Why camel hair bedding beats the competition...and how it can help you beat the heat

Six years ago, there was a parcel sitting in front of my shared flat. Although it was rather large, it was also very light. «Ah, that's my camel hair duvet!» exclaimed my (now former) flat mate, snatching the parcel from my hands and disappearing into his room.

«That's what?», I thought to myself, slightly confused.

It was the first time I had heard of camel hair being used to stuff a duvet. Up until then I had thought down and synthetic fibres were the only options. Summer nights I would spend covered with only a sheet, and if at camp, then with a scratchy wool military blanket to boot. Both proved unsuitable as the sheet was too light and the wool blanket too, well, scratchy.

Just another passing trend?

I had dismissed camel hair as just another passing trend. Like frozen yogurt, bubble tea, croughnuts and Crocs, it would most certainly become «out» as quickly as it had become «in». At least that’s what I thought until a year ago when I needed a new duvet myself.

Down was out for me since it’s often collected under questionable circumstances and would require me to buy two separate pieces of bedding – one for winter and one for summer. Remembering my former flat mate and his dear camel hair duvet, I decided to invest in one myself and have been sleeping under my own prized camel-hair-stuffed duvet ever since. It’s been a most enlightening experience.

Four reasons why you should go with camel hair, especially on hot days:

1. Camel hair cools in the heat and heats in the cold

It's amazing, but true. Unlike down, which used to leave me languishing under the covers, camel hair regulates temperature easily. Under my new camel hair duvet, I sleep comfortably even when it’s more than 25 degrees in my room. This makes sense, since camels live in the desert, where temperatures can rise from minus zero to over 40 degrees Celsius during the course of the day. Thanks to their hair, camels can better withstand changing temperatures – and we humans can sleep more comfortably at night. In part because camel hair wicks away sweat and acts as AC.

2. Camel hair bedding is light, thin and suitable year-round

How thick bedding should be is a matter of taste. I like my bedding as thin as possible, otherwise I feel smothered. Because camel hair is almost like a synthetic fibre, camel hair bedding is thin and yields the same benefits as thin down bedding. But while the latter will keep you cool in summer, it won’t keep you warm enough in winter. Which brings us to the error of my ways: down bedding stuffed too full. It heated me up in winter – and in summer, too.

But camel hair bedding gives you the best of both worlds. Granted I’m not a natural icicle, so perhaps I’m not the best judge. For those of you who are often cold, there are duvets that can be snapped together to form a thick winter duvet.

Duvets

CHF379.90

Erwin Müller Tripoli

Duvets

CHF379.90

Erwin Müller Tripoli

3. Camel hair is sustainable

Camels are brushed during their natural shedding period – following winter when they lose their winter coats and grow summer ones – and this hair is then collected to use in bedding. That means camels aren’t shorn, can keep their natural coats and don’t have to freeze at night. Collecting down, however, is often another story because live fowl sometimes have their feathers plucked right off of them.

Although using camel hair technically doesn’t meet vegan standards, it comes so close that animal lovers could easily overlook the technicalities. After all, what’s green is not always better, as in the case of bamboo fibre, which is not nearly as sustainable as it would seem, as my colleague Carolin has discovered.

4. Camel hair is low maintenance

Like all bedding made with animal hair, camel hair bedding should not be washed. Simply beat and air out. Perfect for a lazybones like me. But if the need truly arises, it can be washed with organic detergent at 30 degrees on the wool setting.

Camel hair comes with only one disadvantage...

Caution to those with pet hair allergies!

Those who know they are allergic to pet dander should think twice before pulling out their wallets. While most camel hair bedding is treated to be hypoallergenic, you could still experience an allergic reaction to it. If this proves true in your case, opt for synthetic or organic fibre instead.

Whether it's a heat wave or the onset of winter, my camel hair duvet is there for me. For a while I kept my down duvet tucked away in the closet. As back-up. But it didn’t make it past spring cleaning. Camel hair it is.

Or would you beg to differ? In the end, this review is arguably subjective and is based on my opinion and that of my former flat mate. And as much as I don’t like to admit it, even I can be wrong from time to time. So feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section below.