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What Is Eiderdown?

Eiderdown is the down produced by the eider duck.

At least 75% of the world's eiderdown comes from Iceland and Icelandic eiderdown is known for it's superior quality.

Eiderdown has unique properties that give it powerful insulating effects, while being one of the lightest materials known to man.

Due to these qualities, eiderdown is considered to be the finest insulating material that can be used to make duvets and comforters.

What is eiderdown and where does it come from?

Eiderdown is a type of down feather, a soft and fine layer of feathers found on the chest of the female eider duck. When the nesting season begins, hormonal changes cause the down feathers on her chest to loosen. The bird then plucks these down feathers loose to better transfer her body warmth to the eggs, ensuring safe incubation.

This is what the eider duck looks like, also known as the common eider:

Eider duck

In Iceland, there are certain areas where the eider ducks gather during the springs nesting season.

The people who manage these areas provide sanctuaries for the ducks. They even create structures and habitats to help them lay their eggs safely. They also protect the birds from predators like seagulls, minks, and foxes.

When the eggs are close to hatching, the eider farmers gently take some of the eiderdown from of the nests and replace it with dry hay. Once the bird and their young leave the nest, the farmers collect the rest of the eiderdown.

This way, no birds are being harmed during harvesting season. The birds remain completely wild and free, arriving in May and departing by late June.

Without human intervention, many of the eggs would likely never hatch as they would get eaten by Iceland's natural predators. In fact, the eider duck would likely be at a high risk of extinction if it wasn't for the sanctuaries provided by the eider farmers.

The bird also really likes the presence of the farmers. They can walk among them and even touch the birds without distress.

Each bird nest produces about 15-17 grams of eiderdown annually, which is about 0.5-0.6 ounces.

Eiderdown has unique characteristics

There are many reasons why the eiderdown is so highly valuated and regarded as a luxury product.

This is because it has several unique characteristics:

  • Softness: Eiderdown is incredibly soft, so much so that it feels like touching a cloud.
  • Ligthness: Eiderdown is incredible light. It naturally expands to trap air while providing powerful insulation.
  • Insulation: It offers powerful insulating and temperature-regulating properties.
  • Fiber structure: The down fibers are tangled together in a unique way.
  • Compression resistance: It is extremely resistant to compression, ensuring that duvets made from eiderdown remain fluffy.

The sensation of holding and touching eiderdown is difficult to describe. Holding and touching it is really an incredible experience, it feels like something from another world. Eiderdown is likely the lightest, softest, warmest and most comfortable natural material on the planet.

Products made from eiderdown

Eiderdown is used in various high-end luxury products that require powerful insulating properties, mostly duvets and pillows. It's unique properties make it an ideal filler for high-end duvets and pillows, which are renowned for being incredible soft and light.

However the demand for these duvets far outweighs the supply, as the global production of eiderdown is only about 4 tons per year.

If all of it were used to make duvets, it would only amount to 4,500-5,000 duvets annually. Because of this, eiderdown duvets are both rare and in limited supply. Due to its rarity and the painstaking process involved in collecting and cleaning the down, eiderdown products come with a high price tag, ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 depending on size and fill weight.

Benefits of eiderdown duvets

Eiderdown duvets are incredibly light and soft, providing unmatched comfort for a restful sleep. They naturally regulate temperature, helping you keep cooler when it's warm and warmer when it's cold. This incredible comfort helps you sleep more soundly throughout the night.

Given that people spend about a third of their life sleeping, quality sleep is essential for overall health and longevity.

For this reason, the high price of eiderdown duvets can be justified. They improve your sleep drastically, which leads to much better health and a higher quality of life.

Consider the amount of money people spend on their cars, despite probably spending less than an hour a day driving. In contrast, people spend about 7-9 hours each night sleeping. Plus a high-quality duvet can last much longer than a new car making it a worthwile investment.

Fun facts about eiderdown

Here are some more fun facts about eiderdown:

  • Eiderdown has been used for over 1000 years. It was commonly used by royalty and extremely wealthy people throughout history.
  • The Titanic, which sank in 1912, had 800 eiderdown duvets on the ship.
  • Today, more than twice as many Ferraris are produced annually than eiderdown duvets.
  • At least 75% of the world's eiderdown production is in Iceland.
  • The harvesting process is completely harmless to the birds. In fact, they are protected by the farmers.
  • Icelandic eiderdown is both animal-friendly and eco-friendly.
  • Protecting eider ducks is so deeply ingrained in Icelandic traditon that they have been fully protected by law since 1847.