In reply to 1philjones1:
> when my Baltoro Alpine died last year I’ve replaced it with a Rab Alpha Direct and a Rab Alpha Flux
Thanks for the suggestions. The Alpha Direct now seems to be called the Vapour Rise Guide - same basic idea: Pertex Equilibrium outer with Polartec Alpha insulation. I have an aging Vapour Rise (not Guide) jacket with the pile lining: is the Polartec Alpha similar to pile? I have found that the outer Pertex fabric of the VR isn't very durable - but then again the jacket is really quite old now.
AFAICS from the photos on Rab's web site the Alpha Flux doesn't have velcro wrist fastenings, instead having thumb holes to allow the wearer to adopt the "vulnerable female move trope" sleeves-pulled-up-into-the palms-of-the-hands configuration. Also, I'm not keen on what I can see of the pocket locations: they look too low down to me, meaning that a harness or a rucksack waist belt might get in the way a bit. Plus the openings are round the side rather than being 'napoleon' style on the front with access across the front of the body which is my preference (I think the VR Guide also has that issue). If only I could go in to a shop and try them on...
I was quite tempted by the Rab Kinetic Alpine. It gets very good reviews but it does seem a bit lightweight for my needs. Plus it's that bit more expensive - although I do have a gift voucher burning a hole in my wallet. I nearly bit the bullet and ordered one yesterday, until I discovered that the retailer in question doesn't accept their own gift vouchers in payment for online orders So basically, I can't use it until lockdown restrictions on both them and me are lifted. And in the mean time they could go bust (not at all unlikely in the current situation) which would leave me with nothing