MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
'Er indoors has just received her new Fantom down jacket.
Congrats, you do nice products in realistic fits.
Yep, it was about £40 more expensive than the Filo she's just worn out (all down jackets look better with gaffer tape, but there's a limit. The old one lasted well, but was hammered) but it's so much better.
Nicer zips, a better hood, tougher materials, a better fit.
Very impressed.
I bought light and midweight synthetic jackets from the Betwys store a few weeks ago and genuinely cannot fault them.
The staff were spot on too - no bullshit, very knowledgeable about the products.
I bought another Gourdon 20 and it's just as good as the old ones.
I love the fact I can now see the gear in a shop.
I expected a huge amount of compromises, it can't be cheap to get into retail, but it was bloody obvious that the product is top quality.
Very, very impressed.
Another fan here...
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/2903/33877876422_0a9d883dc7.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/2903/33877876422_0a9d883dc7.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/TBEYnC ]Alpkit Clip Tea Flask, Great Dodd Summit[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
Yep all good from the stuff I've bought & online Comms top notch too. Would buy again...wait I already have
Yeah, I went camping recently and realised I was walking around like an Alpkit advert. Love it.
I've had three products recently.
One broken zip, and holes in both pairs of shorts within days.
Strike rate 3/3.
Poor quality but good marketing it appears.
Not a patch on Howies and not particularly cheap. And I really want to like them as they're based close to me.
Yup, yup, yup. the bikes are good, too!
One broken zip, and holes in both pairs of shorts within days
What did Alpkit say when you told them?
On my 2nd filo and its lasting well. Only really comes out in winter.
What I also want, if anyone has any not too expensive recommendations is a half zip/smock down in what alpkit call 'micro baffle', as in small pockets of down and not too bulky, as a warm insulating layer under a jacket or heavier jumper, or to throw on in the colder late summer evenings.
What did Alpkit say when you told them?
The zip gillet has just been replaced.
Shorts are new. Will fix myself but probably avoid in future. Two pairs same hole just under zip. Rubbish.
Good customer service is great but I don't want to be calling on it every time I buy something.
Just doesn't look well made stuff to me, even if they designs are great.
Compare that with Howies shorts of similar material and design. Must be 4 years now and I've hammered then.
I’ve bought a shit ton of bikepacking gear from them, it’s all good, good quality, good comms when ordering.
Some of it is a bit pricey, but I don’t mind that because it lasts.
I don't think it's pricey actually.
Compared with my PHD down jacket - which is double the cost. But in a different league.
It's gotten a lot more pricey in the last 2-3 years imo. Same prices as Rab now, and not that much cheaper than Patagonia etc in a lot of cases.
I think the quality is well up there now.
The zip backing, the drawstrings for the hood, all the little things are spot on.
The quality of the fabrics is much improved too. I was a huge fan of the Filo, still have mine, but this is in a different league.
Got an embarrassing amount of their stuff, wear their midlayers more or less 6 days a week.
Only thing I've bought that I was disappointed with is the balance waterproof. Pathetically non waterproof now despite using the nikwax washin reproof they recommend. Got wet through walking 100m from tent to toilet block last week. Going to fabsil it I think.
My experience of Alpkit is that the prices have shot up but the quality is the same. Some of the things I buy seem to last but most are very fragile, often a bit weirdly designed or fitting, and definitely not as good as the premium brands that they now equal in price. Not sure why they still have the avid fan base these days tbh
I'd tend to agree Shermer, I've had a few bits n bobs that weren't bad, not great, but at a price that was reflective.
Had a wander round the store in Edinburgh, it's not cheap now. Jackets up there with the big boys now, I'm not taking a punt on a 200 odd quid jacket though, I'll stick to the likes of ME, Montane or Rab.
I think you have to be a bit selective in what you look at/choose from their range. Some is decent kit and good value, other items aren't.
Five years ago more of their stuff was on the good value side of that line. Whether that's due to having to finance the physical shops, a decline in quality or an increase in my expectations I'm not sure. Maybe a bit of all three.
The down products (jackets and sleeping bags) are a good example. I've an early Filo jacket which has higher fill power down than the current model. It was also well under half the price. It's a good jacket but at the current price it's starting to get towards PHD territory - I've a PHD jacket as well BTW and it's in another class but at standard retail price so it should be. Incidentally the price of down rose dramatically about three years ago and everyone's down products went up quite significantly.
Yeah I’m with Sherman. We had the Alpkit Brukit replaced 3 times and even then the gas flow was poor so we gave up on it. My Pipedream bag got lumpy and cold (yes I do know how to care for down - never had the same with my Rab stuff). We had some of the first gen bikepacking stuff - it was ok but only ok (waggled a lot) but reflected the price at the time - new restrap stuff is a lot better. Woman’s clothing is a really odd fit with most stuff way too short (I’m 5’9”). Still use them but mainly for disposable type stuff like gas, firepot food etc - which is now handy with the new Ilkley store.
Aye, the pipedream bag I bought this year isn't anywhere near as good quality wise as the 10 year old skyehigh I have. I mean the finish, not the down btw.
