Alpkit Filoment Jacket 2016 | Preview - Outdoors Magic

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Alpkit Filoment Jacket 2016 | Preview

Alpkit's lightweight down jacket gets Nikwax water-resistant down for this winter along with sleek new good looks.

More tea vicar? In that case you’ll be wanting a nice, warm down jacket. Cue the latest version of Alpkit’s Filoment Hoody which rolled up this morning.

Like last year’s version, the Filoment is a lightweight, duck down-filled, skinny-baffled bundle of warmth, but with one significant difference. The latest Filoment uses Nikwax hydrophobic / water-repellent duck down, which makes it significantly more resilient in damp conditions than before.

The magic swing-tag that gives away the new Filoment’s secret – it’s full of Nikwax hydrophobic 650+ fill-power duck down – image: Jon

How much more? Alpkit quotes ‘up to 60 times longer than untreated down’. It also makes the point that Nikwax treatments are water-based and PFC-free. It’s the same treatment used by brands like Rab and Berghaus by the way.

Bottom line is that hydronic down retails far more of its insulation value when wet and recovers more quickly and more completely from a soaking than untreated down. That in turn means less paranoia about rain shower, spindrift and big, soggy, wet snow-flakes while you’re drinking tea in the back yard…

Hydrophobic down means not having to fret about melting snow flakes or getting caught out in a shower - image: Jon
Twin hand-warmer pockets have the insulation on the outside where it's needed to keep chilly paws warm and happy - image: Jon

Alpkit Filoment Hoody – The Rest

We hooked up with Dan from Alpkit for coffee, a chat and a scoop ride on one of their new Sonder bikes a few weeks back – more soon – and he made the point that the company is aiming to produce kit that’s just ‘good full stop’ rather than ‘good for the price’.

‘Yes, there are lighter and warmer jackets out there mostly using higher fill power goose down, but we’ve not seen much else that mixes the level of performance and value you get from the Filoment.’

The new Filoment is a good example of that in action. It retails for a competitive £130 direct from Alpkit, but there’s no sense of any corners being cut in terms of either quality or ethics. The down, for example, is certified RDS (Responsible Down Standard) and produced ethically and without cruelty.

The fabrics feel nice, light but not fragile. And there’s plenty of down in those baffles. It looks great too in the Reef colour option with a slim, efficient fit, neat detailing, handy twin pockets plus chest pocket and a hood that’ll fit over a climbing helmet.

Finally, the midi-sized down channels mean that it’s decently warm too. Great for hut and campsite use or stowing in your pack for mid-outing breaks. More feedback once we’ve used it a little more. But initial impressions are simply that it’s a very nice jacket at a competitive price.

Yes, there are lighter and warmer jackets out there mostly using higher fill power goose down, but we’ve not seen much else that mixes the level of performance and value you get from the Filoment.

More Information

See:
www.alpkit.com/products/filoment-hoody-mens

www.alpkit.com/products/filoment-hoody-womens

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