Getting the right cover to appease everyone – hot sleepers, cooler sleepers, and those who toss and turn all night can be quite the challenge. I’ve tried comforters and quilts, multipl layers, and one big puffy comforter. It can be difficult to find the best duvet inserts and comforters for you and I’d personally written off duvets as largely inconvenient, with their covers and tendancy to bunch up, as well as the attachments and buttons. But I was pleasantly surprised by the luxurious quality of the Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert.
The Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert
As a long time product journalist, I’ve tested hundreds of mattresses, sheets, covers, and other sleep items in pursuit of the perfect night’s sleep. I tested this product for over 30 days, and as someone constantly thrashing around in my sleep, I noted specifics like its ability to let you move beneath it, its fabric quality, and how well it works with other bedding, such as Avocado’s Organic Cotton Duvet Cover.
The Alpaca Duvet Insert, priced at $499-$529 (full price) for a Full/Queen, comes in both a lightweight and an all-season option. I opted for the lightweight, as there are still nights when I feel too hot and I’m kicking off my covers.
Surviving the seemingly endless summer in the Midwest means 90°F days persisted through the early fall months when I was testing this duvet, although theoretically it shouldn’t have mattered, as I keep my thermostat at a crisp 68°F each night.
I was impressed with the quality of this duvet as a high performer in a bedding category that offers up of a good range of premium options, though I wished I’d woken up slightly cooler. Here’s how testing went.
The Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert Specifications
Sizes |
Twin, Full, Queen, King/California King |
Materials |
Peruvian alpaca fiber, organic cotton |
Colors |
White |
Includes |
One duvet insert |
Care instructions |
Spot clean only |
Who Would the Alpaca Duvet Insert Suit?
If you’ve searched high and low to find the perfect comforter or duvet inset for deep sleep and cozy naps, this alpaca fiber product could be the answer. Known for 'breathability, wicking, and thermoregulating', according to Avocado, alpaca is a premium fill and while it might seem pricy, if you haven’t been sleeping well, it might be time to examine the quality of the bedding you are sleeping under. Here's who this duvet insert will suit:
- Cold sleepers: You sleep better when you are warm and cozy: this duvet is definitely warm and will prevent you from getting chilly in the night.
- Those who like hotel quality: If you love the feel of a fluffy hotel comforter, you can flop on top of this duvet and get the same awesome sinking-into-bed feeling at the end of the day.
- Those who don't mind reorganising theit bedding: Duvets have a way of cinching down in their covers, in spite of the best ties and features they may have to keep them in place. If you are okay with shaking out your bed to redistribute those fibers occasionally, you won’t mind doing that with this duvet.
- Those who like a substantial cover: If single quilts and airy comforters aren’t doing the trick, this product has a more substantial – even heavy – feel that applies a good amount of pressure to your whole body in the night, which some might find particularly comforting.
What is the Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert Like to Sleep Under?
The duvet feels heavy and comfortable, fluffy and cozy. It finally felt like I'd discovered the high-quality product I'd been looking for, thanks to the luxurious fabric cover and fill, which gave it a substantial weight, even with the lightweight option.
I have a tendancy to feel warm in the night, so did find the coverage a little too much for me, and sometimes woke too hot, but those who appreciate a cozy feel, sleep cooler, or live in colder climates will appreciate the heft this duvet brings.
Setting up the duvet involved inserting it into a duvet cover and using a loop-and-tie system to attach the corners before buttoning along the bottom edge of the cover (if you go with an Avocado duvet cover). Overall, it took around ten minutes to strip and remake the bed, given these extra steps, which you wouldn't get with a washable duvet insert that can be slept under cover-free.
How Does the Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert Rate Online?
For customers of this duvet, warmth is a common consensus. Many of the online reviews applaud the insert’s warmth and comfort, without the added bulk and weight that can often accompany inserts. Consumers also appreciated the use of greener products and the company’s overall mission.
There were a few areas that consumers felt the product could improve upon though, including the crinkly noise the insert tends to make whenever moving in bed. Other consumers noted a subtle smell to the insert when first used, and given that it can’t be washed, you just have to wait for it to air out.
How Does the Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert Compare?
When comparing the Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert to similar products, it truly is in a class all of its own. It's the only version we've tried at Homes & Gardens that features an alpaca fiber fill, for starters.
If you're after something equally eco-conscious, the Buffy Cloud Comforter is made from 50+ plastic bottles, in an effort to reuse and recycle. It’s also considered a lightweight down-alternative for those on a tight budget. It is substantially more affordable (around a third of the price at $200 for an all-season queen size) than the Avocado insert.
The Saatva Down Alternative Comforter also offers that hotel-like plush quality, and comes in not two but three different weights for $315 for a queen-size all-year option. It is also machine washable, unlike the Avocado option, which is spot clean only. This might be crucial if you live in a household with kids or pets.
Should I Buy the Avocado Alpaca Duvet Insert?
One of the key differentiators of this product is the washing process – it is spot clean only, and you can hang it in the sun to dry as needed. As a parent with five little kids, spot clean-only products worry me, as I will inevitably have to deal with some spilled juice that was never supposed to be on my bed, or some sort of bedwetting accident.
However, minor spots do seem like they’d wipe off easily, so as long as it’s not a major accident, it should be okay. But long term, I might be more comfortable with a product I can fully launder in a machine. It's worth considering risk and reward when it comes to purchasing a pricier product like this – if you anticipate having to clean it regularly, or even replace it altogether after a while, it might not represent the best value for money for your lifestyle.
My husband, who also spent the month with the duvet, concluded that it’s a bit too toasty for him to sleep under year-round, though he thinks it feels luxurious and hotel-quality as well. Avocado, if you are ready to make an ultra-light option, we are ready to enjoy it.
This all comes down to personal choice and lifestyle though. If these aren't concerns to you and you like the sensation of sleeping under a heavier duvet, you will be able to forgo these issues and enjoy great quality sleep with this premium duvet.
How We Test Duvet Inserts and Comforters
I tested the duvet, using it on my king-size bed for over a month, along with sheets and the Avocado duvet cover. I slept under the duvet every night and for the occasional nap, and also asked my husband, who shares the bed for his opinions as well.
I tested the Avocado duvet by determining how heavy it felt, whether the fabric felt good quality and how warm I felt as I fell asleep and woke up, as well as how it impacted my overnight sleep patterns. I used the insert with a cover, to determine how easy it was to set up and noted any bunching or uneven distribution of the comforter fibers within the cover as I used it day-to-day.
I documented how long it took to strip and remake the bed, noticing easy and difficult aspects of the process and noted the cleaning processes in the context of my lifestyle. Finally, I researched what others said about the product to gather a wider range of opinions before finalizing my conclusions.
