10 Best Cooling Comforter Reviews for 2022

10 Best Cooling Comforters

In this section, we’ll quickly go through our top picks to help you better understand what you are dealing with. We’ll cover the key benefits and drawbacks (largely based on buyer reviews!) of each to allow you to easily tell the comforters apart.

Once you are done with our reviews, we’ll then move on to our buyer’s guide. There, you will receive helpful tips on choosing the right comforter and get more context for our reviews.

What To Look For In A Cooling Comforter

Let’s now go through the key points that you should be considering when shopping for a cooling comforter. In this section, we’ll cover everything you need to know specifically with cooling comforters.

Fill power and weight

First things first, if the comforter manufacturer provides figures on fill power and weight, you should check them out.

Simply enough, you would want to go for a lighter comforter if you want cooling. A summer comforter should have low fill power AND low fill weight.

Fill weight is measured in GSM or ounces, while fill power is measured on a scale that usually goes from 400 to 800. You should get a comforter that has low fill power and weight – however, we can’t tell how low you should go.

How cool your comforter should be depends on your preferences, so we can’t claim that the lowest weight and fill out there will necessarily work the best. What if such a comforter turns out to be too cool for you? With that, you’ll have to find a good balance of fill power and weight for yourself.

But generally, fill power of lower than 600 works well for summer months. As for fill weight, we’d say that probably anything below 250-300 GSM should work fine. But again, you’ll have to determine yourself how low you can go while staying comfortable.

Moisture wicking

The second feature to look for in a cooling comforter is moisture wicking. Now, this feature doesn’t actually make you cooler, but it allows you to sleep more comfortably.

Moisture-wicking fabrics can pull moisture away from your skin, making it easier to evaporate. A moisture-wicking comforter won’t feel sticky on cold nights, allowing for a cozier sleep.

The moisture-wicking ability of a comforter is determined by its cover fabric. Among fabric types that have this feature are:

• Polyester (also called PE or poly).

• Polypropylene (PP).

• Nylon.

• Spandex.

• Bamboo.

• Wool.

• Silk.

Most synthetic fibers like nylon or polyester are moisture-wicking, but not all. If in doubt, check the product description – if the comforter does have a moisture-wicking cover, you can be sure that the seller will mention this somewhere.

Alternatively, check out buyer reviews and see if anybody has complained about excessive sweat. If many people have complained, then that comforter may not be the best pick for summer use.

Keep in mind that in terms of moisture wicking, cotton is the least optimal material. Although cotton is very absorbent, it easily gets saturated with moisture, becoming a wet mess at hot nights. A good moisture-wicking fabric will trap moisture rather than allow it to pass through itself.

Cover material

For cooling, many cover materials can work. But which material will be the best for you depends on your preferences and whether you sweat a lot.

Common cover materials in comforters include:

• Cotton. Although cotton is not moisture-wicking, it’s one of the most breathable fabrics out there. We’d say that if you don’t sweat a lot, then give cotton a try. Cotton is soft as well, especially premium blends like Egyptian or sateen cotton.

• Microfiber. Microfiber is a very popular cover material in comforters. It’s synthetic and, unlike cotton, offers excellent moisture-wicking performance. If you sweat a lot, microfiber could work wonderfully for you.

Microfiber is also tough and doesn’t break down as easily as cotton after washing. Good microfiber textiles are very soft and smooth as well, but perhaps not as soft as cotton.

With that said, microfiber isn’t nearly as breathable as cotton. If you aren’t a very hot sleeper though, this should not be a big problem for you.

• Polyester. Polyester textiles feel coarser than microfiber because the fibers of polyester aren’t as fine. Not only that, but microfiber tends to be more breathable. 

On the other hand, polyester is typically more durable than microfiber, and the price is slightly lower as well. If your budget is limited, polyester can be a nice choice. Otherwise, go for microfiber.

One thing to note – microfiber is actually also made from polyester, but its fibers are much finer. So in terms of moisture-wicking, the two synthetic fabrics are pretty similar.

• Silk. You may see silk in some luxurious comforters. Silk isn’t easy to clean and is costly, so it’s not that popular in comforters. However, silk stays cool and offers great moisture-wicking performance. In terms of feel, many people also love the softness and smoothness of this fabric.

• Wool. Wool is another rather costly material, but it’s cheaper and easier to take care of than silk. This fabric also offers great moisture-wicking and breathability, so it’s an excellent cover material for a comforter.

• Bamboo. Bamboo is much more absorbent than cotton and boasts much faster drying. This translates to better cooling ability and comfort – bamboo doesn’t stick to the skin as much as cotton. Bamboo fabric is also hypoallergenic.

