There is nothing to get too excited about here. The Alpkit SkyeHigh doesn’t do anything innovative or revolutionary. It’s just a standard winter sleeping bag, with a proven classic design and everything you’d usually expect from a four-season cocoon.
Its biggest selling point is the low cost. At just £250 ($315), it’s well-priced and affordable, and delivers mid-range performance across all metrics. It’s warm, comfortable and durable, with good features including an adjustable hood, cosy footbox and a ¾-length two-way zipper. It clocks in at 1,541g (including stuff sack) and packs down very small (35x22cm).
Some of the hardware feels a little basic and cheap, and the cut – which is lightly tapered but roomier than many other mummy bags – may polarise opinion. Some campers will love the extra spaciousness; others may worry about ‘dead space’ cold spots and prefer something more snug.
The bag is filled with 650+ fill power duck down (not hydrophobic), which isn’t a high-quality grade, but it’s par for the course at this price point. You get a 900g fill weight of it, which ensures -6C comfort and -13C comfort limit EN/ISO ratings. These are good for the price, but not the warmest compared to some other winter bags.
Pros
- Excellent price
- Good features
- Proven design
- Roomy cut
- High comfort levels
- Small packed size
Cons
- Only 650+ fill power
- Temperature ratings could be better
- Cheap-feeling hardware
- No hydrophobic coating to down
- Risk of ‘dead space’ cold spots
| Price | £250/$315 |
| Temp rating | -6C comfort, -13C comfort limit |
| Weight | 1,541g/3.4 lbs (regular) |
| Pack size | 35x25cm |
| Sizes | Regular, long |
| Fill | 900g of 650+ fill power duck down |
Temperature Ratings
For the price, you get some pretty decent temperature ratings with the Alpkit SkyeHigh 900. The EN/ISO official stats are as follows: comfort -6C, comfort limit -13C and extreme -30C. Alpkit also publishes its own in-house ‘AK Sleep Limit’ of -11C, which the brand describes as “our recommended usable limit of the bag”, adding that “the majority of our customers will find this to be the tipping point between a comfortable and restless night’s sleep”.
Interestingly the AK Sleep Limit is a halfway house between the comfort and comfort limit ratings. We tend to run cold in the mountains and have learnt to be more risk-averse and cautious with our sleeping system. Consequently, for us, we’d probably consider our unscientific ‘LFTO Sleep Limit’ for the SkyeHigh 900 as more like -8C, perhaps.
This is obviously a personal decision and it’s a good idea to get used to where your personal preference falls between the official comfort and comfort limit ratings for any sleeping bag.
It’s worth noting, however, that a -6C comfort rating is not particularly warm when it comes to full-on winter sleeping bags. Most of the other four-season bags we’ve tested recently have a comfort rating of -9C, -10C or -12C, which obviously gives you an extra few degrees of cosy warmth.
Consequently the SkyeHigh is not the best bag for very cold conditions. Its warmth levels are, therefore, mediocre rather than top-tier – although this is to be expected at this price point.
Insulation Type, Fill Power & Fill Weight
The Alpkit SkyeHigh 900 is filled with 900g of 650+ fill power RDS certified Chinese duck down, with a content ratio of 90% down and 10% feathers. A fill power of 650+ is ok, but certainly not premium, and if you want a better overall warmth-to-weight ratio you’ll need to look for a sleeping bag with a higher grade of down.
For £250, however, 650+ fill power seems like a fair compromise. A fill weight of 900g is a substantial amount and a fair approach for the price. But the overall combo – 900g and 650+ fill power – can only deliver mid-range performance.
All-round warmth is good, but not exceptional, and this is reflected in the official EN/ISO temperature ratings, which are slightly lower than many other comparable bags.
The down in this sleeping does not have a hydrophobic coating like other down products, such as Nikwax Hydrophobic Down+, so its performance in damp conditions is likely to be compromised.
By how much is almost impossible for us to quantify accurately, so ultimately we’d suggest it’s best to do everything in your power to keep the SkyeHigh dry inside your tent.
Pack Size & Weight
On our scales, the Alpkit SkyeHigh 900 weighs 1,541g including the compression stuff sack (144g). This is mid-weight for a winter sleeping bag. It’s lighter than the Simond Makalu III (1,814g) and Thermarest Saros 0F (2,408g), for example, but heavier than ultralight options such as the Sea to Summit Spark -18C (1,255g) and Rab Alpine 800 (1,351g).