Agree with Sherman and Whitestone. Find myself visiting their shops when in the area but find I buy less and less. Have an original Filo and then an updated version a few years later and both get used on van trips for evening sitting duty and I have dozens of other items including a sleeping bag that I bought when they opened and is still my goto bag but they are definitely a bit pricey now so I am quite selective. Always liked their ethos and their marketing is appealing but they now have shareholders to satisfy!
As with others - quite mixed results, heading towards negative, which is a shame as the ethos/pr/marketing is spot on and the guys in the shop (Hathersage is local to me) are lovely, but its no longer cheap enough to take a punt on for occasional but hard use.
I destroyed 2 Koalas in short order (less than 30 minutes use each) - the buckles just couldn't hold the pack in place and it ended up in my back wheel (I was in the lakes at the time and AK Ambleside agreed it wasn't at all overpacked). The third one had an Exorail which I snapped the first time it went out. The framepacks and fuel pod have been fine, although not especially waterproof. The Apidura kit I've now got has been utterly trouble free.
Pipedream 200 - bar the tiny pack size, not very well put together and barely useable in a UK summer. I've got a Vango down bag that was half the price, bigger but not vastly so when packed and a hell of a lot warmer.
Hunkas have been fine, sleeping mats mostly good, although my Numo is covered in patches after it rubbed through on the folds in my pack.
Clothing mostly doesn't fit. Tops are baggy in the middle, trousers tight around the thighs (and I have pipecleaner legs). I've got a Smokestone shirt which I live in for half the year - fantastic bit of kit, so I was quite excited when I saw they were doing some lightweight summer shirts - except they're tight under the arms!
Essentially I'd rather buy from the top rank companies in the sales and get stuff that just works trouble free.
They were always a good option for people looking to get into the outdoors/low budget. But given their prices these days I’d send people to decathlon; and people who can/want to spend more, elsewhere.
I think some of their kit is on a par with Arcteryx / Patagonia. Eg for a mid layer insulated windproof piece I've owned and sold on bits from Artecryx, Rab, Patagonia, Black Diamond and currently have an Alpkit Katabatic as my goto jacket. Mainly as its the best fit for me, but can't say it feels in anyway inferior to Arcteryx or Patagonia etc.
but they now have shareholders to satisfy!
All companies have shareholders to satisfy!
Are you a shareholder?
All companies have shareholders to satisfy
But not all businesses.
Are they public?
Are you a shareholder?
No, did look into it but it was massively over subscribed and sold out in half an hour. Would have been happy to buy in though. I like their products and their Ethos.
The info on their share offering is still up: https://alpkit.com/pages/outside-together
Are they public?
Nope.
But not all businesses.
All businesses have owners and owners generally want a return on their investment at some point.
According to their share prospectus they're not paying dividends for the first three years.
They are on fire at the moment with their gear. I have got a waterproof and a pair of jeans by them and they are literally bombproof...well priced too!
All businesses have owners and owners generally want a return on their investment at some point.
According to their share prospectus they’re not paying dividends for the first three years.
Some of us run business without a massive return incentive and just love what we do.
I say that as a company director on not much money.
Was just curious as I didn't know anything about their structure.
I agree with @whitestone. Its changed a lot over the years and you need to pick and choose wisely.
Other brands in the sale are better value.
Also, for a company that won online retailer of the year they are making some howlers with delivering wrong frames, forks etc.
I think it's inevitable in the current market and the rapid expanse of a company trying to train new staff and keep up with demand.
It will be interesting to see where they are in 5 years time and if a new company has come along to fill in the void alpkit left behind of a small niche company selling good quality kit online and at a very competitive price.
All companies have shareholders to satisfy!
Yes but my point was that they have invited others into their team... Having a small group of like minded entrepreneurs risking their time and capital is not the same as selling shares in their company. I realise its not a full on flotation but they do have others who will have an expectation, was my point which I was making in relation to mine and others comments on the quality and cost of their products.
All businesses have owners and owners generally want a return on their investment at some point.
I'm just about to buy a pair of the jeans. Hoping they're as good as I've heard. I used to like going to the Hathersage shop as it's round the corner, but this time I'm shopping online.
Just returned a fleece as the sizing was odd, though quite possibly I'm the odd factor in that equation.
A mate has just got a puppy who has nibbled two of their waterproof jackets. Took them into the Hathersage store at the weekend, £25 to repair them both
Took them into the Hathersage store at the weekend, £25 to repair them both
That's very cheap, I ripped a small hole in a TNF Mountain Jacket mid 90s, they charged me £25 back then to fix it.
That’s very cheap, I ripped a small hole in a TNF Mountain Jacket mid 90s, they charged me £25 back then to fix it.
Yeah it's good value for sure. I suspect it's a loss-leader type thing where they subsidise a heavily-advertised facet of their business that promotes a good sustainable image.
They'll have standard charges based on extent of repair required and the materials involved. Handling and sewing things like lightweight silnylon and silpoly is a different ball game to clothing materials.
Ah, yes - https://alpkit.com/pages/repair-station