[Closed] PSA: Alpkit Filo Down jackets back in stock

Cheers, ordered a rocket/black.

shame the price went up a bit but still a quality bit of kit.

I'm a proponent of good value kit (and in particular Alpkit's), but I can't help feeling the Filo is a little pricey now.

I bought a Montane North Star for £144 a couple of weeks ago, with good offerings from Rab and ME in the same price bracket.

There are a lot of bargains to be had on technical kit these days.

Bringing the Filo down to the £100 mark (if that is even doable) would put it back as a serious contender to more expensive down jackets.

I bought mine last year for £95 and whilst I love it, I think Alpkit are being greedy with their pricing. At £95 it's a great buy but at £120 it's edging close to some of the better brands.
I was going to order one for my GF but for £129 I've ordered the Montane North Star instead which was on offer online. The Montane has a better down quality and looks less budget. Sorry Alpkit but I think you're forgetting your audience.

I've got 2 Filo's (an early non-hooded one and a newer one) and really like the look of the blue with lime green lining one but can't justify another.

Now the price has gone up so much I'd probably get a Rab one now anyway. I think I paid £50-60 for the first one so they've doubled in price in something like 5 years. Crazy.

Price up but a complete redesign, looks a bit fancier and should have wider appeal.
Are label snobs going to buy Alpkit though?

Had mine for a few years now, excellent bit of kit - really well made.
Maybe they should have kept the old one going as a budget option?

I was going to order one for my GF but for £129 I've ordered the Montane North Star instead which was on offer online. The Montane has a better down quality and looks less budget.

She won't be disappointed. I tried about a dozen down jackets over the last couple of weeks before settling on the North Star. Had its first outing at the weekend. Around -20 in the wind and I was toasty whilst stood around on a summit at 5am taking photographs. Great fit too (much better than most of the other jackets I tried), love the hood and high front (proper, non detachable hood that fits easily over my helmet), nice and long, comes with a good dry bag which has proven its worth already.

I suspect the Alpkit will be warmer than the North Star, despite its spec. I have a North Star and I'm disappointed with the warmth - my Hagloffs Primaloft is warmer, cheaper and more weather resistant. Filo rated top for warmth in some major mag test last year I think. Sure, the Filo price has certainly jumped a bit, but why shouldn't it, they sell out quickly every year and Alpkit is a business, not a charity. I reckon these will still shift like hot cakes.

What do you wear the North Star for wl?

I definitely agree that the Filo is a warm jacket and indeed probably a bit warmer than the North Star (although the NS is sold as a lightweight down jacket), but the fit of the Filo wasn't great for me. Plus...a detachable hood...something that really grinds my gears for some reason, can't understand why companies do this (it's not just Alpkit).

The DWR coating on the Filo seemed decent, but I didn't have a chance to properly test it (although, nor would I want to, I wouldn't be sticking on a down jacket if there was a chance of it getting wet, I've got other stuff for that), I just couldn't get past the detachable hood hahaha!

Thanks for the heads up - been waiting ages for them to come back in stock I got the green/yellow one and a stuff bag - I've walked around quite a few outdoor shops around Morz/Cham and the price different on some of this stuff is epic! Decathalon do a very similar one for about 90£ which is more like the older filo jacket. I'm happy paying and supporting alpkit though as they do a lot of handy bits and bobs

Wearing in bothies/tents all year round. Admittedly mine is a sample sale North Star and was half price at £90, but I was assured it's exactly the same as a production jacket in terms of fill quality/quantity (and its weight backs this up). Just doesn't feel that 'full' of down, particularly in some of the chambers around the front. I put on my Hagloffs Barrier Zone Hood and I immediately feel warmer. Still, the Montane's hood and stuff sack are ace and it is a very light jacket with decent features and DWR. Happy with it for £90, but would be very disappointed if I'd paid full price.

