Fancy warm and affordable? We check out Alpkit's down jacket.
Alpkit Filo Down Jacket
- Quick Test
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Price:
£70
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Weight: 659g
(men's medium)
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Features: Down jacket using
stitch-through construction, 700+ EU fill power goose down, four-panel
construction, YKK zips with down-filled baffle, twin handwarmer pockets
and internal zipper pocket, extended drop tail back, hem drawcord and
elasticated cuff, choice of five colours, removable hood with wired
peak. Micro Ripstop Nylon with a DWR coating Women's-specific version
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What's It
For?
The Filo is Alpkit's lightweight down jacket offering a combination of
decent warmth and low bulk and weight. Down is great in cold, dry
conditions or in really cold indoor conditions, but less than ideal for
wet weather use. Great in the high mountains though or for general
insulation use on crisp, cold winter days and nights in the UK.
The Techy
Bits
Alpkit has used 90/10 700+ fill power (EU) down for the Filo. That
means a high warmth to weight ratio or more volume per gramme of down.
Fabrics aren't super lightweight, but they're downproof and
still respectably light.
Finally, the construction is what's known as 'stitch through', so the
stitching on the baffles goes right through the garment. It's an easy
construction method, which is also lightweight, though box-wall
baffling, which holds the down in channels with walls is warmer,
because it avoids the cold spots where the stitching sits.
How It
Performs
We've been using our Filo since last winter and it's become a
firm favourite for general slouching around in cold but dry situations
and like most of Alpkit's products it strikes an ace balance between
price and function.
It's cut quite close, so if you want loose and streetwise, go up a
size. We're pretty much standard medium and found it fine over a
microfleece. Other features include a pronounced droptail that keeps
your kidneys snug and a detachable hood with wired peak for when the
going gets snowing, or at least very cold.
Last year's version had adjustable velcro cuffs, but the latest one
settles for straight elasticated closure, so the slim of wrist might
findthe odd draught in breezy conditions. Build quality is generally
decent, the fabric doesn't leak down, zips are YKK and keep zipping
away cleanly and happily and there's plenty of down in those baffles
making for enough warmth to cope with most winter days. The
decent-fitting hood is the thermal icing on the insulation cake.
Filo packs reasonably small as well, particularly if you can find a
neat, mini compression sac. It's worth bearing in mind that down isn't
always the ideal insulation for damp UK conditions, the micro rips-top
nylon shell has a DWR treatment to deal with drizzly days in passing,
but don't expect to wear it in sustained rain and retain any lofting
ability whatsoever.
For knockabout UK use you might be better off with a synthetically
filled jacket, but on cold, dry, winter days it's ace for prolonged
stops and in high mountain environments, down rules in the warmth to
weight stakes.
Negatives? The handwarmer pockets and collar on our older Filo are
lined with a slightly rough microfleece. Normally it's fine, but
catches painfully on chafed, dry hands, which some of us are prone to
in winter. And finally, down is about 'niceness' at one level and
somehow, while the Filo does the job, it's just not quite as slick as
some of its higher-priced rivals with lighter, more expensive fabrics.
Then again, it's a lot more affordable.
Pack size is reasonable, Filo
right, Jaffa Cakes left, in case you were wondering.
Great value, entry level down jacket for the price of an expensive
fleece. Snug cut and elongated tail both work well and the down seems
to be good quality stuff and evenly distributed through the jacket. Not
quite as slick as some of its rivals, but then it costs around half the
price... And you can get it in five different colours too.
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 Fantastic value,
decent down, workmanlike construction, comfy drop-tail.
 Lacks bling
factor if that worries you plus scratchy tricot pocket lining on test
jacket.
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Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own
experiences of this
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
gear
forum.
