Discover why Pat Kinsella of T3 hails the Alpkit Pipedream 400 as the perfect three-season sleeping bag for hikers, blending warmth, lightweight design, and affordability
Pat Kinsella dives deep into the performance of the Alpkit PipeDream 400, an affordable three-season sleeping bag ideal for hiking and biking enthusiasts. From fastpacking trips in the Scottish West Highland Way to garden campouts in winter, the bag consistently offered warmth and comfort. Kinsella pulls out some standout features:
Compactness: Despite its warmth, it's incredibly lightweight (865g for the Regular size) and compresses down to a minimal size (19 x 14cm for Regular), ensuring it doesn’t overburden your pack.
Performance in Varied Conditions: Kinsella attests to its warmth during the chilly depths of spring and autumn nights. Its 750 fill power DownTek hydrophobic down keeps the cold at bay even in damp conditions, although he points out it's best to keep it as dry as possible.
Design Features: The mummy shape ensures efficient heat retention. Its horizontal box-wall baffle construction keeps down in place, avoiding cold spots. There's also a handy full-length baffle to prevent material from catching in the zip.
Flexibility: The bag offers options for left or right-hand zippers. It also boasts an adjustable hood to keep drafts out and a sculpted neck baffle for varying temperature conditions.
Materials & Performance: The DownTek hydrophobic goose down and the 20D polyester, PFC-free DWR treated outer material work together to provide warmth even in damp conditions.
Comfort: Paired with the right equipment, the PipeDream 400 offers exceptional comfort for nine months of the year in the UK. Its comfort rating stands at -4.2°C with an Alpkit limit of -6°C.
Packability: An impressive double compression system in the stuff sack ensures that it’s easy to pack regardless of the journey.
Sizing: While the regular size might feel a bit snug for taller individuals (above 6ft/185cm), there’s a longer version available.
In conclusion, the Alpkit PipeDream 400 emerges as a top contender in the lightweight three-season sleeping bag category. Whether you're an avid hiker, biker, or just someone looking for a reliable sleeping companion for your outdoor adventures, Kinsella's experience suggests that this bag is well worth considering.
A 3-season sleeping bag that truly keeps you warm overnight for nine months of the year, which doesn’t weigh much and packs down into a properly portable parcel, is one of the most important pieces of equipment in any backpacker’s and bikepacker’s gear cupboard, and the Alpkit PipeDream 400 is a really reliable product that ticks all of the above boxes.
Do you agree with Pats conclusion that this ultralight down 3-season sleeping bag is a warm and comfortable cocoon for backpackers?
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