I like Alpkit stuff - i like their company ethos and the fact they design and make equipment designed for use in this country (and beyond), i'd much rather support a small british company that takes immense pride in their products and support the "scene" so to speak, and so what if it costs a couple of £ extra over the previous years model/design? - it's a better design, good quality down, popper hood which i see others have an issue with but i for one prefer a popper hood and fleece lined handwarmer pockets and zip pullers i can grab with gloves.
Everything has went up in price recently - christ my Leccy bill has went up by £140 compared to last year so what's a £20 increase for a jacket designed with care and attention to detail. I've had a fair few bits n' bobs off them over the years but for some reason i've never owned one of their down jackets or vests as i've always went "Rab" for such stuff but with my last Rab Neutrino vest the baffles collapsed, stitching came apart, the zip is temperamental and it's not all that warm, for those reasons i think it's about time i tried a Filo, and the most important point is i like the rocket green colour 😀

That's interesting wl. One of the first things I noticed was that, despite its slim profile, each baffle seemed to be quite full and with no loose areas of outer fabric.

Mine is being used as a belay/summit jacket, so it's thrown on over the top of other stuff (which is why a slim profile is so useful), but if I was going to pick something for wearing over just a layer then I probably would want something bulkier and warmer.

Fair point. And it's always possible that mine isn't quite as full or evenly distributed as a production model. A couple of the front baffles do seem a bit under-filled.

Alpkit make good value kit even with this increase. Good kit at a good price is good.

I agree they have a bit more competition at this price and people will buy accordingly. TNF nuptse jacket isnt as good but sits at retail 180 quid... people are still buying it for some reason, mainly a logo as they walk down the high street.

I am a bit sick of the mass 'company bashing' going on in Blighty, companies should be allowed to make a profit, thats what they are supposed to do. They arent a charity. They make decisions on price based on costs to produce, costs to keep the company going and overheads. Its not random. Generally most dont think, 'oooh how much can we rip off our customers by this year'. A fair profit is fair to make.

I guess I'll get flamed, better see what the going rate is for a fire proof Filo on their site! 😉

I agree they have a bit more competition at this price and people will buy accordingly. TNF nuptse jacket isnt as good but sits at retail 180 quid... people are still buying it for some reason, mainly a logo as they walk down the high street.

I am a bit sick of the mass 'company bashing' going on in Blighty, companies should be allowed to make a profit, thats what they are supposed to do. They arent a charity.

The Nuptse can be had for less than the Filo though, despite its retail tag.

I don't think anyone is bashing Alpkit here (I actually own about half of the things they make and love most of them), but Alpkit's model has always been about cutting out the middle man, offering fairly basic but excellent value kit, for low prices.

The problem seems to be that you can now buy Rab/Mountain Equipment/Montane etc for the same or less money.

Whether the Alpkit stuff is in fact better is almost irrelevant, since I suspect that many people still consider Alpkit to be a bit more of a "budget" brand and ME/Rab to be more of a premium brand - so when faced with a Alpkit and ME/Rab offering at the same price, they think they are getting a better deal on the ME/Rab so will go for that.

Alpkit cornered a section of the market at a time when premium brands were still selling closer to RRP, but now it's all filtering down and Alpkit don't have as much of an edge as they used to.

A few years back, if you wanted to spend under £100 and get a good down jacket, Alpkit was about your only choice, but still a good one.

Now, at the £120 price bracket, you could choose from a lot more (Alpkit has gone up and the others have come down, probably far more so of the latter).

Supermarket style outdoor shops and online retailing (as in most industries) has probably played a huge part.

People knocking Alpkit for being 'greedy' need to take a reality check. The bottom line is that production costs in the Far East are rising fast because, guess what, people don't want to work in factories for peanuts, so labour costs are increasing as are material costs, transportation etc.

A lot of outdoor kit is going to get significantly more expensive over the next few years and it's not because brands, and particuarly small brands like Alpkit are greedy rip-off merchants, it's because they're trying to survive and make a living.

If you want the flipside of that, ironically, Alpkit has opened a small UK production facility where they're producing bouldering mats and their bikepacking stuff, which is partly because increasing production costs elsewhere make it more commercially viable for them to manufacture at home.

For years cheap labour in Asia has effectively subsidised the price of our consumer goods, while people slagged far eastern factories off as sweat shops which exploited local people. Now that they're having to pay their workers more and improve conditions to attract workers, people are complaining that stuff costs too much. Go figure.