Once stuffed inside the included compression sack, the SkyeHigh 900 is impressively compact. The compression straps of the stuff sack do an excellent job at compressing the bag down, and it’s size is just 35 x 22cm, which is very small.
For storage at home, you get a very large cotton bag (158g) with a drawstring closure. Using this ensures the bag’s down won’t lose its loft and fluffiness by being stored in a compressed state.
Materials & Sustainability
The Alpkit SkyeHigh 900 is made from a few different materials, with a pretty standard construction design and technique. The sleeping bag’s shell is made from a 20-denier 100% polyester, while the inner liner is also a 20-denier 100% polyester. The insulation is Chinese duck down.
None of these materials are recycled, however Alpkit has made some reasonably good efforts in terms of sustainability. The DWR (durable water repellent) treatment used on the SkyeHigh is completely free of harmful PFC chemicals, while all of the bag’s down is ethically sourced and RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified.
Alpkit also outlines some of its broader environmental efforts on its website. The brand states: “Our products are made in the best factories in the world. We know the factories personally and they have all signed up to our Code of Ethics in our supply chain.
This includes the Ethical Trading Initiative base code, fair pay, safe working environments, no child labour, no modern slavery, no bribery or corruption, no materials from conflict zones and humane farming methods.”
It also states: “We are carbon neutral…and offset our operations and transport emissions. We recognise that offsetting is not part of the solution but a point to pass through on a journey to net zero. Carbon neutral is just a step in that journey.”
Overall, however, the eco credentials of the SkyeHigh 900 are average, rather than exceptional.
Size & Shape
The regular size of the Alpkit SkyeHigh 900 has the following official dimensions: an internal length of 185cm and an internal width of 75cm. By our rough estimates, we’d suggest this sleeping is suitable for anyone up to about 6ft tall.
If you’re taller, there is a long version of the SkyeHigh 900. This has an internal length of 215cm, yet the width is still 75cm. This version has the same fill weight as the regular version, which is 900g of down, so it’s worth noting that the official temperature ratings are slightly lower for the long version.
There is no women’s specific version of the Alpkit SkyeHigh 900, and instead it’s considered a unisex product.
The overall shape and cut of the Alpkit SkyeHigh 900 is lightly tapered towards the foot end, with a gentle mummy shape. But it’s not particularly pronounced and the fit is definitely not alpine. There is a bit of extra roominess inside, with Alpkit stating the bag has a “roomy cut for a natural, comfortable sleep”.
This approach has pros and cons. The downside is that it won’t be tight and snug enough for some campers, and there’s a risk you might suffer from internal ‘dead space’ and cold spots. The benefit is that you won’t feel constricted or claustrophobic inside this bag, and all-round comfort levels should be higher, particularly for side sleepers or anyone who tosses and turns at night.
Features
You get some nice features with the Alpkit SkyeHigh 900, despite the affordable price point. Along one side of the sleeping bag (select left or right when you purchase) is a ¾-length zipper. It’s a two-way zipper, so you can open it up from the bottom for venting if you’re over-heating.
The zip slides reasonably smoothly and at the top there’s a Velcro tab for closing it securely and sealing out the cold. You also get a chunky draught collar at the neck, which can be cinched-in via a drawcord, as well as an adjustable hood, cosy footbox, one internal zippered pocket and two hanging loops at the base.
The outer shell has a DWR coating, which adds some weatherproofing and helps “to keep the moisture at bay”, as Alpkit puts it. In terms of baffles, the construction is boxwall, with a consistent horizontal orientation alongside a vertical baffle behind the zipper.
Our only gripe with these features is that some of the hardware – such as the zippers, toggles and drawcords – feel a little on the cheap, basic side of things. But this is not surprising considering the budget price of the SkyeHigh 900.
Verdict
The Alpkit SkyeHigh 900 Sleeping Bag Review is a basic winter sleeping bag with a proven design at an affordable price – but the comfort temperature rating is a little disappointing.
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About the author
James Forrest writes regular features and route guides for Trail and has been one of our main gear testers for the last few years. James is based on the edge of the Lake District so when he isn’t off on his latest crazy adventure or challenge, he’s walking in his local fells.