We slept in the Scottish Highlands in January at minus eight degrees. This kept us warm without the premium price tag.

Alpkit is a British outdoor brand that produces genuinely excellent gear at prices that undercut their competitors significantly. The Pipedream 400 uses 600 fill power duck down — not the 800+ fill power you find in premium bags, but enough to perform at its rated temperature with a reasonable margin. We tested it at minus eight degrees in Sutherland. With base layer leggings and a merino top, we slept comfortably. We would not want to push significantly further than the manufacturer’s extreme rating, but for van camping in British and European winters, it is entirely sufficient.