Note that not all bamboo fabric is equal. If you want to enjoy the properties of true bamboo, then avoid bamboo rayon (also called bamboo viscose). The manufacturing of rayon involves dissolving the wood pulp and then reshaping it into fibers. This process alters or removes the benefits of natural bamboo.

True bamboo fabric is rare these days, so false advertising is possible. In the US, false advertising may lead to legal charges under FTC, so you are unlikely to be deceived. But you should still be careful.

Filling

The filling is no less important than the cover, but the rules here are a little bit different. Below, we’ll talk about which materials are suitable for summer months and which should be avoided.

Among common filling materials used in comforters are:

• Cotton. We’ve already established that cotton is breathable but not moisture-wicking. However, since cotton filling does not come in contact with your skin, moisture wicking loses its importance with cotton fillings. Thanks to its breathability, cotton is one of the best materials to have in a summer comforter. It’s tough as well, but it’s not as fluffy as polyester.

• Wool. Wool textile is great both when used in covers and filling. This material offers high breathability along with moisture-wicking, but it’s costly and heavy.

• Silk. Silk offers worse insulation than wool, but this is great because it won’t get as hot. But, as mentioned above, silk will be out of budget for most of our readers, and the benefits in coolness may not be worth the money.

• Down alternative. Down alternative is typically made of polyester, and the breathability of polyester varies on the yarn size and knit (more on that later). As mentioned earlier, look for low fill power and weight if dealing with down alternatives. 

Note that any filling other than down can be advertised as a down alternative, including fillings like cotton or wool.

• Goose down.  Goose down should probably be avoided – it is thermally insulative and can feel warm. With that, goose down works the best from late fall to early spring.

• Duck down. Duck down is a little cooler than goose down, but it’s still pretty warm. We’d say that duck down is a good option for all-season use, but when it comes to hot months, it should probably be avoided.

One thing to note with down comforters – comforters filled with bird feathers are not ideal for people who have allergies. Besides, duck or goose down isn’t exactly eco-friendly. If these two points apply to you, then you may want to avoid down altogether and go for hypoallergenic down alternative fillers instead.

Fabric thread count

The thread count in the cover fabric can also somewhat affect the coolness of a comforter.

Typically, thread counts in comforters go from 100 to 600 per square inch, perhaps even more. The higher the thread count, the softer and smoother the cover gets – qualities that many people love.

However, coarser fabric with lower thread count actually works better for cooling purposes. If there are fewer threads per square inch, then there are simply more openings for the air to go through. 

So we strongly recommend that you avoid extra-high thread counts. Look for a comforter in the 300-600 range, though lower, of course, would be better.

Other Things To Consider In Cooling Comforters

On top of the points we talked about above, you should probably consider a few other things as well. These don’t relate specifically to cooling performance, but they are still important to pay attention to.

Construction

Nowadays, comforters are very commonly made in box-stitched construction. This type of construction prevents the filling from shifting around inside the comforter, keeping it consistent.

Another, less popular construction is the baffle box. It performs the same purpose, but box-stitched construction usually works well enough, so you don’t even need to look for anything else.

Ease of care

Next, consider ease of care.

Ideally, your comforter should be machine-washable. However, not every kind of material can be machine-washed. Synthetics usually can be, while many natural fibers are not tough enough.

If in doubt, check the product description of the comforter – if it says that machine-washing is allowed, then go for it. Don’t forget to check the recommended method and temperature of machine-washing as well!

Note that in our opinion, a comforter that cannot be machine-washed but works perfectly for your needs is preferable to a comforter that can be machine-washed but doesn’t quite match what you want. If you pick wrongly, machine-washing will help little – you’ll be reminded of your poor choice every night.

Loops for cover-fitting

Most comforters have loops or tabs in the corners, and some comforters additionally have loops on the sides. The purpose of these loops is to help you with inserting and fitting your comforter to a cover.

A cover isn’t a must for a comforter, but if you are intending to encase your comforter, then it would be ideal if your comforter had cover-fitting loops. These would make your life much easier.

Size

Lastly, consider the size.

Comforters come in a wide variety of sizes – from twin to king, and even bigger. However, keep in mind that comforters usually aren’t sized exactly like the beds they are intended for. Most often, they are slightly bigger to create that overhang that many people like.

Some comforters will overhang more, while others less. To make sure that you get what you want, check out the exact dimensions of the comforter at the desired size.

Final Words

Finding the best cooling comforter will probably be quite challenging – you’ll have to determine yourself how cool your comforter should be.

Additionally, there are quite many things to consider in comforters. The variety of comforter features can be confusing, and some manufacturers, unfortunately, don’t list all the specs of their comforters, making shopping more challenging.

If necessary, try to gather as much info as you can and do some additional research on comforters. Although our buyer’s guide should be sufficient to get you going, feel free to do extra digging if you feel that something’s missing.