People knocking Alpkit for being 'greedy' need to take a reality check

One person suggested they were being greedy.

Just for comparison
Rab/ME use 650+/675+ fill power down in their nearest equiv. jackets, Alpkit use 600+ fill power down, so lower quality.
Rab/ME jackets weigh 880gms/780gms, Alpkit weighs 660gms, so Alpkit is lower fill power and lower weight overall, so it will not be as warm as the Rab/ME.
Rab/ME £180rrp/£170rrp, Alpkit £120rrp. they all have hoods and similar constructions and materials.
It all seems about right to me, you get what you pay for, but the Alpkit Jacket isn't quite the bargain it used to be. I'd certainly still buy an Alpkit at £120, but Rab/ME ones will be warmer, if that's what you want (not sure about better), the Alpkit is lighter, if that's what you want.

You should be aware that the whole fill power measurement thing is a mess. Apparently they've just redone the protocol for measuring and the down is now pre-fluffed with a hair-drier. And then there's the US/Eu divide.

There's also more to the warmth of a down jacket than the quality and quantity of down. The Filo, coincidentally, became significantly better last year because Alpkit switched to a lighter face fabric which allowed the down to loft more easily and work much better as a result, though on paper it was the same quality and quantity of fill.

Anyway, the reality is that for most real UK use other than going to the pub and sitting around in freezing huts, PrimaLoft and similar synthetics are more practical than down. 😐

Despite the competition being closer after discount, still like the look of the Alpkit.

How are they in terms of sizing? Torn between a med or large (erring towards med). Is the large super roomy in comparison?

I've got to agree, I feel Alpkit may have missed the mark on this one. I've got last yrs Filo and have been pestering Alpkit to understand when this years models were due to come in as the Mrs would like one as her North Face Jacket has had its best days. My Filo, although super warm, in my opinion, its easy to see that it is a budget jacket, the anti-catch for the zip doesnt do its job well as the zip always catches, a number of loose threads have needed to be cut away. Dont get me wrong, nothing worth complaining about and wouldnt put me off buying another £100 jacket. A comparable Rab or ME may have a better fill, use better materials and be finished to a higher standard for not much more money, then I'll buy one of them. Sorry Alpkit.

You should be aware that the whole fill power measurement thing is a mess.

Rab/ME use 650+/675+ fill power down in their nearest equiv. jackets, Alpkit use 600+ fill power down, so lower quality.

Yeah, but like I said, the Alpkit down is Eu rated whereas the Rab, for one, is US rated, so in reality, probably very close in performance. Anyway, that's what I mean about it being confusing. You quote figures based on different standards then say that the Alpkit down is 'lower quality'. It might be, but those figures don't necessarily prove that.

Which Rab and ME jackets do you reckon are 'equivalent' to the Filo then?

Which Rab and ME jackets do you reckon are 'equivalent' to the Filo then?

Anyway, the reality is that for most real UK use other than going to the pub and sitting around in freezing huts, PrimaLoft and similar synthetics are more practical than down.

I don't know anyone who has every bought a down jacket as their go to insulator for general UK sports/outdoors use though.

It serves quite a specific purpose - something lightweight and packs down small which you can use to keep warm when immobile (belaying, summits, tents, kicking around, waiting for your turn on a route etc).

I reckon, at the weekend in winter, in a 24 hour day I spend 8 hours mobile (so wearing climbing/walking kit etc), 8 hours sleeping (so in sleeping bag) and the other 8 hours I'm immobile (mornings and evenings in particular, so I put on nice dry and warm down jacket).

Sure, you could get away with just using the same primaloft jacket you've been wearing under your shell all day (and I often do), but it's nice to have something that is dry and doesn't stink when you arrive back at camp after a long, cold day.

I agree though, there are much better and cheaper options for dog walking etc and anyone who takes a down jacket to use as their main insulation layer on a weekend in the UK probably hasn't checked the weather forecast. Ever 🙂

I'm just wondering. Both ME and Rab have sort of entry-level down jackets at around the £130 mark, but then neither of those has a hood. If you want a hooded down jacket from either of those brands, you're looking at a fair bit more I think.

