Saturday 7 September 2013

Blown Away by the Alpkit SkyeHigh 600 - A Review

Sleep is an important part of our lives, it's essential. Sleeping outside with only a couple of layers of thin nylon between yourself and the elements can bring up all sorts of issues. The simplest is being warm enough that you can manage a night of restful sleep.
 
So as lovers of the outdoors, many of us opt for a sleeping bag. Now it gets complicated, the various manufacturer's temperature ratings being a bit of a mine field. There has been a bit of a revolution lately, with the manufacturers trying to simplify the temperature ratings on their bags. I sleep very warm, and regularly find myself asleep with my bag fully unzipped on a chilly, clear summer night. Yet some people are the complete opposite and have to wrap up in the same conditions.
   
Then comes the price..........wow! A good quality and sensibly weighted sleeping bag can be your single most expensive piece of gear. I can buy a car that would probably last me 12 months for the price of some of the expensive sleeping bags. I'm not knocking these more expensive bags as they are essential in many environments and situations. But there is an option that won't break the bank and will keep you warm in those cold nights. They aren't the lightest, maybe not the most efficient, and not the most flashy looking. I'm talking about Alpkit's SkyeHigh series of entry level sleeping bags. I'd just like to make it clear that I have no connection with Alpkit, and have bought the sleeping bag with my own money around twelve months ago. I opted for the SkyeHigh 600 due to the times and places I intended to use it, 3 seasons in the UK. For 4 seasons I would go for maybe the 800 here in the UK. I went with a long bag with a left zip, to give me enough room, and a zip I can easily operate.
 
 
 






First Impressions
 
The bag is certainly well made and lofted surprisingly well for the expected price to quality ratio with quite a heavy outer material. The colour, ice blue, is quite subdued, so the bag doesn't really stand out, and actually just looks functional. It also came in a cotton loft sack, something that is rare at the lower end of the price range, a feature I associated with the expensive bags.
 


 
 
Construction
 
The bag is mummy shaped with box construction, a surprise at the price point, offering the maximum performance by the 650+ goose down used as insulation. A couple of points about the goose down used, it is of a 650+ fill-power, measured by the EU rating, so the US rating would be higher. Some British manufacturers use the US rating, because it is higher, so I imagine looks better. Alpkit us the EU rating, lower, but more appropriate to us. Secondly, the goose down has a 90/10 ratio of actual down to feathers in it's fill. So there is 90% down and 10% feathers, pretty good again at this price range. The down is a better insulator than feathers, and more expensive. I find that the lower the ratio of feathers, the lower the amount of feathers that find their way out. I have a cheapo down jacket that leaves feathers everywhere.
 
 
 

Features
 
There is a neck baffle intended to keep drafts out from around your neck. Plus a baffle that follows the full length of the YKK zip. The foot box is sculptured, as they put it, I assume to follow the shape of your feet. The bag is quite a curvy shape, not just a cone shape like some cheaper bags. It has hanging loops at the foot of the bag, and a storage pocket inside the bag. And as mention before, comes in a cotton loft sack with a compression sack.
 
My bag weighs around 1.3kg, a good weight for such a warm sleeping bag. And it compresses down well considering the outer and liner materials aren't particularly light weight. I really can't wait to get my hands on a Pipedream when they become available.
 
 
 
 
Specification (from the Alpkit website)
 
• Fill: 90/10 goosedown (650+ fill power EU)
• Fabric Outer: Micro ripstop DWR nylon
• Fabric Inner: 300l Tactel nylon
• Fill Weight: 600 grams
• Bag Weight*: 1215 grams
• Compression Bag Weight: 130 grams
• Compressed Size: ΓΈ 23 x 25cm
• Temperature Limit (T lim): -5C
• External Length/Width Short: 190 / 70cm
• External Length/Width Regular: 210 / 75cm
• External Length/Width Long: 230 / 80cm
• Max 'regular' user height: 6ft 1
• Long/Short only currently available in Left hand zip option
 
 

In Use
 
I'm not a small guy, 5' 10" with around a 48" chest, most standard sleeping bags can be a bit of a squeeze. I find it very difficult to find a sleeping bag that I can wrap completely around my shoulders and not feel like I'm having the life squeezed out of me. This falls back to what I said earlier about sleep being important. My regular summer bag is a Snugpak Softie 3 Merlin, with the expansion panel. This makes the Merlin just right for a good sleep with enough room to roll.
  
The SkyeHigh needs no such expansion, there is loads of room. The bag lofts very nicely making it a cosy place to be. It's the first sleeping bag I have found I don't want to get out of. I've slept in the back well down into single figures in just a t-shirt and boxers and I was plenty warm enough. The zip is a little liable to snag now and again, until you get used to a specific way to operate it. By pushing on the pin end of the zipper with my left foot, the slider is allowed to move a little less hindered as the teeth are pulled tense, while also taking my time.
 
I store the bag in it's cotton sack when at home or car camping. It allows the down to loft properly and any moisture to escape. I do this with all bags whether down or synthetic to lengthen their lifespan and maintain efficiency.
 
 
 
Conclusion
 
The Alpkit SkyeHigh bags, as I have previously mention, aren't the lightest, or warmest to weight ratio. But they are cheaper than most, work at the specified temperatures, pleasant to sleep in and well made. On top of this is the excellent sales team at Alpkit, fast despatch, and good after sales service.
 

6 comments:

  1. I've not used a SkyeHigh bag but the Pipedreams are great quality and price. I've used the 400 and the 600 and have the 800 lined up for use this winter. I'm quite small and they fit well, allowing me to turn over inside the bag. no room for thick clothing layer, though. I would worry that they might be a tighter fit for big blokes. That's the problem with mail-order only, no chance to try it for size.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the response John. I understand what you are saying, and for long term i.e. a full week of car camping I would want the comfort of my bigger sleeping bag. But for a one or two nighter I would be willing to compromise. Luckily I don't live too far from Alpkit to nip down for a size check when I get around to a Pipedream.

      Delete
  2. You say the price is good, but don't say how much. What did it cost?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They were £110 but at the moment have none in stock. The Alpkit sleeping bags sell very quickly as they are far cheaper than similar specification sleeping bags. I can only suggest that you keep in touch with the Alpkit website to see when stock returns. If you sign up for their newsletter they also sometimes have sales in their warehouse where you can go along and pick up a slight second Alpkit 600 for around £70. But these seem to be very rare occasions.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the info. It's very frustrating that they've had huge stock problems, there's nothing else that comes close for the price.

      Delete
    3. Alpkit are a small company so I think they have to be careful how much they stock.

      Delete