How to Choose an Alpkit Fleece

The fleece is an absolute staple of any outdoor lover’s wardrobe. In fact, it’s such a staple that we’ve carefully designed nine wonderfully cosy midlayers for your every need. Everybody will have their go-to, whether it’s layering up for a campsite fireside singsong or keeping you toasty while you’re exploring the Great Outdoors. Here’s a run-down of the range so you can find your new favourite.

Overview

1. A Quick Comparison
2. New Winter 2023: Loki snap neck pullover
3. Kelpie quarter zip micro fleece
4. Laika half-zip micro fleece
5. Griffon grid fleece jacket
6. Redpoint technical sweatshirt
7. Akita full zip midlayer
8. Yakutian half zip micro fleece midlayer
9. Keeshond high loft fleece
10. Sastrugi breathable pile fleece
11. Mamalute heavyweight hooded midlayer

A Quick Comparison

New Winter 2023: Loki snap neck pullover

A lightweight and breathable pull-on fleece with a low profile snap neck opening. Designed for instant warmth on chilly crag days, campsite evenings and big days in the hills. Your new go-to layer for every trip. Loki is a modern take on a classic style, with block colours and bold trim. Made from 100% recycled fabric, Loki does it all - cosy and stylish at the campsite or bothy, and as a performance midlayer on big mountain days.

Loki Mens | Loki Womens

Kelpie

Weightlessly warm, the Kelpie is a versatile micro fleece with a quarter zip. It’s a fleece that’s equally at home on the fells as at the pub.

The Kelpie is ready for movement: it has low profile seams to prevent rubbing under your rucksack or harness. The quarter zip gifts you the flexibility and freedom to warm up, cool down and throw whatever kind of funky shape you fancy. Kelpie is an essential bit of kit you can chuck in your rucksack no matter where you’re headed.

What makes it special?

The beauty is in the simplicity with the Kelpie. But don’t be mistaken – it’s still a fast-drying, quick-wicking, technical garment with a high-performance fabric. Lightweight microfleece is layer-able and highly breathable.

Use for: almost any outdoor fun

Kelpie Mens | Kelpie Womens

Laika microfleece

Laika serves as a high-performance mid-layer. Crafted from brushed-back fabric made entirely from recycled materials, it is soft and gentle against your skin, capturing a layer of insulating air near your body. Its smooth, tightly-woven outer layer provides superior protection against wind chill compared to standard base layers, and it boasts enhanced durability. Additionally, a deep front zipper provides extra ventilation, ensuring you stay comfortably cool during strenuous activities in colder environments.

Laika Mens | Laika Womens

Griffon

A firm favourite for hiking, biking, running, climbing, you name it! The Griffon is a full zip, hooded jacket using lightweight and breathable grid fleece. It’s just as suited to a British summer evening at the campsite as it is as part of a layering system.

What makes it special?

We’ve treated the ultra-versatile Griffon with Polygiene® – an anti-odour treatment for synthetic products which means you can go longer between wearing before washing. Not only has the packable fleece got a fantastic warmth to weight ratio, but it also has a great wear to smell ratio! Wear more, smell less, wash less. Perfect!

There are a couple of nifty little features we’ve crafted for the Griffon. The lightweight hood will fit under your helmet to keep your noggin nice and warm when riding or climbing. It’s got thumb loops: they’re there when you need the extra warmth but are out of sight when you don’t.

Use for: anything! It’s the lightweight layer that you can pack for any trip

Griffon Mens | Griffon Womens

Redpoint

The Redpoint is no nonsense, and to the (red) point, this is a technical crew neck fleece.

What makes it special?

There’s nothing like an effortless, transitional piece that takes you from pub to mountain and back to the pub again. Redpoint is a technical sweatshirt: it’s wicking and fast-drying, so it’s ready for high-intensity adventure.

The best outdoor pieces don’t even need thinking about – they just work. Pull it on. Throw it off. Layer it up. If you’re a hiker, biker, climber or camper, there’ll be a place in your outdoor wardrobe for an active layering piece like Redpoint.