And I'm guessing that one of the reasons the Filo isn't cheaper is that it includes quite a complicated, wired-peak, down-filled hood.

I've used the Mark 1 Filo, which was slightly basic, if very affordable, and last year's upgraded one with the lightweight fabric, which is a lot slicker and warmer. I'm not sure I'd be able to tell the difference in performance between that and one of the significantly more expensive alternatives in performance.

The big step-up is to box-wall construction, but that's heavier and more expensive. I use PrimaLoft a lot more in UK conditions than down anyway, the only that might change that is the new hydrophobic, water-resistant down, then again that's also pretty damn expensive.

Anyway...

Sure, you could get away with just using the same primaloft jacket you've been wearing under your shell all day (and I often do), but it's nice to have something that is dry and doesn't stink when you arrive back at camp after a long, cold day.

You wear PrimaLoft under your shell all day? Really? I'm not surprised it stinks... 😉

You wear PrimaLoft under your shell all day? Really? I'm not surprised it stinks...

Oh indeed it does! Thankfully all my synthetic jackets wash really well!

That's a MAJOR benefit.

I often wear an old primaloft belay jacket in my sleeping bag too, so being able to wash it is an absolute must. I'd be forced to travel alone otherwise I think 🙂

ME Dewline might have been the nearest at one time, but no hood and not available anymore, so unfair to compare now. Doing a quick search, this came up, pic of me as well :-)[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/psa-mountain-equipment-down-jackets-95 ]http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/psa-mountain-equipment-down-jackets-95[/url]

I'm not an ME fanboy BTW, honest.

You wear PrimaLoft under your shell all day? Really? I'm not surprised it stinks...
Oh indeed it does! Thankfully all my synthetic jackets wash really well!

That's a MAJOR benefit.

I often wear an old primaloft belay jacket in my sleeping bag too, so being able to wash it is an absolute must. I'd be forced to travel alone otherwise I think

I'd just boil in the bag if I did that. But if it works for you, then it makes sense I guess.

ME Dewline might have been the nearest at one time, but no hood and not available anymore, so unfair to compare now. Doing a quick search, this came up, pic of me as well http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/psa-mountain-equipment-down-jackets-95

I'm not an ME fanboy BTW, honest.

The Xero, which is what the link in your thread refers to, is now £220... Blimey 🙂

The Xero, which is what the link in your thread refers to, is now £220... Blimey

I've got last years bodywarmer and its toasty. Bought brand new off here for £50 🙂

I love my Filo, absolutely bang on for standing on the touchline for an hour watching son play football on a Sunday, if it is raining I'll take a brolly.

Was pretty good to use to boost my sleeping bag temp when Bivvying in January too.

And good for poncing about on the high st. What more could you want?

Wife is getting one for Christmas.

Too much IMO. I dont 'get' the alpkit fanboism either. To me it camping kit and a sort of Fatface online.

Which bits of Alpkit stuff do you own Hora?

Seriously, that's a contender for daftest thing you've ever said.

They do functional, minimalist outdoor gear at good prices.

Fat Face? Really?

Fatface = souless clothing. Designs are different but as a premise soething is equally missing (for me).. The STW mag feature made me cringe. Why was it so long? ...'and here is the person in charge of marketing whose favourite item is' (why?).

So which bits of Alpkit stuff do you use?

And 'souless'?
It's not about seeking justification and self worth from an inanimate object.
It's about stuff that works very well in the outdoors at a good price and with minimum faff.

The advertising and web site comes over to me as a bit of a knowing parody of other, more pretentious brands.

If thats true why are you getting attached/emotive over such a site then? You used the term 'daftest yet'. Why not pop my comment into 'its his opinion/hes wrong but thats some folk' rather than trying to insult someone personally?

I can see what Hora means, Alpkit do some hats and gloves that you could easily find in a Fatface store.

What I need help with is finding the Fatface tents, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, ti mugs, tent pegs, drybags, headtorches, framebags, bivvy bags, tarps, bouldering mats????

I'm sorry if I've upset you Hora, that wasn't my intention.
It was just meant as banter in the context of discussion.

