The Bottom Line
(4.5 / 5)
The Pipedream 400 from Alpkit is a great addition to my gear, and my main sleeping bag for light 4-season use in the UK. It’s pretty light and packs small, is lovely and warm, and goes for a relatively good price.
Purchasing
The best way to get the Pipedream 400 is direct from Alpkit. The price varies but if you’re happy to wait until its on sale you’ll probably get it for around £200.
In Use
The Pipedream 400 comes in four variants: long and regular, left- or right-zip. The zip side is entirely a matter of preference, but it’s really important to get the length right. If you get a bag that’s too short for you, it won’t work properly and therefore won’t keep you warm. The sizing on Alpkit’s website is pretty good – but basically if you’re over about 5 foot 9 in (175 cm) go for the long version. The two lengths of bag are actually filled with the same amount of insulation, so the weight and pack size differences are minimal – but that does mean that the Long is slightly less warm than the Regular.
The material used on the inside of the bag feels super soft and comfortable on the skin. As with any down bag though, you might want to use a sleeping bag liner so you don’t need to wash the bag as often. There are excellent baffles around the mouth of the bag, with a cutout to fit around your neck, so it is excellent at keeping warm air in. The pull cord around the top of the hood is also good and lets you cinch the bag down really well for cold nights. My only slight criticism would be that the zip used isn’t the smoothest, so it can sometimes be tricky to unzip when you’re inside.
Warmth
Alpkit’s own rating system suggests that the bag is good down to about -6°C but, as with many manufacturer specifications, that’s a bit optimistic. It also depends hugely on the sleeping mat you pair it with. I use the Rab Ultrasphere 4.5 (review here), which is a very warm pad by British 3-season standards, and I still wouldn’t take the Pipedream out below freezing – and even then I’d take lots of extra layers just in case. That may be because I own the long variant, so it’s a bit less warm than the specification.
In the Pack
When packed, the Pipedream 400 isn’t the smallest or the lightest sleeping bag you’ll find at this temperature rating – but at this price point, it is excellent. The Regular version packs down to 19 x 14 cm, while the Long is 30 x 14 – longer, but no wider. The whole bag weighs in at 865 grams for the Regular, and 880 grams for the Long.
The Pipedream 400 also comes with a storage bag – a much larger drawstring bag to keep your sleeping bag in for long periods of time. It provides ample space for the bag to loft up so that you don’t store the down too compressed – which can damage it.
The Pipedream is an excellent lightweight sleeping bag option – but if you’re looking to go ultralight without spending big, you might consider the Mountain Warehouse Traveller 50 for summer use (it’s cheap but not very warm). We’ve also got an entire selection of other budget ultralight options out there.
If you’re on the market for a sleeping pad that shares the Pipedream’s lightness and warmth, the Rab Ultrasphere 4.5 is an excellent option – or, alternatively, think about the cheaper Trekology UL80. For an option that combines warmth with budget-friendliness, consider the Salewa Mat Lite.