Cal Ripken Deluxe All-Natural 500 GSM Australian Merino Wool Comforter by Herington, Natural, King

To sum it up in one word...Awesome!I have owned many duvets in the past. Synthetic blends are pretty bad because of the lack of breathability which you end up sweating and are uncomfortably warm even on a cold night, a down comforter is better but then you'll have issues with feather leakage. I breathed in my fair share of feather particles and it's not fun! All down eventually leaks....even if you cannot see it visually at first. You may develop an allergic reaction to it also, as I did. You'll also notice the extra dust collected on your bedroom furniture. Thread count helps but does not alleviate the problem entirely.I have had many wool comforters with 100% cotton shells. I have never had problems with any of them. The GSM is something to take into consideration if you live in an area with extreme year-round temperatures. Which you probably have different bedding for the seasons.The 500 GSM is great! I don't like heat and here it is summer time in Los Angeles and am perfectly comfortable with a high GSM. It has a nice weight to it which I personally like and is well constructed. The outer shell is cotton japara which is used to repel any spills. And gives it that crinkly sound when adjusting which I like also. This is a big duvet. It barely fits inside my cover.....so I guess sizes do very per manufacturer.The Herington 500 has to be the best to date. But beware that wool does compress over time. Not noticeably and not right away but it does throughout the years. I find using a tennis ball/dryer on low heat works well. Also it is not recommended to wash because of shrinkage and matting. Take it out in the sun for a few hours or all day if you like. You will definitely notice the difference. And a high thread-count duvet cover will help protect also.What makes this duvet so special is the wool! Wool is a natural barrier to the elements, wicks away moisture from the body and evens out your body temperature for a most comfortable and restful night's sleep! Winter or summer, works the same! I use mine year round and I absolutely love it! I will NEVER use anything but wool ever again!!!This is the best on the market at a most unbeatable and remarkable price. Great value!!! While your at it buy yourself a wool mattress pad. Same benefits of breathability and temperature control......or what I did was take my older wool duvet and enfolded it around my mattress before placing my bottom sheet on....works great!

I just can't get past the smell so far. I have been airing out this comforter in another room for a few weeks hoping the strong smell (bleach? chemical? not sure) would go away. I am hoping a duvet cover will allow me to actually put the thing on my bed to see how it sleeps. I only buy natural products because I am sensitive to chemicals. Beware of the strong smell.

I love wool blankets and have been on the search for a long time for one. I came across this one on Amazon and overall the specs were what we were looking for. I did see the post about he blanket arriving and it being a Cal Ripken branded blanket. I thought maybe Amazon made a mistake when sending that person the blanket. Well it happened to us, too. I was annoyed since its deceptive marketing practices - I spent a lot of time looking up the different brands and comparing products. I thought I was purchasing the "Herrington brand" (seen it on a few other reputable websites). Although feeling deceived, we've been enjoying the blanket.I have severe allergies (dust mites, mold, seasonal) and I've had no issues using this blanket. It's kept us super warm in a cold apartment during sub-below temperatures as well as kept us comfortable on spring nights. It's on the heavier side, which was what I was looking for but if that's not your thing, I'd look elsewhere. I use a duvet cover over the comforter to keep the comforter in good condition.For the price, it's pretty high quality. Just keep in mind you're not getting Herrington but Cal Ripken. Amazon, please change the description or re-evaluate your inventory to make sure you're selling/sending out the correct product.

There are bugs!!!!!

I received a duvet that is not at all like what is pictured or described, no damask, or "cording" also the picture shows that the duvet is quilted in a curved pattern and the one I received has straight squares. In addition the one I received appears to be endorsed by Cal Ripken which is plastered all over the packaging. Plus in marker, someone drew a 3 over the factory printed 5 on the label stating that it has a 3 year warranty? All this makes me wonder if I ended up with a tacky/cheap/knock-off/rip-off of what I ordered? The wool is not as dense as I had hoped either. I feel a little sick I paid what I did for it sight unseen (picture NOT like what I received).

This is as warm as I hope it would be! I had a wool comforter when I lived in the Pacific Northwest and loved it, but when I moved to the Midwest it got lost somehow...too bad because I got that one on sale for only $50 and this one cost a lot more. Nevertheless, it was worth it. It is lightweight and very warm, but it breathes, so I never wake up sweating in the middle of the night like I sometimes do with down. The cover makes a crinkly sound, but I don't mind it at all--in fact I find it sort of comforting. It reminds me that I'm sleeping in a nice warm bed. The only down side, as I said, was the price...but it was still significantly less than a down comforter of the same quality..it should also last a lot longer than down because there is not going to be an issue with "feather loss".

This doona is very heavy and sooo warm and toasty. I love to get into this at the end of the day especially on a cold night. I would recommend only for cold areas or during winter as it can get very warm during night. Excellent quality.