TechRadar Verdict
If you like down pillows, you’ll really enjoy the Casper Down Pillow. This ethically-sourced duck down pillow is fluffy and soft as a cloud - and not as expensive as goose down. We rate it highly for its level of plushness, and for the support it provides for your head and neck. It's machine-washable, too.
Pros
- +
Cloud-like feeling
- +
Washable pillow
- +
Supportive 5-chamber design
- +
Ethically-sourced down
- +
Cool to the touch
Cons
- -
Requires weekly fluffing
- -
May be too soft for some
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Casper already makes one of the best pillows that we’ve tested. However, we may be adding the Casper Down Pillow as well. Admittedly, it’s not a budget-priced pillow; however, it does several things well. For starters, if you’re looking for a down pillow, and you’re not impressed with the down alternative options, you’ll appreciate that this duck down pillow doesn’t cost as much as a goose-down pillow. Also, the Casper Down Pillow is actually a pillow within a pillow, and both pillows include duck down and feathers. This combination of materials ensures the pillow is not too light and not too heavy. The pillow, which can be laundered in the washing machine, also has a 5-chamber design that allows it to be a good choice whether you’re a side, back, or stomach sleeper.
And, if you’re looking for a way to really boost your comfort level, take a look at our guide to this year's best mattresses for all budgets.
Casper Down Pillow review in brief
The Casper Down Pillow cradles your neck and head as gently as your mother did when you were a baby. We understand that’s a lot to ask of a pillow, but this one actually delivers. It’s incredibly soft, due to the combination of duck down and feathers, and creates the type of comfort that lulls you to sleep and makes you not want to get out of the bed.
Type: Down pillow
Best suited to: Back, side, and stomach sleepers
Dimensions: Standard: 18” L x 26” W; King: 18” L x 34” W
Trial period: 30 days
Warranty: 1 year
That was certainly the experience we had over the two weeks that we tested the pillow. It has a 2-inch gusset, and the mid-loft pillow is not too high and not too low. As a result, in every position – side, back, or stomach – we slept soundly and woke up refreshed. We’ve tested a bunch of pillows, and we know (first-hand) that the wrong one can disrupt your sleep cycle and also cause you to wake up with aches and pains.
However, the Casper Down Pillow felt delightful, and was soft, yet supportive, night after night after night. This is due in part to the fact that it’s a pillow within a pillow – and both have duck down and feathers. Our tester tends to sleep hot, but remained cool while testing the pillow. She also enjoyed not having to reshape the pillow every morning, although she did reshape it once – sometimes twice – a week. She loved the pillow so much that she actually sighed when the testing cycle was over and she needed to move on to the next pillow review.
Casper Down Pillow review: price and deals
The Casper Down Pillow is one of several pillows sold by the company. With a MSRP of $139 for a standard size, it’s tied with the Casper Foam Pillow with Snow Technology as the company’s most high-end model. However, you can save some money by doubling up on the pillows at Amazon. Two standard Casper Down Pillows cost $269 ($134.50 per pillow) and two king Casper Down Pillows, normally $179 each, cost $349 ($174.50 per pillow).
Among the company’s other pillows, the mid-loft Casper Hybrid Pillow is $99 for a standard size, and the low-loft foam Casper Foam Pillow is $89 for a standard. The prices for rest of the standard pillows, (which are all mid-loft) are as follows: Casper Original Pillow, $65; Casper Essential Cooling Pillow, $65; and Casper Essential Pillow, $45.
Comparing the Casper Down Pillow to competitors, the Parachute Down Pillow is $129 for a standard size, so it’s also considered the luxury pillow. It’s filled with European white down and feather fibers, and comes in a choice of three densities: soft, medium, and firm, which allows you to select the best density. It can also be laundered in the washing machine.
Another choice for a cloud-like experience (that’s not a down pillow) is the Tempur-Pedic Tempur Cloud Pillow, which has a soft to medium-soft firmness level. The low-profile pillow includes NASA-developed Tempur material that conforms to the shape of your head. While the pillow can’t be washed, the cover can be removed and laundered in the washing machine.
Casper Down Pillow review: design and materials
- Combination of ethically-sourced duck down, and feathers
- Pillow within a pillow
- Pillow is machine washable
Casper is known for memory foam beds (see our Casper Original mattress review for more) but there's no foam here.
The Casper Down Pillow is actually a pillow within a pillow! The outer pillow consists of 80% white duck down (ethically-sourced) and a 20% feather outer chamber. The inner pillow consists of 60% white duck down and 40% feather inner chambers. In addition, the pillow has a 100% cotton outer shell, and 100% polyester inner panels. If all of this sounds confusing, here’s the take home point: the outer chambers contribute to the soft, cloud-like feeling, and the inner chambers provide support for your neck while you’re sleeping.
While the duck down is soft, the feathers provide weight, and the combination of materials result in a pillow that is ultra-soft, while also supportive. The 5-chamber design, which includes a 2-inch gusset, allows the pillow to be responsive enough to support any sleeping position: side, back, or stomach. The mid-loft pillow isn’t too high or too low, and that’s what also makes it a good choice regardless of your sleep position.
Although it feels like sleeping on a cloud, the pillow also springs back to the touch. That’s why it doesn’t need to be fluffed every day. In addition, the pillow is cool to the touch and by providing temperature regulation, it ensures that you can avoid waking up hot and sweaty.
