Sleep Guide
Down & Feather
All down is not created equal. That is why Northern Feather Canada makes it a priority to source and use only the finest quality down available. Down quality depends on the size of the down cluster’s ability to expand in volume (also called loft) to fill the available space (the fill power). The high the fill power, the better it will insulate.
Down Delight
Down is an incredible lightweight cluster of soft, thread-like filaments that come from the underside of ducks and geese. Its superb ability to trap warm air while allowing fresh air circulation and moisture absorption makes it an idea choice for ultimate year round comfort. Down also has the ability to breath, absorb and disperse moisture. Air circulates freely around you, maintaining your optimum body temperature, keeping you comfortable in summer and cozy in winter.
specialty down
We have multiple different types of down from all over the globe. Discover our specialities.
Eiderdown
One of the rarest down in the world. A few thousand of these quilts are produced annually throughout the world, and we are a major producer of them. Eider ducks have the remarkable ability to regulate its body temperature under different climatic conditions. The female eider ducks pluck down from themselves and use it to build their nests during breeding season. When the nestlings leave the nest, the down can be collected. Each nest usually supplies about 20 grams of eiderdown, making it very rare, raw material. A true eiderdown quilt is the best investment to make.
Muscovy Down
Our Muscovy Down comes from ducks living in the most part wild and free in Siberia. It is processed in Germany to our exacting standards to be incorporated in our manufacturing process at our plant in Delta, BC. It is an excellent down, representing the best available in the world from birds living in an essentially free environment. With its high filling power, and traits similar to eiderdown (large down clusters and no detectable scent), Muscovy Down is preferred for bedding products of discerning consumers in Moscow.
Siberian Snow Goose Down
Sourced from geese that inhabit Siberia’s coldest regions, Siberian Snow Goose Down has more loft due to the large white clusters and is carefully selected for its warmth and supportive benefits. This allows our duvets to keep you warm all night and our pillows to support your head, aligning it to your shoulders giving you to the perfect position to improve your sleep.
Siberian Country Down
Our Siberian Country Down has the benefit of being naturally breathable, durable and resilient. Because of its resilience, you can fluff your pillow and duvet in the morning it will just loft back up. Siberian Country Down is renowned for its insulation properties which help regulate your body temperature, keeping you warm in winter and cool in the summer while still being lightweight. The down clusters offer cloud-like comfort with a touch of support.
White Goose Down
White Goose Down combines the lightweight feel with natural insulating warmth and pleasant breathability, making duvets and pillows ideal for both summer and winter. This will dramatically change your sleeping experience. While naturally retaining your body temperature to a comfortable level, you can sleep in comfort and warmth. In our pillows, White Goose Down will elevate your head, aligning it to your shoulders giving you to the perfect position to improve your sleep.
White Duck Down
White Down retains warmth, while still remaining breathable, allowing our down products to be excellent thermal insulators. Our down pillows are extremely soft, contouring immediately around the head, neck and shoulders for ideal body support. White Down has a natural ability to wick away body moisture, keeping the body dry for optimal sleep comfort all night. Our White Down is also very long lasting, when cared for properly, our high quality White Down products can last for generations.
Fibre Fill
CORN fibre
Northern Feather Canada’s corn fibre is a 100% bio-based (no petroleum) carbon material, which means that it is a non-allergenic fibre that is entirely plant-based.
A smaller environmental footprint is one of the main benefits of our corn fibre; numerous other benefits include:
- Very light, with good insulation
- More breathable than regular synthetic fibre
- Good moisture and temperature regulation
- Low odour retention
- Soft, luxurious feel
Our corn fibre fill offers superior comfort and value while supporting an eco-friendly and sustainable mandate.
Corn Fibre process
1. Corn
Corn is grown and then used to capture and separate CO2, transforming it into long-chain sugar molecules (glucose).
2. Dextrose
Enzymes convert the glucose milled from corn stems to dextrose, which is fermented into lactic acid.
3. Lactide
A two-step process transforms lactic acid molecules into rings of lactide.
4. Ingeo resin
A process of polymerization opens and links the lactide ring to form a long chain of Ingeo pellets.
5. Production
After extrusion and casting, the Ingeo pellets are refined into raw fibre fill.
