Just bought an Alpkit Filo down jacket….wow…what a great jacket and what amazing value!

They are good. I got one for the Mrs last year and thinking about swapping my North Face for one this year.

Yep agree. I bought one last year and was pleasantly surprised by the quality. Like all of these down jackets, they are made of very lightweight material that I think won’t last 15yrs+ like my old Rab jacket it replaced, but it is as good as, if not better than the big name brands £50-100 more. I just wish I’d bought another one in the summer sale when they were £60!

Thank you for this post lads, I am waiting delivery of a Filo for my wife to go with her North Face gillet. But till now I was not sure if I had bought right.
Guess I have now

MrsSalmon has one and it’s good. I wouldn’t say it’s quite as nice as my 15 year old Rab, but then the equivalent of that now looks to be about £180. If I found myself needing a new one now I’d get a Filo I reckon. In fact I like the sound of the Filoment…

in fact I like the sound of the Filoment…

Me too, will be interesting to see what price it starts selling at.

We bought them in the sales, great jackets, good value even at regular price compared to some of the other brands.

I bought the gillet thing but never wore it, so sold it on here. I did think it was quite small for the sizing.

We’ve both got Filo jackets. Was brilliant last year in the terrible mid-west winter (-25 degrees some mornings!)

On the womens sizing- is it a true or small 10? Mrs is an 8.

I have a Rab, mrs has an Alpkit. Hers is better.

How are they if you get caught in the rain? Does it damage them?

+1 great kit at great price. Better than north face equivalent IMHO.

I’ve been caught in a few rain showers and its been fine but I’ve managed to avoid true drenching’s so far.

How are they if you get caught in the rain? Does it damage them?

Same as any other down jacket really, has a DWR coating for showers but if completely soaked through it does still keep you warm.

We the Gillet and the full filo jackets. It’s like being outside in a duvet 🙂 Both lasted well considering they get used throughout the winter for walking the mutt. There’s some coating on the outside that beads the rain a bit, but don’t think it’s recommended you get them very wet.

What do people think of the mahoosive drop-tail at the back? Made me feel a bitl like a duck-billed platypus, but they are brilliant value for money.

On the womens sizing- is it a true or small 10? Mrs is an 8.

Based on proxy experience of the women’s version, they’re not particularly fitted. I have a feeling that the ‘er in the kennel went for the smallest size available and it was still a little on the loose side of things. I’d drop Alpkit a line though, the cut may have changed in the last 12 months and they’re always happy to give advice.

they are made of very lightweight material that I think won’t last 15yrs

Can confirm, out walking the dog and a bramble ripped the crap out of the back of my Filo, it was less than 2 weeks old, my fault really. Got in touch with Alpkit though and they patched it, looks crap(ish) still keeps me warm. Top service, thanks Alpkit.

they are made of very lightweight material that I think won’t last 15yrs

I buy to keep longterm so thats worrying. I’ve always bought Mammut and still have a 13yr old softshell thats been fallen in etc etc etc, had northface in the interim and it shreds. It seems some manufacturers go ultra lightweight etc and skimp on construction- the more ‘fashion’ end?

Mammut of late has been hit and miss but I still buy chosen pieces. I was thinking of a Alpkit for mrshora as the extent of her travels are house-tram-work in winter.

The wife’s just arrived today cracking bit of kit I am impressed I hope she is

Hows does it compare to the Montane?

Can you only buy from the Alpkit website?

” but if completely soaked through it does still keep you warm.”

^^^
Well that’s not true. if down gets wey it almost completely loses its insulation properties. Synthetic fill like primaloft maintains warmth when wet. Down doesnt

Well that’s not true. if down gets wey it almost completely loses its insulation properties. Synthetic fill like primaloft maintains warmth when wet. Down doesnt

My other halfs Filo and my North Face down jacket are both still very warm even when soaked so strictly speaking you can’t claim it’s not true.

I agree down loses it’s insulation properties to a degree but modern down jackets coat the down to help it avoid saturation with water.

I agree down loses it’s insulation properties to a degree

If it’s untreated down then it loses it completely, I’ve ended up with two sheets of Pertex and a small soggy lump of down in the corner of each baffle when drenched wearing a Rab down jacket.

Hows does it compare to the Montane?

montane isn’t up and coming VW T5/dogs/work in new media -fashion wear though.

😀

So Montane gone a bit soft?

Montane – tick (and Rab and Paramo, but no Alpkit clothing 😐 )
VW T5 – tick
Dogs – nope
Work in new media – IT desk jockey

What’s everyone using these things for? The drop tail looks odd. TBH I think there are better options for similar money from Montane, Haglofs, RAB etc.

but modern down jackets coat the down to help it avoid saturation with water.

Some of them do. Most don’t I don’t think.

I agree down loses it’s insulation properties to a degree but modern down jackets coat the down to help it avoid saturation with water.

One or two brands are using treated hydrophobic down – Berghaus for example, and Rab – most don’t, but generally the shell fabrics will have some sort of DWR treatment so they should cope with light showers okay, but eventually they’ll leak at the seams.

Untreated down loses its ability to loft if it gets properly wet and then needs careful drying with agitation to recover its loft afterwards, water-repellent down dries faster and recovers more fully without special drying. Bt generally, wet down, doesn’t keep much of its insulation properties when wet through, but if its just the shell getting damp it’ll be okay.

If you’re looking at using down regularly in conditions where it might get wet, you’re probably better off with a synthetic alternative. Primaloft is very good, but there are others too.