We featured an earlier version of the Rab Alpine sleeping bag on our pages a few years ago and it came out of our review really well. So, when we heard that Rab had updated the model we’d been very keen to get our hands on it – and once again it has impressed us.
The best way to describe this sleeping bag is as a jack of all trades. It’s a great option for UK campers who want something versatile enough that it can be used through all four seasons. And, given it’s exceptional warmth-to-weight and packability, it’s the kind of thing that could be used for anything from fast and light alpinism through to fastpacking and bikepacking.
Materials and Construction
Rab give this a sleep limit of -16C. That’s the lower extreme for this we’d say – around that temperature you’ll be getting some sleep in this but not a deep one. It weighs 1260g which is very impressive given that temperature rating.
Pros: Excellent warmth-to-weight, lofty down fill, useful details
Cons: Down fill could be higher spec, stuff sack is very basic
It’s filled with a 650 fill power duck down which is treated with Nikwax to make it highly water repellent. Top spec sleeping bags can have a fill power of 850 or even 1000 and will tend to have goose down which is seen as more premium than duck down, so you could say that the insulation Rab have used here isn’t quite top quality, but that’s why this bag is priced at £330. OK that’s not cheap but there are sleeping bags out there that cost a lot more.
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Rab have deployed a trapezoid boxwall baffle construction. This construction ensures that the insulation remains in place and doesn’t shift or compress, reducing the risk of cold spots where there’s less insulation. Stitched-through baffles, on the other hand, have stitching that goes through both sides of the sleeping bag, which can create cold spots along the seams.