6. O5 Opening & Blending
Our O5 opening and blending process enhances the resilience, life span and softness of the Corn Fibre, simulating the comfort and loft of natural fills.
northern feather innovations
5 Star Fibre
Our 5 Star fibre fill consists of a high grade polyester with down-like properties the offer wonderful head and neck support. This fibre has been individually opened to produce a pillow that is soft and reslilent.
Zen Fibre
Our Zen fibre is extremely insulating and breathable, giving a dry and warm comfort all night long with excellent neck and head support without losing its shape.
Hiloft Fibre
Our premium Hiloft patented fibre offers outstanding resiliency and support , mimicking down like properties with its opened fibre construction.
Diamond Fibre
Our highest quality, specialty treated opened Diamond fibre fill provides excellent neck and head support and proudly simulates the resilience and insulating properties of down.
Temprabalance® PCM Fibre
Our TempraBalance® PCM (Phase Change Material) offers advanced thermo regulating features. It can absorb excess body heat and when the temperature drops, dispense it again, thus ensuring a regulated temperature while providing extraordinary comfort.
When you’re too hot or cold at night, your body’s natural temperature regulation has to work overtime. That extra effort means you’re not getting the rest you need. But your discomfort also makes you toss and turn more often — or interrupt your sleep entirely to adjust bed covers. TempraBalance® PCM helps keep your body from getting too hot or cold, transporting heat away or toward your body as you need it. You get a cool, dry environment that is optimal for comfort, resulting in a deeper, more restful sleep.
The Right Shell
Finding the right pillow or duvet could be a huge mission regarding all the specific features which exist. The shell of a product has also its importance.
All of our product shells are 100% Oeko-Tex® Certified. Northern Feather is the only home and textiles manufacturer in Canada that is Oeko-Tex® Certified. This certified label found on our products ensures that all materials used are safe for everyone and free of harmful chemicals and substances. Let's discover all these characteristics to help you to make the good choice.
THREAD COUNT
Threat count refers to the fineness or the coarseness of a fabric, calculated by the number of threads per square inch.
Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the sheet, and the more likely it will wear well — or even soften — over time. Good sheets range anywhere from 200 to 800. There is a common misconception that thread count is an important consideration when purchasing bedding. However, linen experts claim that beyond a thread count of 400, there is no difference in quality.
Thread Count Comparison
Low thread count
Less threads per square inch
High thread count
More threads per square inch
Microfiber OR Cotton
Sheets made of microfiber — fabric composed of extremely fine fibers of polyester — are affordable and soft, and they resist pilling more than traditional polyester fabric does. However, polyester is less breathable than cotton and is probably not the best choice for those with sensitive skin.
Cotton jersey sheets are also reasonably priced and very breathable because they're knit rather than woven. Jersey is basically T-shirt fabric, so jersey sheets may appeal to you if you like sleeping in a soft old shirt.
Microfiber and jersey don't have the cool crispness of woven cotton, so if you like to flip your pillows to the cool side all night long, you're better off looking at an inexpensive cotton percale instead.
Fabric Weave
Sateen is cotton cloth made with a satin weave, a weave that produces a very soft, lustrous feel but can be somewhat less durable than a tighter weave.
Cotton twill: Twill is a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. It is made by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads then under two or more warp threads and so on, with a "step," or offset, between rows to create the characteristic diagonal pattern.Because of this structure, twill generally drapes well.
Calendered cotton Calendering is a finishing process used to smooth, coat, or thin a material. With textiles, fabric is passed between calender rollers at high temperatures and pressures.
The perfect pillow
Northern Feather offers a variety of pillows to suit your sleep style. From sink-in softness to supporting firmness, our pillows will soothe and relax you all night long.
FINISHING
We offer three unique finishes on our pillows
Double-Stitched and Piped Edges
An extra row of stitching reinforces the edges and prevents fill from shifting and leaking
Gusset
This feature adds extended thickness and a clean design
Knife Edge
This enhancement creates a classic seam with durability
PILLOW DENSITIES
To find the right pillow, select one that supports your head and neck naturally when you’re in your preferred sleeping position (the position you generally fall asleep in).
Soft Density
Our soft pillows are designed for individuals who prefer to sleep on their stomachs
Medium DENSITY
Created with back sleepers in mind, the perfect density if you sleep mostly on your back
FIrm DENSITY
Designed for those who mostly sleep on their side
A dreamy duvet
Our duvets can be customized for different warmth levels - a critical aspect of a duvet shell and finish that results in a perfected sleep product. Take a closer look at our innovatively constructed duvets that are manufactured to perfection through detailed finishing seam details.
