Alpkit and Their Neverending Faulty Products

Has anyone else had issues with Alpkit products?

TL;DR:
I've had enough with Alpkit and lost all trust in them and their products. Their customer service is poor too.

The longer version:

It took three of Alpkit's Carbonlite walking poles before I got a couple that seem okay, with two different (potentially dangerous) faults between the three. Alpkit assured me the faults were rare, which is why they didn't recall the products.

I've had 3 or 4 mattresses that failed. One lost air through the material itself (leading to a cold autumn camping week - my first wild camping experience - with no mattress to sleep on), and Alpkit had me repeatedly looking for a puncture in the bath. When they received the mattress, they said it was a fault that affected a very small number of mattresses, which is why they repeatedly asked me to look for a puncture before they offered the return. The other mattresses had bubbles pop up from them (literally, waking me on a couple of occasions), and Alpkit didn't refund me for one of them. I looked after them properly (e.g. not leaving them inflated inside a tent). I always thought the self-inflation was a gimmick until I actually received a mattress that did self-inflate. I bought a half-length Airo that has been okay (still only used around 10 times) but 1 decent product out of 5 is still very poor of course. The self-inflation has stopped working on it though.

I bought a few pairs of their socks, which were rubbish (bobbling, shrinking, wearing out quickly, elastic quickly going).

I bought an Alpkit Kepler merino shirt that ripped along one of the sleeve seams the first time I wore it, and after questioning, Alpkit accepted a return and confirmed it was an issue with the product. The replacement developed a hole within a week. I know merino wool can be fragile and have used Decathlon and Rohan merino tops without issue.

I kept thinking I'll stop buying from Alpkit, but when I'm looking for a new product, they often crop up as 'best buys.' What prompted this post is being annoyed with Alpkit customer service over a Balance waterproof jacket which early on didn't seem very breathable and when it rained, also turned out to be not very waterproof (and in a cold and potentially dangerous situation). They were slow to refund me for that, well over a week longer than the 2-3 days they cite. I also received no communication from them about the return (I may have wanted a replacement, for example) AND they've under-refunded me. So basically I've been charged for a crappy coat I don't have anymore.

The gloves with waterproof roll over mitts seem badly designed, as the mitt part collects rain/snow which of course soaks through the inner glove. The description of the fit on their website also seems wrong.

There are probably other faulty products I've forgotten I've bought from Alpkit. My titanium pot is still going strong after many years, but what could go wrong with that?

I bought a pair of Alpkit trousers which seem good apart from the inbuilt belt which is fairly useless, and the main pockets which seem oddly angled or something (my phone/wallet doesn't fit comfortably in them when I'm walking uphill). The heavier weight drybags are decent, but the lighter ones not great compared to competitors I've used. Which reminds me, I don't think my new Gourdon backpack is as waterproof as the previous ones I bought. I had bought another Gourdon because my experience with them had been good.

I replaced my Hunka bivvy (which I thought was good but hasn't really been tested) with a Kloke, but is the Kloke going to let me down? Will I wake up cold in a soaked sleeping bag one night because it's not waterproof? After the issue with the coat and everything previous, I finally have no trust in Alpkit products.

I don't know if they still do, but Alpkit used to pride themselves on their great customer service, and I've never thought much of their customer service either. They seem to start on the basis that "the customer is always wrong," going right back to my first experience in 2008 to today, where they've asked for proof I haven't received the full refund (they should know how refunds work by now), plus all their original questioning and asking for photos of the faulty jacket. If anything, they should be paying me compensation for all the stress and time of mine they've wasted. It costs to send items back even when they're 'free' returns. Perhaps I should bill Alpkit.

So Alpkit products are either really crap, I'm really unlucky, or maybe a bit of both. They're not the only outdoor brand I've had issues with, but thankfully I've bought great products too - my Crown VC backpack, EuroSchirm Light Trek Umbrella, Bridgedale Woolfusion Trail Light Socks, Thermarest mattress, Brasher Supalite GTX (not Berghaus, who ruined the boot), and Rohan Equator shirts probably being my favourites. Maybe I should add the two Peter Storm fleeces that have been serving me well since before that first wild camping trip in 2008 that saw my first bad experience with Alpkit.

A lot of my gear is well-used but still very usable, but Alpkit products have failed miserably in a short time based on most of my experiences.

You might see from the above that it takes a lot for me to out a company publicly. It took a few faulty mattresses before I finally wrote a negative review of those. Though when people ask, I'm always honest. I really used to like Alpkit and continued to want to, but I've lost all faith in them. My faulty products from Alpkit go back to 2008 but most have been in the past 5 years.

I hope companies take on board negative reviews and then do their best to sort the issues out. I'd much prefer a company to succeed than fail.

I honestly still think that isn't everything, and I'm bound to have forgotten other issues.

So thanks to anyone who read all that! I bolded key points to make it easier for skimming.