 30 to 40 degrees with a lot of rain. The Feathered Friends website suggested the medium-weight comforter for moderate climates, so that's what we ordered.

However, it seems that we must sleep warmer than average because we found it a little too warm even on cool nights. Granted, our house didn't get cooler than 55 to 61 degrees. There’s no way we could use this comforter in the summer. We would definitely be willing to pull it out for the fall and winter.

We ordered the queen size (90 by 98 inches) comforter. While that's a standard size, we did find that it was a little short for our 12-inch mattress with a box spring. It's probably designed for newer mattresses that don't have a box spring.

Fabric loops sewn into each corner allow you to tie it to a duvet cover. We've had some bad experiences with duvet covers in the past. They come off or shift during the night. The tie loops solved that issue. It stayed attached and inside of the cover.

The baffle box design kept the down in place while we slept. It didn't shift or pool anywhere either, which kept us uniformly warm throughout the night.

Price: High price for the highest quality

The Bavarian 700 is most certainly an investment. However, you're paying for quality materials that will last for years. The quality and fill power of the Bavarian 700 are hard to beat. It didn't shift while we used it and fluffed back into shape whenever we moved. It's also quiet and warm. We almost felt like we were sleeping in a cloud. If you want luxurious comfort in your bedroom, the price is worth it.

Competition: Similar warmth without the luxury

Pacific Coast Feather Lightweight Warm Down Comforter: This down comforter has similar warmth to the Bavarian 700, but with a 550 fill power. However, the cover fabric isn't of the same quality. It's somewhat noisy and stays wrinkled. The stitch design is also somewhat lacking. Wider squares and tighter stitching around the edges cut down on the pillow effect found in the Bavarian 700.

Vienna Polish White Goose Down Comforter: The quality of the down and warmth of this comforter is almost identical to the Bavarian 700. However, the Vienna is almost twice the price. We’d pick the Bavarian 700 and save some money.