Happy Birthday AlpKit :-)

It seems like only yesterday that we first encountered the guys from AlpKit, but believe it or not the OS Outdoors Show, at the end of this week, is pretty much the first anniversary of them unleashing their ever-growing range of products on the outdoors public.

Just to recap, AlpKit is Jim, Nick, Chunk and Kenny, four guys from the outdoors industry who decided to start their own company, design their own kit and source it direct from the factory. They only sell straight from their own web site at www.alpkit.com and because there's no retailer involved, they can cut a slab off the retail price.

That means decent quality kit at a really affordable price and since they launched, the brand has had great feedback both for their gear - from down sleeping bags to bouldering mats - and their friendly, no bullshit customer service. They aim to deliver next day and offer service with a smile.

Happy Birthday...

So, it seemed like a good time to drop in on the Alpkit boys in their bijoux Ilkeston industrial unit, drink their rather decent filter coffee, eat their dough-nuts and see what the future holds.

And in immediate terms, that means a return to the NEC show on Friday where the boys will be selling their Alpkit wares, but also running a competition to win another of their fabled AlpPods - a bonafide Apple iPod Nano in distinctive red and black - you can find them on stand OU620 in Hall 1, next to the Ordnance Survey Theatre. Thanks to our lovely model Nick, the man with the AlpPod...

So drop by and say hello, buy some kit, ask some questions or make a few suggestions of your own. One of the nice things about the company is that they can be really responsive to customer suggestions and the whole production process can be a lot faster than with larger, more established brands.

So Far, So Good...

The good news is that it seems to be going well. Chateau Alpkit has a nice, vaguely anarchic feel to it, but underneath it all, you can tell that there's a plan in place and one that's working. Better still, you can sense that the guys are having a good time and doing something that they believe in.

The prices are relatively low, but that definitely doesn't mean low quality. Every piece of Alpkit gear we've used has impressed us, from down sleeping bags through to the £35 carbon fibre trekking poles - sadly struck down by a world shortage of carbon fibre...

So what's on the menu for the next 12 months? Just out now are the new Pipedream sleeping bags, a follow-up to the successful Alpine Dream bags. They use ultra-lightweight Pertex Quantum shell fabric along with 90/10 700+ (European scale) fill power white goose down and a trimmer cut to create a lighter weight bag, but without breaking the bank.

The PipeDream 400 weighs 770 grammes and is rated down to a comfort level of -3C, while the 600 tips the scales at 980 grammes and should be comfortable at -7C. In a nice tough, the bags come with a cotton storage bag, a four-way compression bag and a super-lightweight Quantum stuff sac and, in classic Alpkit style, are priced at £100 and £120 respectively.

We have a 400 on test, so more on that just as soon as we've had the chance to use it for real.

Baselayers, cutlery and more...

So what else is coming? Imminently arriving at platform one is a range of baselayer kit using a mix of merino wool and polyester which will be made in the UK. The fabric's woven so that the merino sits next to the skin for comfort, while the polyester moves moisture outwards and away from the body.

Prices will range from £15 to £20 and there will be six styles including a long-sleeved zip-neck and pants for both men and women. Expect them to be in the Alpkit shop by the end of this month, March.

Then there's cookware. We're talking basic titanium mugs, though the Alpkit one will take the plunger from a Bodum cafetierre, knife, fork and spoon sets, sporks and a bizarre double-ended, pushmepullyou-type fork/ spoon contraption.

The guys are also looking at a stainless steel pan-set produced by the same company responsible for MSR's excellent stainless steel pans, so as usual, you're looking at top quality for a decent price. And a lightweight titanium gas stove is also a possibility. Think sub-90 grammes and priced at a tenner or less :-)

What Else?

You want more? Something that may be in the offing is a range of tents. The guys are tentatively - sorry - talking about a lightweight event-type tent using extended trekking poles to up headroom while still minimising weight and a classic two-person, geodesic mountain tent with a price tag of not more than £150...

And finally and rather funkily, they've found a stretch denim fabric with a DWR treatment that's applied to the fibres directly for great water-shedding - think demin jean-style bouldering and climbing pants and you won't be far wrong we reckon. Should be ideal for appalling responsible hill users on gloomy, wet winter days. Team with a pair of waterproof-lined trainers for maximum effect.

Develop Your Own Product

One of the neatest parts of Alpkit's site is the CoLAB section, it's where you have to chance to give feedback on Alpkit products and check out reports from other users.

Well, we're planning to take things a stage further and let you, the OUTDOORSmagic membership, work with Alpkit's designers to formulate, develop and test a piece of Alpkit equipment.

We'll bring you full details after the show, but in the mean time, get your thinking caps on. You can always have a chat with the guys at the NEC if you're there and bounce some ideas around. For now, watch this space.

Signing Off

It's great to see a young, committed company doing well and producing good kit and, to be honest, it's also great to see them doing it on the web - call us biased, but we reckon right now, the outdoors industry is just scraping the surface of the possible in a virtual sense.

You can check out more Alpkit kit at www.alpkit.com, black coffee and a jam doughnut for me please...