What "down alternative" usually means
Look at the label on most down alternative pillows and you'll find polyester: fine synthetic fibers or clusters made to imitate down's softness. Some are blends of shredded memory foam and fiber. That works for a lot of people. But if you're avoiding animal products and also trying to keep plastic out of your bed, it solves one problem and adds another.
Kapok, the plant version
Kapok is a silky fiber that grows inside the seed pods of the ceiba tree. When the pods open, the fiber carries the seeds on the wind. It's been used to fill pillows, mattresses and even life jackets for a long time (a short history of kapok). Ours is gathered from wild trees in Indonesia, not farmed, and nothing else is blended into the fill. The shell is organic cotton sateen. There's no down, no feathers and no wool in it.
Kapok vs down at a glance
| Kapok | Down | |
|---|---|---|
| Comes from | Seed pods of the ceiba tree | The soft under layer of duck or goose feathers |
| Feel | Soft and light, with a little spring | Very soft, squishes down low |
| Adjusting | Ours has a zipper: add or remove fill | Depends on the pillow; many are sewn shut |
| Washing | Keep the fill dry; wash the cover | Varies; check the care label |
| Warmth | Loose, airy fill | A natural insulator |
There's a longer comparison in Kapok vs Down Pillows.
How kapok feels next to down
Kapok is soft and light like down, with a little more spring to it. If you like to sink deep, take out a handful or two and it settles lower. And because ours opens with a zipper, you set the feel yourself instead of living with whatever came in the box. For washing, the zip off cover goes in the machine and the kapok stays dry.
What's inside ours
- Fill: 100% wild harvested kapok. No foam, latex, polyester or down blended in.
- Shell: 300 thread count organic cotton sateen.
- Adjusting: a hidden zipper, so you can take fill out or add refill.
- Made: handcrafted in the USA, designed in Hawaii.
If you'd like to know how wild harvesting works and what it means for the trees, I wrote that up in Is Kapok Sustainable?
Anthony
Founder, MAREA Sleep