And when you need to clean the pillow, it can be tossed into the washing machine, unlike many of the pillows we test that have removable and washable covers. While a washable cover is convenient, the ability to wash the pillow itself provides a more hygienic experience.
Casper Down Pillow review: performance
- Soft as a cloud
- 5-chamber design provides support
- Cool to the touch
We slept on a pair of Casper Down Pillow for over two weeks to see how they fared in performance - testing for set up, comfort, support, and temperature regulation. We also changed up our sleeping positions, alternating between side, stomach, and back positions to see if performance was consistent throughout. Here’s how we got on...
Setup
5 out of 5 stars
The pair of Casper Down Pillows arrived in Casper-branded boxes. We always have mixed feelings when this happens. The choice not to use more cardboard than necessary shows the company cares about excess waste. However, we also tend to be concerned that branded boxes may be more appealing to “bad actors” looking for something to steal during the shipping and delivery process.
Each pillow was securely wrapped in its individual box. After cutting through the plastic, the pillows started expanding immediately. Our tester left the room and came back 30 minutes later to find the pillows completely expanded and already fluffy.
Temperature regulation
5 out of 5 stars
The Casper Down Pillows were cool to the touch. Unlike memory foam pillows, which can be heavy and retain heat (unless they are infused with cooling properties), down pillows tend not to be hot. And this one certainly wasn’t. The 100% cotton outer shell is designed not to trap heat, so it helps to keep the body cool, and our tester slept quite comfortably. Some pillows are “cool” but not actually “cool to the touch.” However, our tester said this was one of the few pillows that actually felt cool to the touch. We tested them when the weather was cold, so our tester also had a weighted blanket on the bed during part of the testing process.
Since the pillows were cool to the touch, it would be expected that our tester would sleep cool without additional bedding. However, even when we later added the wintertime bedding, she didn’t wake up hot and sweaty, due to the pillow’s design.
Firmness and support
5 out of 5 stars
Although the Casper Down Pillow is soft as a cloud, it still provides exceptional support. That’s because of the 5-chamber design, which adapts to the body and provides support in any position. So, whether our tester slept on her side or stomach (her default combination positions), her neck was aligned and supported.
And even when she slept on her back, our tester reported being comfortable, because the pillow was able to adapt to this change in sleeping position.
But keep in mind that our tester likes fluffy pillows and mid-to high-lofts. And, regardless of what the experts say about sleeping positions, sleepers tend to have individual preferences, so, for example, one side sleeper may love this pillow, whereas, another side sleeper might find the pillow too soft, or find the 2-inch gusset too high.
As a general rule, the pillow bounces back on its own. However, roughly every 5 or so days, our tester also refluffed it. Casper recommends a weekly fluff that entails holding the opposite corners of the pillow and pushing in and out diagonally, and then repeating with the other two corners. However, our tester just tossed it in the dryer on the “Air Fluff” setting.”
Casper Down Pillow review: user reviews
On Amazon, the Casper Down Pillow has 4.1 out of 5 stars, with 402 ratings. Overall, consumers found it to be a high-quality pillow that’s soft, fluffy, and comfortable. Many stated that it alleviated neck pain. However, some consumers said it was super comfortable – but not firm or thick. Others stated that they woke up with neck and back pain because they couldn’t fluff the pillow back up.
On the Casper site, the Casper Down Pillow has 4.3 out of 5 stars, with 128 reviews. Many buyers said it was soft and supportive, and stated that they no longer had neck pain. Those who didn’t like it either said it was mushy or it was flat.
Should you buy the Casper Down Pillow?
If you want a down pillow, we wholeheartedly recommend the Casper Down Pillow. After spending over two weeks testing it, we found the pillow to be quite impressive in a variety of areas. The fact that it’s a pillow in a pillow is a unique concept that we like. The combination of duck down and feathers makes the design incredibly soft, but not so soft that the pillow can’t provide the right degree of support. Also, the down is ethically sourced, which is important to us. In addition, we like that the 2-inch gusset means the pillow is not too high and not too low. In either position, it provided an extremely comfortable sleep experience. The pillow also sprang back and retained its shape most of the time, only needing to be fluffed weekly.
The fact that the pillow is cool to the touch is another feature that our tester loved since she tends to sleep hot. And the ability to launder the actual pillow instead of just the cover is yet another feature that sold us on the Casper Down Pillow.
Casper also provides a 30-night trial, and a 1-year warranty, so you have time to decide if the pillow meets your needs or not.
However, we realize that some people may find the Casper Down Pillow too soft or the loft too high. Another down pillow option is the Parachute Down Pillow, which is $129 for a standard size. This pillow is filled with European white down and feather fibers, and since it comes in a choice of three densities (soft, medium, and firm), consumers can choose their preferred style. The Parachute Down Pillow can also be laundered in the washing machine.
If you want a soft pillow that doesn’t have down fill, the Tempur-Pedic Tempur Cloud Pillow has a soft to medium-soft firmness level. It’s a low-profile pillow that’s made of NASA-developed Tempur material, and conforms to the shape of your head. It’s not a machine-washable pillow, but the pillow’s cover can be removed and laundered in the washing machine.
But we think the Casper Down Pillow is definitely worth a try because it gets so many things right. The pillow manages to find the perfect balance between luxurious softness, effective support, and temperature regulation – and the pillow is easy to maintain.