HEAVIER DOES NOT MEAN BETTER
Marketing natural fill quilts by weight has led many people to think heavier means better. But it is not really that simple. Unclean fills weigh more, but clean fills perform far better.
If the residue that Northern Feather Canada eliminates from its down and feather – quill pith, feather fragments, trash, dust, dirt and other foreign matter – were to be left in, you end up with a heavier duvet.
To address this situation Northern Feather Canada developed its own down and feather cleanliness code. Regardless of the ‘heavier is better’ method of selling, we resolved that no natural fill product will leave our plant without being NF5 cleaned and conditioned. For us, the end result for the customer makes the extra effort well worth it.
To help customers choose the best hyperclean natural fill quilt, we also created our own Temperature Rating System, which delivers optimal sleeping comfort based on room temperature, not weight.
Construction
Sewn-through construction
A classic construction. The top and bottom cover are sewn together, creating sealed “pockets” that prevent the fill from shifting
BaffleBox with DuvetLock®
DuvetLock® is a patented system developed by Northern Feather Canada.
It involves locking the fill in each of the baffles without breakage or leaking.
This feature means the fill will not shift between baffles leaving cold spots in the duvet, thus allowing it to loft to its maximum.
The top of the toppers
We provide two different types of sleep toppers: Natural Fill Featherbeds and Fibre Fill Sleep Pads.
Our featherbeds are filled with a special combination blend of natural fills to allow maximum comfort throughout the night. Our sleep pads are filled with unique fibres that simulate the properties of down, providing high resiliency and ability to loft. The down-like feel provides the ultimate in fluffy loft and comfort.
Our sleep toppers eliminate pressure points at the hip, shoulder and knee joints created by a sleeping surface that is too firm. As blood circulation is restricted by a firm sleep surface, a person who has one must roll over many times in the night to relieve pressure. Often, the benefits of firm support are offset by the fatigue caused by the frequent shifting that interrupts the deepest cycles of sleep.
Over the course of a single night, this loss of sleep can add up; over the course of several weeks, it can lead to unhealthy weariness.
The good news is that you’ll be able to keep your firm mattress, while eliminating the tossing and turning. By adding a sleep topper, you can continue to enjoy the support your body needs. You will also be happy to know that Northern Feather Canada featherbeds offer luxurious comfort unmatched by other products currently in the marketplace.
Sleep Topper Options
Natural Fill Featherbeds
10% Down, 90% Feather with a top layer of cotton batting or down
20% Down / 80% Feather
fibre fill sleep pad
Zen Fibre
Diamond Fibre
Linens & Protections
We provide different types of bed protection options:
Pillow Protectors
An excellent choice for protecting your pillows.
Our pillow protectors provide a healthy sleeping environment by providing a breathable barrier against dust mites and bacteria, resulting in optimal comfort and fresh air circulation.
Available in Velvetine, Sateen or Cotton Jersey Fabrics
mattress Protectors
Our soft and comfortable mattress protectors provide a healthy sleeping environment by supplying a breathable barrier against dust mites and bacteria and a waterproof barrier for liquids.
Available in Terry Towel and Cotton Jersey
bed linens
Our specialized linen line is designed in-house by Northern Feather. It adds protection for your pillows, duvets and mattress while providing an overall luxurious look.
Available patterns in White, Damask Stripe and Organic Cotton
The Temperature Rating Comfort Index
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3...
... with Northern Feather’s innovative Temperature Rating System, a simple method that allows you to
easily match the right duvet with the actual room conditions under which it will be used. You can now
make the right duvet decision with confidence based on your very own personal needs.
HOW IT WORKS
Simply determine the bedroom temperature you most prefer to sleep in, then, select the style of duvet you like best. Congratulations! In choosing a Northern Feather duvet by room temperature you have just taken the guess work out of your down purchase. It’s that easy!
Choose Level 1 if you sleep in a moderately warm room:
18°C to 24°C or 64°F to 75°F
Choose Level 2 if you sleep in a cool room:
12°C to 18°C or 54°F to 64°F
Choose Level 3 if you sleep in a cold room:
6°C to 12°C or 43°F to 54°F