What is the Alpine Pro 800 XL?
If you're familiar with Rab's current range of sleeping bags, you may have heard of the Ascent and the Neutrino Endurance; well the Alpine Pro is a mix of the two, combining the brilliant value of the Ascent with the packability and technical fit of the Neutrino. It uses a high quality 650FP hydrophobic duck down and a Pertex Quantum outer fabric to ensure weather resistance in severe conditions. This particular bag is also the Extra Long version, ensuring those up to 200cm in height are catered for.
What is the Alpine Pro made of?
Insulation: Starting with the most vital part of the bag, Rab use a high quality 650 fill power, R.D.S certified, hydrophobic, european duck down; we know there's a lot of info there so let's break it down. Fill power refers to the 'fluffiness' of the down, therefore 1 ounce of this high quality down will fill 650 cubic inches of space when lofted fully, R.D.S stands for Resposible Down Standard, ensuring the down comes from happy birds who haven't been live plucked, while hydrophobic refers to the coating that is applied to the down to allow it to perform better in damp conditions than untreated down. This coating will also ensure the down is warmer when wet, lofts faster and dries faster than untreated down. If that wasn't enough of an information overload, Rab store the down in trapezoidal chambers to increase warmth and decrease the liklihood of cold spots.
Outer fabric: Surrounding this toasty insulation is a Pertex Quantum fabric; this fabric is water resistant, wind resistant and lightweight enough to allow the bag to pack down to a small size when not in use. Although you should never aim to allow a down sleeping bag to get wet, we know condensation and light drizzle are unavoidable, therefore this fabric prevents the down getting wet.
What is the construction used?
If that wasn't enough of an information overload, Rab store the down in trapezoidal chambers to increase warmth and decrease the liklihood of cold spots. This not only increases the warmth of the bag but also allows the down to loft back up to full size after being compressed for extended periods of time.
What are the features of the Alpine Pro?
A 3/4 length zip with a baffle behind prevents heat escaping through the zip, while an internal stash pocket stores items such as a phone or headtorch when the batteries need to stay warm. Included with the sleeping bag is a loft bag to store the sleeping bag when not in use, and a compression bag to (you guessed it) compress the bag in your pack when on the move. Lastly, a drawcord in the hood seals in the warmth in exceptionally cold conditions, and an angled footbox prevents your feet compressing the down and reducing warmth.
What is the construction used?
If that wasn't enough of an information overload, Rab store the down in trapezoidal chambers to increase warmth and decrease the liklihood of cold spots. This not only increases the warmth of the bag but also allows the down to loft back up to full size after being compressed for extended periods of time.
How does the Alpine Pro 800 XL fit?
The Alpine Pro features Rab's Mummy Taper fit; this is a slim, body-hugging fit to maximise warmth and pack size. The more space inside a bag that you aren't filling, the colder the bag will be. If you tend to move around a lot in your sleep, you may want to have a look at Rab's Ascent range which features a roomier fit. This particular bag features extra length to accomodate those up to 200cm in height.
Summary
The Alpine Pro is the perfect bag for those not wanting to spend a fortune on a cold weather bag, yet require the performance, pack size and weight to be effective in mountainous environments. The high quality hydrophobic insulation and weather resistant outer fabric ensure protection in the worst conditions, while a re-design in baffle shapes increases warmth even further.
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Extra long length
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Pertex Quantum Pro outer fabric
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High quality down insulation
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Hydrophobically treated
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Mummy taper shape
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Technical baffle design
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Internal stash pocket
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Included stuff and loft bags
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Angled footbox
How warm a sleeping bag do you really need? We’ve tried to help you by grouping our sleeping bags by their recognised comfort ratings. These are the ratings supplied by the brands that indicate the temperature at which you will remain comfortable whilst sleeping on an insulated sleep mat. After all, comfort is what you want when it’s cold and wet outside, and you’re all tucked up in your nice warm sleeping bag.
We always recommend that you choose your bag according to the coldest conditions you will experience; you can always unzip a bag if it is too warm, but trying to sleep when you’re too cold is just miserable. Bear in mind that we are all individuals, so we all feel the cold differently and that our own resistance will fluctuate depending on a whole load of factors, including how much we have eaten, whether we have consumed alcohol, whether we need a wee or what kind of mood we are in!
Sleeping bags do not generate heat; they only trap the heat we produce, so it is vital that you get into your bag when you are giving off warmth, don’t go to bed when you are cold, have a hot meal or a hot drink or do some brisk exercise to get you nicely warmed up.
Traditionally sleeping bag manufacturers provided their own temperature ratings based on their experience, the product's intended end-use and the perceived environment. However, each brand tested their bags in different ways, and it was hard to find a fair comparison between models. So, in 2005 a European standard for sleeping bag temperature ratings, EN 13537, was introduced to give consumers a comparable guide to sleeping bag performance across a range of brands and models. The ratings have four different temperature ratings to give you an indication of the bag's performance.
Comfort Rating: This is the temperature at which an average female should experience a comfortable night’s sleep. On average, women sleep colder than men, so this rating is some degrees above the "comfort lower limit" for a man.
Comfort Limit Rating: This is the lowest temperature at which an average male should experience a comfortable night’s sleep whilst laid down in a curled up position.
Extreme: This is a survival rating where the user is likely to suffer health damage such as Hypothermia. It should be treated with the utmost caution and not be relied on for general use.
However, the EN 13537 European Standard does not apply to down-filled sleeping bags with a fill weight of more than 800g; for those bags, you will have to rely on the manufacturer's experience and technical expertise, which is often more accurate!
Most reputable brands still use their own rating system alongside EN 13537, for instance, Mountain Equipment's “Good Night’s Sleep” and Rab’s “Sleep Limit”. These ratings are often the most accurate guide to the overall performance of a sleeping bag being used by an average outdoor enthusiast because they are based on years of expedition heritage, field trials, technological experience, and constant feedback.
But please bear in mind that all ratings are only a guide and, as mentioned earlier, there are a huge range of factors that can affect your comfort; if you are just not sure, it is always wise to go for a warmer model.
The biggest difference you can make to your overall comfort is to use an efficiently insulated sleeping mat. Once you get inside your sleeping bag, you instantly compress all the filling beneath you, greatly reducing its efficiency. Therefore using a quality sleep mat will ensure you are properly insulated from the cold ground, and you will be a lot more comfortable... Basically, there is no point in buying a top-quality sleeping bag if you are just going to lie down on the floor.