Its summer in UK. I’m on a sit & I’ve been given a 13.5 tog duvet. Would have much preferred the more flexible sheet & blanket. This is my real bug bear. Any other sitters been blighted by a ridiculous tog duvet given for a summer sit ?
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Hi @crocomben, that’s a shame and you must be quite warm! Our warmest tog is 1.5 but we live in southern California 
My first thought would be to directly reach out to the homeowner and ask if they have any blankets around that you could swap out for, if you haven’t asked already?
It could be a honest oversight. As a homeowner myself, if I made some sort of oversight like this I would appreciate the chance to rectify when possible. It really could be that simple…on the off chance that they don’t have a blanket then see if they would be open to reimbursing you for one so they can use for future guests/sitters in the summer months. I think most of us homeowners on the platform want to do what we can to make our sitters as comfortable as possible.
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I would message the owner to ask if they’ve another duvet or take the duvet out of it’s cover and just sleep with that.
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First of all it’s not summer in the UK, it’s spring and temperatures can be as low as freezing and as high as 22C depending where you are in the UK.
Check that it is a single duvet and not two zipped together. It is very common in the UK to have a combination duvet that can be separated depending on the temperature. Maybe there is a lighter quilt in the wardrobe. Or as someone else as mentioned take the quilt out of the cover and use the cover as a top sheet. I don’t think I’ve been to a house recently where there hasn’t been a blanket or two lying on top of the bed or over the back of the sofa. Maybe even a decorative one.
If all else fails contact the home owner and I’m sure they will tell you where to find a lighter duvet. They will probably be very apologetic about your discomfort.
Sometimes we have to think out of the box and solve small problems ourselves. I hope you can get this resolved to your satisfaction soon and get a good nights sleep.
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We had the same thing happen last summer in the UK during the August heatwave! We were given a thick winter duvet which would have had us boiling alive! So we immediately took the duvet out and slept with the duvet cover only. The hubby was happy with just that and I used a lightweight blanket over it on my side. That worked a treat. We just assumed it was an oversight by the (very lovely) hosts as it was the guestroom, not their own, and we didn’t feel to bother them when we were able to find a solution. 
P.s We are on a sit in SW France right now where its been exceptionally cold & rainy- rather unseasonal- much more like April weather- very changeable. I’ve been using an electric blanket the last 2 weeks & very happy to have a warm duvet! The hubby sticks his feet out to cool off but I’m using a hot water bottle to keep mine toasty! We all have different comfort levels!! I was expecting to be basking in the sun & using the pool in May but the weather in this region is like UK- always changing!
We’ve also had sits where we were too cold & no extra bedding to be found. I find that more uncomfortable.
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it can get cold and damp in the UK, and it’s still spring for the next 3 weeks, so I think it’s a blessing to have been given a warm duvet! But if it is too warm, maybe send a message to the HO so they can tell you where to find a lighter set? It’s funny you say it’s your real bug bear, as for me, being given a duvet while on a UK sit is what I’m most grateful for! Hosts that want me to be comfy and cozy at night are my favourite.
I’m sure communicating this to your HO will help solve the problem.
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It’s definitely not summer in the UK, we’ve just entered Spring and the temperatures will be up and down for several weeks to come. If you are too warm just take it out of it’s cover and use that or open the window and enjoy your sit.
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It has happened to us a few times, the last time being a couple of weeks ago whilst we were in Australia - the quilt there was too light.
We just pop down to the local discount shop and buy a cheap one.
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Welcome @crocomben .
Summer in the U.K. can mean thunder and hail and low temperatures or a scorching heat wave and **all in the same week!! **
We have just finished a sit in U.K. which started with torrential rain 
and low temperatures and ended in sunshine 
and heat. That’s UK weather for you 
The tog rating comes down to personal comfort. I have read complaints on this forum on about U.K. homes being too cold for sitters from overseas .
So I don’t think it’s fair to say that this is ridiculous , it’s just not comfortable for you . Some sitters take their own sheets so that’s always an option . Or as others have said take the duvet out and just use the cover . We did this in a Vrbo holiday home in Normandy last year when there was unexpected heatwave .
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It must be England you’re talking about.I live in Scotland i still have my 15.5 tog and furry blanket on top of that. Not my hot water bottle though because it’s nearly into June soon.
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It must be England you’re talking about.I live in Scotland i still have my 15.5 tog and furry blanket on top of that. Not my hot water bottle though because it’s nearly into June soon.
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Looking to do a Scottish sit soon - will keep that in mind .
Hi @crocomben welcome to our Community Forum as an experienced sitter with 48 great reviews, you must have some amazing experiences to share with our community we look forward to hearing about them.
Your sit is lovely and highly recommended by 12 previous sitters and while being too warm might be a bit inconvenient, it wouldn’t be for me as I feel the cold dreadfully, you’ve had some great feedback and suggestions, like using the duvet cover to sleep under … I’m going to make another suggestion Amazon , 4.5 tog duvet £9 delivered in 24 hours and donate to a charity shop when you leave …
Welcome again and enjoy connecting with our members from around the world.
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It has to be a heatwave before I am willing to give up my 13.5 tog and there has to be ice on the windows before my husband is willing to give up his 4 tog - In order to stave off divorce proceedings we gave up the sharing of bed malarky many years ago!
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Yes, and in the US my husband uses two quilts on his side and I use a weighted blanket (or as he calls it, a lead blanket) plus quilt on my side.
But I want to mention the fabulous bedding here at my current sit. There are real linen pillowcases, a fitted sheet and duvet cover and they are so snuggly. I’m going to look into getting them for myself. I guess this is why bedding is called linens—because that’s what it was. The HO bought them here: https://www.secretlinenstore.com/
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Good suggestion from @Angela-HeadOfCommunity.
If you do decide to buy your own and want to donate it when the sit is finished RSPCA and other animal shelters accept non feather duvets for their animal sanctuaries. So it’s a win win .
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Hi @crocomben. I understand what you’re saying but sheets and blanket combo is rather unusual in UK homes. Of course the HO could have provided a summer duvet with a much lower tog rating. You’ll just have to work with what you’ve got!
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That’s exactly what I did on a sit in Spain recently @Smiley. It was cold enough for a duvet but then warmed up a lot at night so I removed the duvet and just used the cover as a top sheet!
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My husband and I have all kinds of experience with bedding that doesn’t work for us. One of the first things my husband does when renting a hotel room is take the duvet out of the duvet cover. He does this every time, as he hates duvets, even light ones (Don’t ask me why. I love them 
.) Sometimes I end up with the duvet on top of the duvet cover on my side of the bed.
When we’re in the US we travel with our favorite light and heavy blankets. We initially included them in the pared-down things we travel with for when we tent camp, but over the years they’ve also come in handy in hotels, vacation rentals, and pet sits. While we were in Spain last winter we used every blanket in the place and bought a heavier one to stay warm. We were snug-as-bugs-in-a-rug, and donated the blanket we’d purchased before leaving.
Flexibility is key. Use what’s available in the best way for you, and, if that’s not enough, talk with the pet parents to see if there’s something else available.
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I’ve had to do it in the UK, sometimes it’s even been too hot for the cover!
Oh my, I’m American and I don’t understand anything you guys are talking about. What is a tog and what do the different numbers mean?
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