PSA: Alpkit Filo Down jackets back in stock

I’m pleased, have been waiting for them to come into stock and just ordered mine… New Alpkit Filo jackets in stock on the website and can be ordered. Enjoy.

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.

I am aware, so many variables. But then, Alpkit are subject to the same measurement mess as everyone else, so that makes it a level mess IMO. Only the persons at the bottom end will bring this up, of course, even if it’s actually a true representation. ME certainly used to be noted for their conservative claims of ratings/warmth etc others, not so. Even if it’s not crystal, you can still make an informed guess and I think the divide in the ratings/weights above is significant enough to be significant, measurement mess or not.

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?

Not sure, I looked for the nearest re materials/design/features. A lot of cheaper jackets don’t have hoods, which obviously is a big plus for the Alpkit at that price.

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 🙂http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-mountain-equipment-down-jackets-95

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://singletrackworld.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

That will be the sleeping bag, the jacket is more like £120rrp (no hood tho). I have the Dewline Jacket and sleeping bag, which is essentially the xero, but from 8 years ago. BTW, it looks like the Dewline/xero jacket is now called Odin.

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?