I am really impressed bt the jacket, torch, bivvy bag and three rucksacs I've had from Alpkit.
They've worked really well and saved me a lot of money.
Because they are such good value they've enabled me to do things I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford to do, in comfort and safety, with the cash I've saved.
That's why I'd have no hesitation in recommending them to others.

Once again, apologies if I've offended you.
I still have no idea what you're on about by the way.
What, exactly is 'missing' from the products that you have used?

Theres nothing wrong with the kit. Its just that, it does the job as do many many do. The price is ok however with abit of shopping round nowadays you can pick up lots. I just (personally) don't get the bigging' up. Happened with Howies for a while. Its just clothing/kit. The STW spread wound me up abit as your paying a fair whack for a mag then got that as content. Sorry to hijack the thread BTW.

blimey I just posted up some news that the new filo jackets were available, didnt quite expect to see so much banter following on.

I like Alpkit as a brand as others have said, good kit and a good price.

I've worked with a few marketing types recently who tell me that when we buy something one of three things need to be satisfied in our heads to help us buy a brand. Technical, emotional and mythological - allegedly if one or more is satisfied then we will be more like to buy it. I guess we're all different and the question on us being satisfied is individual. Kinda makes sense.

For me Alpkit Filo jackets ticked the box, techniocally they work, emotionally I like the look of the jacket and its association with the outdoor world.. mythically? no idea about that one. But I guess the jackets seem to have a pretty good reputation.

Does anybody know this science better?

True, I'm just being a grumpy **** 8)

Theres nothing wrong with the kit. Its just that, it does the job as do many many do. The price is ok however with abit of shopping round nowadays you can pick up lots. I just (personally) don't get the bigging' up. Happened with Howies for a while. Its just clothing/kit. The STW spread wound me up abit as your paying a fair whack for a mag then got that as content. Sorry to hijack the thread BTW.

This is just rubbish even by your standards. Alpkit works in a similar way to On One in that they design and source a lot of their own kit, then import and sell it direct, which allows them to undercut more conventionally structured brands. Some of their kit is cheap and cheerful, but decent value like the Gamma head torch, but a lot of it - their lightweight down bags for example, is simply very good functional kit at a blindingly good price.

If you have an issue with the magazine for running a feature on them that you didn't like, then have a pop at the mag, not the brand ffs.

If you have an issue with the magazine for running a feature on them that you didn't like, then have a pop at the mag, not the brand ffs.

Its on the mags own forum which is read by their mods and Editor.

I rather liked reading about the alpkit crew and factory, in the same way i'd enjoy a feature on Reynolds steel, or endura, or hope, or betd, or any of the small frame builders/product designers around this country and beyond. It's stuff i use therefore i have an interest in the ethos and design/thought process behind it's construction.

Perhaps i'm just a geek?

Its on the mags own forum which is read by their mods and Editor.

No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm getting at is that if you're cross about a feature you think is overlong or irrelevant then be cross about the feature not the company that it's about. You seem to have gone through some bizarre transference process where initially it was Alpkit's fault that ST wrote about them before some furious back-pedalling to the point where it's actually the magazine you don't like...

It seems odd.

Now you've lost me.

Now you've lost me.

Welcome to our world... 😉

Go nice places, do good things. Who doesn't want to do that? Whether it is standing on the touchline cheering on your kids, or wild camping in the Cairngorms in Winter?

Nice marketing, getting the reason why they make the kit the same as the reason someone might want to wear it.

Always been happy with my Alpkit stuff. My filo jacket was a bargain £50quid, mind you it is snotter green, but still. Going strong after 4 years.

The gamma torch is the best one I own, although the tailight has quit working. (The dog gets the blame for that, she was wearing it when she dived into a duck pond)

For me their stuff just works.

Howies stuff has never fitted me properly, I was getting fed up with the "preachy" element, as I perceived it.

My filo jacket was a bargain £50quid

I'd still look at Filo if I could justify a new jacket. I like them, I like their products. Look! You can see them on the website. You can buy things off actual people. I like the way they make their mistakes in public, eg recent cheap tents that weren't up to scratch. Bouldering mats, great thoughtful products at good prices. Big Shakeout. Bivvi bag unbeatable. The Gamma is a modern classic, though I'm still waiting see what they can do for 30 or 40 quid. That'd be superb.

