Alpkit pogie mods

[thenorthwind]

Ironically I started this job on the hottest day of the year... nothing like planning ahead!

I was given a pair of Alpkit pogies last winter, which is great because I get cold hands really, really easily. They work pretty well, but I find it's difficult to get your hands in without bunching them up a bit and exposing more wrist than is ideal, which somewhat defeats the purpose.

So I decided to add some rigidity to the top of them by inserting a layer of HDPE (milk bottle plastic) from an old 5l container. It shouldn't do any harm in keeping the wind and rain out either.

I unpicked some of the stitching around the edging, and from a row internally:


I found that the stitching for the reflective detail doesn't go through the layer underneath so I was able just to cut one big piece of plastic:


I slid it into place, squeeze a few blobs of glue on top of it to keep it in place, and sewed the edging back on.

It certainly seems like it bunches up less, though I haven't tested it on the bike for obvious reasons.

I need to do the other one when I've emptied another container... if that doesn't happen before it gets cold, I'll just have to do some proper A/B comparative testing (see if my right hand stays warmer than my left)

[johnnystorm]

While you've got it open could you slide in some survival bag foil?

[thenorthwind]

Sewn it up now but I suppose I could have done. I thought about adding a little pocket as well so you could stick e.g. chocolate bars in and stop them freezing.

[whitestone]

Have Alpkit changed their pogies? I got a pair a couple of years ago and the outer edge was actually a velcroed closure "to aid a quick exit in case of a crash" Unfortunately this meant that it wasn't insulated plus the fibre pile didn't come up to the closure. All this meant that they were OK down to around -5C but once it got properly cold then they didn't cut it.

I notice that my review stating the same on Alpkit's site has gone so maybe they have changed.

[thenorthwind]

I guess they must have then - they're a shock cord closure, and the pile comes right to the "mouth."

I remember you saying you didn't rate them. I would have gone for one of the other options but they were a present so...

I think they'd struggle in properly cold conditions, but as I say, I get cold hands extremely easily so perhaps I'm not the best judge. I've worn gloves under these in British winter conditions. A lot depends on how often you're removing your hands to check the map, eat, drink, etc. I like being able to do all that stuff without having to remove and replace thick gloves all the time though.

[whitestone]

Makes sense then to remove the review as it referred to problems they've since fixed. From memory I think I stated that they'd be fine for UK winter conditions but not anything more serious.

This is what I wrote on my blog at the time - http://bobwightman.blogspot.com/2017/03 ... didnt.html and the photo shows the "escape slot" that was a big problem in that design.

[thenorthwind]

Ah, yes, definitely different. I wonder how well these will work with my Jones bars (which I was considering putting back on my Longitude) or the Molokos currently on it. Possibly not brilliantly, especially now I've stiffened them (well, one)