Use for: transitioning from bouldering to beers, a stand-alone piece in the summer or a layer in the winter

Redpoint Mens | Redpoint Womens

Akita

Move slow or move fast with Akita. There’s a place in your winter wardrobe for a slim, lightweight fleece. Use the Akita as an outer layer for fast activities in colder weather or layer it up for a day of hillwalking.

With a full zip and hand warmer pockets, there’s versatility in its toastiness. Unzip right down when you’re overheating and batten down the hatches when you’re getting chilly.

What makes it special?

It’s fast drying so you don’t have to fear getting your sweat on, but it’s insulating enough to ward off the wintry winds. Our Design Team have combined a wind-resistant, smooth-faced outer with a soft brushed inner, to keep you protected while you’re out on the moors.

Use for: hikes, trail runs and mountain bike rides in breezier, brisker weather

Akita Mens | Akita Womens

Yakutian

Introducing our showstopping fleece, the Yakutian. When the wind is the villain, Yakutian is the superhero. It’s a half-zip, hard-wearing, wind resistant mid layer.

Although it’s fairly lightweight (380g for men’s medium and 320g for a women’s 12), it’s still tough enough to withstand the strain of rucksack wear-and-tear. It’s breathable, fast drying and has four-way stretch to give you the freedom of movement you need for a variety of outdoor activities.

What makes it special?

Yakutian has 4x better wind resistance than standard fleece. It may have a tough, dense-knit outer face for fighting off fierce winds, but it has a super-soft inner, with warm brushed fleece. The Yakutian technically sits in the midlayer category, but its level of wind resistance means it sits just below soft-shell territory.

Use for: windy, damp conditions whether hiking, scrambling, or cramming in the post-ride snacks

Yakutian Mens | Yakutian Womens

Keeshond

Sometimes, you’re just not emotionally prepared to take your dressing gown off and step out into the cold. That’s okay, us too. That’s why we designed the super-soft Keeshond. It’s a ridiculously fluffy, full zip fleece, ready for winter hiking or even post-hike pub trips.

What makes it special?

Our Design Team have crafted the Keeshond fleece to keep you cosy in calm, cold conditions. With open hand warmer pockets, a tall collar and high loft fleece, it’s certainly toasty. The open structure of the Keeshond’s high loft traps air to warm you up, whilst its breathability means you won’t overheat. This breathability does mean that you have very little protection from the wind.

Don’t be fooled by the fluffiness– it’s light, slim, and versatile enough to be used as part of your layering system. The grid fleece panels are carefully placed to keep you cool where it matters. The relaxed hood (on the women’s version) fends off the dreaded brain freeze when you’ve forgotten your hat.

Our Design Team have treated the fleece with Polygiene®. This means that you can wear it more and wash it less, ultimately reducing your water and energy consumption. The Keeshond is not just handy for reducing the workload on laundry day, but also for use across a variety of sports.

Use for: ski mountaineering, winter climbing, and hiking in cold, calm conditions

Keeshond Mens | Keeshond Womens

Mamalute

Entering the ring is our heavyweight fighter, the Mamalute. It’s a notorious challenger to the fiercest competitor (the biting wind on a British hilltop). In other words, it’s our relaxed, windproof, full zip, knit face fleece.

What makes it special?

The V2 of our bestselling Mamalute is more mobile and less stiff than the previous version, meaning you’ll stay agile for a day climbing at the crag. As our heaviest weight fleece, it’s seriously warm but it doesn’t lack on freedom of movement. That’s why we see it on climbers, hikers and summer campers alike.

Mamalute is comfortable, wearable and practical. With its chin guard, snug fit hood and zipped pockets, it keeps your head toasty and your hands cosy. It might have a relaxed fit but it can still be layered under a shell for ultimate protection against the elements.

Use for: slow moving activities in harsh winds

Mamalute Mens | Mamalute Womens