Sadly my Rab down pullover gets most use at the moment walking to school on a chilly day. For that it's great.

I presume Hora is refering to the whole Alpkit 'lifestyle' thing, which they portray. Lots of pretty climber types enjoying life and having fun in dreamy locations, with VW camper van in shot. And the likes of STW employees lapping it all up.
I actually have to admit they do it well and can imagine a lot of people wanting to associate/buy in with their portrayed lifestyle/scene. Especially as they are what they say they are, a bunch of outdoor types.

Sitting here at the moment in my new Filo Jacket, roasty-toasty indeed and good sizing, i got a small and it fits perfect. I went for the kermit green option as all my other down jackets/gillets have been black so i felt i needed a bit of colour in my life for a change - very nicely made and the Kermit colour is rather fetching in the flesh, the popper hood fits very well and all the draw cords work as they should and are easy to use, even with gloves on. Sturdy YKK zip in a matching colour to the jacket and nice fleecy lined outer pockets, and a handy inside pocket as well.

Very impressed for the price and i'm more than happy, especially wi the knowledge that if something does go wrong wi it or i damage it in any way i can call them up directly and they'll do all they can to help me out. That's why i bought it, british company run by real folk you can speak to and all that.

Am I a douchebag for wearing Fat-Face stuff?

I don't have any brand obsession, loyalty or anything else; they just sell okay jeans for £12. I've noticed that my wife buys our kids a lot of Joules stuff and I have to admit; it irons well. But should I say something, I've never thought about this stuff before.

I actually fancied the Filo but as the logo isn't stitched then I thought it looked cheap.

**** hope not as i've got a thick knit fat-face jumper i'm rather attached to.

The logo isn't stiched for a very good reason, it's ultralite micro ripstop fabric and unnecessary stitching is to be avoided.

Sounds a bit tech for glamping then.

Am I a douchebag for wearing Fat-Face stuff?

Sorry to break this to you, but yes. Yes you are.

At least it's not Next I suppose.

Its just clothing/kit.

There's something wrong with Next too? Wtf is going on here. What can I wear?

My new Filo turned up and I think it's ace and better than a couple of other down jackets I tried.

it's toaster warm this week in the bad frost and cold, -4 was fine. I like it lots.

There's something wrong with Next too? Wtf is going on here. What can I wear?

I've got a surplus hand knitted by blind african children burlap cloth sack that my organic horse-shit hand reared potatoes came in - you can have it you like for £99.99 - comes with a certificate n' everything, still got a bit of genuine horse-shit staining on one corner that looks suspiciously like the figure of a little baby jesus being passed through mary's birth canal, cut a few holes in it and you could wear it as a long shirt?.

My filo arrived on Mon, cracking fit and really warm, great green with zest inside. Wife thinks I'm stupid buying that colour but I don't care! It has been confiscated to be wrapped up for Christmas... Bummer

Go on, what's the sizing like? I do like the green/zest. Wor lass is feeling a bit guilty about getting me a Bergause Furnace micro pile for only £37.50. She's getting a very tidy Karen Millen trench coat and a pair of nice shoes.

So, I'm a large in Rab, Bergause athletic cut stuff and generally a medium in Next, Howies, Fat face, Joules, Sea Salt, RL, etc. which way do I jump for a Filo?

I've got a Uniqlo ultralight down parka and gilet, about £50 and £40 with discount. Hardly high mountain stuff, but warm and light and cheap and no logos at all and suits me just fine.
Alpkit and RAB stuff looks nice, but I can't justify their prices at all.

Seanoc Im a similar size by the sounds of it, the large filo is perfect for me with a fleece/jumper underneath

I am sometimes a large and occasionally a medium, defo a large in the Filo for me. Little Bit of room underneath and the arms are the right length!

My brill wife picked up a bergaus Ramche (sp?) from the Berghaus outlet for Christmas.....here's one very happy (and warm) glamper!

Ta for the sizing advice on the Filo though.