The Down and the Ersatz

The world, it seems, is forever divided between the genuine article and the pale imitation, the real McCoy and the synthetic substitute. And so it is with blankets, those humble swaddling cloths that separate civilized man from the icy breath of the night.

In one corner, we have the venerable down blanket, stuffed with the actual feathers of geese or ducks – a concept that, while not without a certain barnyard logic, might strike the more fastidious among us as faintly absurd. Yet, there is a primal appeal to the idea of snuggling beneath a pile of plumage, of wrapping oneself in the very essence of avian warmth.

This, of course, is precisely the sentiment upon which the hucksters of the bedding industry have built their fortunes. They spin yarns of superior insulation, of cloudlike loft and luxurious softness – all courtesy of the hapless geese who had the misfortune to be born with good thermal retention.

But what of the down alternative blanket, that pretender to the throne of bedtime comfort? Here, we are presented with a rather more prosaic proposition: a blanket filled not with actual feathers, but with synthetic fibers designed to mimic the feel of down.

One can almost hear the sneers of the down duvet devotees. “Synthetic!” they scoff, “A poor imitation, fit only for the unrefined and the parsimonious!” And yet, there is a certain undeniable practicality to the down alternative. It is, for one thing, generally easier on the purse – a not insignificant consideration in these times of economic anxiety.

Moreover, the synthetic nature of the down alternative holds a certain appeal for those who find the idea of sharing their bed with the remnants of a thousand goose dinners less than appealing. It is, shall we say, a more hygienically straightforward proposition.

Ultimately, the choice between down and down alternative is a matter of personal preference – a delicate balance between one’s yearning for authenticity and one’s tolerance for the occasional stray feather.