Review (Gifted)¦ Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or don’t spend much time online or on social media, you’ve probably heard of Simba. A couple of years ago, their mattress adverts seemed to be everywhere with rave reviews! However, did you know that mattresses aren’t the only thing they do? They also do beds themselves as well as pillows, duvets and bedding. I certainly didn’t know until last week! Having seen the amount of technology that has gone into Simba’s mattresses, I was excited by the prospect of putting one of their duvets to the test. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s sleeping – and I’m always delighted by anything that makes sleep even better!
First Thoughts
Our Simba Hybrid® Duvet arrived very quickly and came in a smart bag made of recycled materials. We’ll definitely find it useful for other purposes; it’s sturdy so I particularly have camping in mind. As I opened the bag excitedly and took out the duvet, I had three initial thoughts:
- Thanks to the pattern on the material and the blue and grey edging, it looks very high tech!
- It’s very lightweight! It is really going to work to keep me warm?
- Yay! The padding is sewn into squares to distribute it more evenly. There won’t be the problem of the duvet going lumpy!
What’s it made of?
Part of the reason it looks high tech, is probably because it is! It’s comprised of three layers:
- Cotton outer with Stratos® material which helps to control body temperature, even with a duvet cover on it! It feels cool to the touch.
- Simba Renew Bio™ filling which is a light and gentle alternative to fillers like feathers and down. Made from recycled PET bottle fibres, it is very breathable.
- Cotton cover on the plain side
The science behind Stratos® is drawn from astronaut’s space suits and helps to make sure you stay warm in the colder months and cool in the warmer months! It draws heat away from you, retains the heat and then releases it back to you when your body temperature cools. This helps to keep you a comfortable temperature the whole night.
Putting it to the test
I’ve had a few night’s of sleep with our Simba Hybrid® Duvet now. Our old duvet was synthetic and it took me ages to warm up; I’d be shivering for ages before I could sleep and sometimes still wake up cold. The new one is still taking a little bit of getting used to for me, as I’m used to a heavier duvet. However, I’ve noticed with the Simba Hybrid® I’ve been warming up a lot quicker and waking up cosy too. I think I’ve been sleeping a lot better as a result of my body temperature being better regulated! It’s 10.5 tog and suitable for all year round with the Stratos® technology, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it keeps me cool in the summer.
Looking at Simba’s website, I’m not the only one who is a fan of this duvet. Over 12,000 people have rated it 4.8/5 stars. As being too cold or hot when sleeping is a major problem that Simba seems to have solved, I’m not surprised. I’m sure the fact it feels very good quality and a little bit luxurious certainly helps the ratings too.
I’m also impressed that the Simba Hybrid® duvet is machine washable. This will definitely come in handy with two young children! It might not fit in all washing machines, but just about fits in our 10kg washing machine. Of course, I’ve not needed to wash it yet, but it apparently dries quite quickly too. Having felt the material, I can believe that it would definitely dry a lot faster than a conventional duvet. There’s also a handy QR code on the label you can scan to quickly access care advice or information about recycling.
Eco-friendly
The environment has long been of concern to me, even more so since I’ve been studying it at university over the last couple of years. I’m delighted that Simba is on the same page and taking sustainability very seriously too!
They use recycled materials
Simba use a lot of recycled materials. I’ve already mentioned that the Simba Renew Bio™ filling of the duvet is made from recycled PET bottle fibres. When you’re done with your duvet, the Simba Renew Bio™ biodegrades (at a speed of about 2 years in a landfill environment). The bag it came in is also made from recycled materials and even the packaging it was sent in was made from 50% recycled materials, rather than being completely new plastic.
They use Better Cotton
It’s brilliant to see that Simba are using the Better Cotton Initiative for the cotton they use. The initiative aims to make cotton more sustainable and pay cotton farmers a decent wage as well as giving them a voice in the supply chain.
They’re a B Corp
They have some good credentials, including being a B Corp. This means they’re verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Brands need to get a score of at least 80 and Simba got an amazing 97.5!
And more!
- Their customer deliveries are 100% carbon neutral thanks to greenhouse carbon emissions being offset
- They have a certified eco-factory which uses 100% renewable energy and recycles 100% of waste
- They have a target of Net Zero by 2030 (they aim to achieve a balance between the carbon they’re emitting into the atmosphere and the carbon they remove from it)
Knowing all of this will definitely help me to sleep better at night!
The bottom line
I am loving this duvet so far! I warm up quickly and stay a good temperature. It would have been brilliant when I woke up with night sweats in the weeks after giving birth to Reuben and I’d definitely recommend it for menopausal women and others who struggle with temperature. I also really appreciate the effort Simba are going to to protect the environment. Yes, it is expensive at £139 but if you can afford it I think it’s worth the money. Simba do seem to regularly have offers too, so it’s worth looking out for those. In fact, at the time of writing it has 25% off, making it £104.25.
Disclosure: I was sent a Simba Hybrid® Duvet in return for this review. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.