Developing outdoor gear

CoLAB is the outlet for our design department. It is where they can happily talk about gear all day and leave the rest of us in peace. They can disappear into their little workshops for days on end, tinkering away on 'important stuff' only to reappear and share what they are working on, talk about designing gear, using the gear, testing the gear, sometimes in their own Heath Robinson tests, sometimes with people who have kindly volunteered. We have tried to make it interactive, inviting the people who use our gear to have their two penneths worth, and offering gear at special prices.

Reviews :: Hunka Breathable, lightweight and waterproof sleeping bag cover Seems to tick all the boxes but at £25 but how do you rate it.. Continue... Develop :: Bleat Merino baselayer blend Wool is great, sheep have been perfecting it for years but we have mixed in some Polyester. £20 in exchange for your feedback. Continue... Alpsaurus :: Goose down The good stuff What is down and why do we use it in our sleeping bags? We weigh up some of the advantages and disadvantages of this type natural insulation. Continue...

Latest Lab Notes Ethical Down Sourcing - Part 2 09/05/08 The 2nd part of an overview on initial research on down sourcing Read more Ethical Down Sourcing - Part 1 27/02/08 An overview on initial research on down sourcing Read more Recycling Down? 12/02/08 The Filium pullover we ran last spring was an experiment on 3 levels. 1) It was a new style of jacket we wanted to trial 2) The fabric used in the Filium was well received and is now the base fabric for the new Filo. 3) The down used in the Filium was recycled from a faulty batch of Filo’s. We have been chatting at Alpkit HQ and wonder whether the recycling of down can happen on a bigger scale? Would you send us your old down products to be recycled in much the same way as the Patagonia capaline scheme. Read more Gamma Power Test 11/02/08 Alpkit product guy Jim loses the Alpvan and uses the opportunity to test out the luminosity of the new Alpkit LED headtorch. Read more