Alpkit SkyeHigh 400 - Tested
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Price:
£65
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Weight: 1020 grammes (stuffsack
100g)
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Features: Goose
down sleeping bag with 400 grammes of 90/10 650+ European
rated down, full-length contoured YKK zip with baffle,
sculptured foot box and hood hood, internal chest pocket,
inner is Tactel Nylon, outer is Micro ripstop DWR nylon,
neck and zip baffle, hanging loops, choice of LH or RH zip,
comes with 4-way compression bag and cotton storage sack.
Compressed size 21 x 23cm, Comfort rating +3C. Available in
regular (tested). short and long versions. Also available in
600, 800 and 1000 versions.
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What's It For?
The Skye High replaces Alpkit's original Alpine Dream down
sleeping bag and is an all-round sleeping bag designed for everything
from travelling through backpacking to post-party dossing. And the
neat bit is that the price tag of just £65 means it's a viable
alternative to a synthetic bag.
Like all Alpkit's gear, you're getting great value because the
company only sells direct from its web site and designs and sources
its own products. The SkyeHigh 400 is the lightest in the range
specced for a comfort rating of +3C, so think summer bag and you
won't go far wrong.
The Techy Bits
Down sleeping bags are mostly about down - the SkyHigh uses
Chinese 90/10 650+ fill power goose down which is pretty high spec,
though the 10 per-cent feather content means it doesn't feel quite as
soft as, say 95/5 down would.
The construction is box wall, which means the down is housed in
rectangular cross section channels which eliminates the cold spots
you get with simple, stitch-through contruction.
Finally Alpkit has gone a bit more sophisticated on the design
front with a sculptured foot box shaped to fit your feet better and a
contoured zip which starts low then curves up around the shoulder
area to reduce compression of the down.
Most importantly, new side baffles give shape to the bag giving
you a square tube to sleep in, which is more efficient. They also
create smaller main down channels which minimises the risk of cold
spots forming.
How It Performs
If you've seen one of the original Alpine Dream bags, you'll
appreciate immediately just how much neater the cut and design of the
SkyeHigh range is. Whereas with the original, Alpkit specced the best
down they could, with the SkyHigh, they've paid more attention to the
shell and basic design.
That really pays off with a bag that not only looks neater, but
subjectively performs better too. You really notice the extra room at
the foot of the bag and the much neater hood, which simply fits and
performs better.
The down has a nice, easy lofting feel too and Alpkit helps keep
it that way by storing the bags uncompressed in their warehouse. The
bag is reckoned to be comfortable down to around +3C and we reckon
that's about right, or even a tad pessimistic, particularly if you're
prepared to add a hat maybe and a light fleece top for extra warmth.
In warmer conditions, the double-ended zip means you can vent your
feet and legs if you want.
At any rate, it seems about right for summer use and with a packed
weight of just over a kilo, while it's not in the same class as the
company's £110 PipeDream 400, it's certainly light enough and -
packed down - compact enough for most summer backpacks.
Fabrics aren't the lightest out there, but they're comfy against
the skin and the outer shell has a DWR treatment to ward off the odd
condensation drip. Obviously you need to keep the bag dry to maintain
lofting performance, but with a little care, that shouldn't be an
issue.
If someone showed you a SkyeHigh 400 and then told you the
price was just £65 you'd mostly likely splutter into your
camping mug and spray tea all over the inside of your tent. At this
price it's an absolute, shocking, steal.
Sure it's not as light as some of the ultra-lightweight kit out
there, but for your money you're getting very decent quality down and
just importantly, a well-designed bag to maximise its
performance.
We wouldn't hesitate to recommend the 400 as a great entry level
summer bag and an excellent alternative to a synthetic and we're
confident that it's burlier, warmer brothers will be just as
effective. Good kit at a great price.
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Good down, good design, fantastic value for money.
Weighs a little more than bags costing twice as much
;-)
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Performance
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Value
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Know more or want to?
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product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
the world. If you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our
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forum.
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