CROWDFUNDING REVIEW – Sleep is crucial to our well-being – at least that’s what the going wisdom tells us. Recent research is also exploring the relationship of our environment’s temperature to our sleep quality. Today, I’m going to tell you about a new product that may help you get the best sleep of your life – year ‘round! It’s called the ESCURA Thermal Regulating Comforter. It is still on Kickstarter until the 9th of February, but since it’s already surpassed its goal almost ten times over, it’s sure to be funded. Let’s take a closer look.
What is it?
The ESCURA Thermal Regulating comforter is a quilted comforter designed for year-round use.
What’s in the box?
Just the ESCURA Thermal Regulating comforter.
Design and features
The ESCURA Thermal Regulating Comforter is available in three colorways: blue, grey, and a pinkish brown. I was sent the blue, which matches my window treatments and floor covering very nicely. It’s the same shade on both sides, except for the stitched label. The comforter is designed to keep your body around 33º C/91º F. As an insulated overspread, how can it do this year-round? Their solution is to use different materials on either side, so there’s a hot weather side and a cool weather side. (I will resist all further references to the McDLT.) To help you know which is which, ESCURA has stitched each side with a cool blue label or a warm orange label. Simply flip the comforter to access the other side.
How is simply flipping the comforter going to change the wrap from cool to warm? Science. Specifically, there is a PCM layer on either side of the center insulation, with a cool bamboo material on the cool side and a warming PCM Lyocell/Tencell material on the warming side. (The acronym “PCM” has just shy of a million definitions. The closest I could come to fiber arts was Phase-Change material, but I’m willing to be schooled in the comments. I’m sure it’s not a Phase-Controled Magnetron or a Pyrotechnic Countermeasure.)
The comforter feels very light but offers serious insulation. There is little bulk, yet within seconds of pulling it over yourself, you’ll feel the warmth of your body heat amplified. (I’m curious how this will work in the warmer months!)
It is made from plant-based materials and is antibacterial. It is also machine washable so that you don’t have to pull a cover off of the inner warming layer and wash it separately. (We lived in the mountains for about a decade, and this was always such a hassle! It took about a week for the down inner piece to finally feel properly fitted within the duvet cover.) I’m also happy not to have to put the winter layer away and get out the lighter summer-weight cover.
Performance
I have a new bed in my new home and decided to test the ESCURA comforter there. The mattress came with bamboo sheets, which I had never slept on before. On a cold January night, I decided to try my first night with both. Usually, I sleep with a top sheet, a thermal cotton insulator layer, and a wool blanket. After viewing the materials for the ESCURA comforter, I thought I’d just go for it. With the top sheet and the ESCURA on the warming side, I passed a very comfortable eight hours and woke up feeling ready for the day. I did experience my feet being uncovered because the comforter pulled up from the bottom, but my core was toasty all night.
It’s a bit confusing because the cool side stitching is facing out when the warm side is close to your body, but I figured it out.
What I like
- Year-round usage
- Machine-washable for easy cleaning
- Antibacterial materials
What I’d change
- Nothing – see final thoughts below
Final thoughts
I liked both the idea and execution of the ESCURA Thermal regulating comforter. It blends in nicely to my bedroom decor, yet enhances sleep with comfort and year-round usage, which I really appreciate.
(I don’t know the MarkUp to indicate a rant, but here goes.)
Let me talk about sizing for a minute. This is listed as a queen-sized comforter and is the size of all other queen-sized comforters on the market. But it only just barely covers the bed’s surface with an inch or two over each side. With a body (or several) under the covers, this is not enough material. When I was first married, we discovered this when moving from a standard bed to a queen, so we just bought king-sized comforters, since then you can get in the bed and have no air gaps on the edges. (Watch the video for this product on Kickstarter. At the end, the model flaps the comforter across her bed, and it is far larger than the mattress. If that’s a queen bed and comforter, I’ll eat it!) Since ESCURA is changing the market, maybe this could have been a place to further innovate. But it is something to note. (End rant)
Price: $300-445, depending on size. Kickstarter is 19%-40% off.
Where to buy: Kickstarter
Source: The sample of this product was provided by ESCURA.
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I wrote to manufacture, question is, do you know return policy