These look great - if they turn out to work as well as they look they might, for 200 quid I think Alpkit will be on to a real winner. Is there one out on UKC test? Hope so - I reckon this could be one of those products that could really shake up the market in a good way.
If they are good, you could see these becoming almost like uniform for student winter climbers up and down the country - a proper full on winter shell for climbers at half the cost of much of the competition.
Difficult to compare the tech spec with the industry standard. How does 20D nylon shell with a 20D tricot liner and presumably some D (?) for the membrane compare to the 80D of a 2nd gen Tupilak?
Is Alpkit doing its own thing in their charming shed-built way, or are they disguising the fact that their "burly" shell is in fact paper thin? The 40D fabric on the first-gen Tupilak ripped at the sight of a deadman.
In reply to BnB: I was a bit surprised at the price tbh. You can easily pick up a Mountain Equipment (amongst others) Gore shell suitable for similar use for around the same price, and a ME Drilite one for a bit cheaper.
Think at that price it's actually not that competitive if you look about.
Post edited at 07:40
2
Aonach07 Dec 2016
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:
20D face fabric?
No thanks.
Their products are not particularly good or particularly good value ... all seems a bit Kool Aid to me.
There are lots of well featured, tough climbing shells at the £200 mark.
In reply to JayPee630: Agreed. And the Napoleon pocket looks sized for a compass not a pair of Punishers!!
I picked up a Rab shell from Go Outdoors for £99 for this winter. If my Tupilak wasn't bombproof I thought I'd rather shred one* in which I didn't have a great investment, emotional or financial.
*Damp days only. Stretchy softshell most of the time.
Maybe I'm much more graceful a climber than I've ever thought because I can't remember the last time I've ripped anything very seriously...
Well, lets see how these go in the reviews or the first people buying them. I was just looking on Go Outdoors, there are too many comparable jackets at that price, so I still reckon these will be a good value if they work well for Scottish winter and the like.
In reply to TobyA:
A BMC or MS discount would get you Firewall for a fair amount less or a Narwhal for about the same.
From an actual shop where you can try things on and everything.
Yep, fair enough. Is the Rab pertex material any good? Never tried anything in Pertex Shield - I still think of Pertex as like all 90s pertex was! But I guess this a much heavier sort of fabric and with a membrane obs.
In reply to TobyA:
I've got a Shield + O.R. jacket and it's a right good thing. Used it in Scotland and Cogne, seems to breathe well, holds its DWR.
I'm sure the Alpkit number is a decent thing but if it was my money I'd buy the Narwhal. Drilite is tried and tested and the feature-set looks stronger.
Bruce
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