Rab Microlight Jacket
September 27, 2009
Rab gets it right with this piece – which is absolutely zero surprise to me since I’ve been lucky enough to be able to check out a few offerings from Rab. As I mentioned in my review of the Rab Latok Alpine Jacket, Rab is an established company in the UK and is making its way across the pond to the US. It’s still a bit of a rare sight in the US to see someone in Rab gear, and I get a lot of quizzical looks and questions when I wear the Microlight out, especially in Alaska where being ahead of anything involving clothing or fashion is pretty much a lifetime achievement. So yeah, I’ve finally done it – been ahead of the fashion curve. Whatever will I do with my life now…
No matter what I decide to do with all this new-found free time, I will definitely be warm and cozy with the Microlight jacket in my clothing arsenal. Like everything Rab, the Microlight is cut trim and slender with a flattering silhouette, yet still maintains good range of motion for climbing. The many baffles keep the down equally distributed and there’s no reason to fear cold spots just because of the baffles. I have tried a lot of insulated jackets with all different types of baffles, and have never experienced the “cold spot” phenomenon, so just relax about that. This jacket is warm, and the baffles provide uniform warmth AND a snazzy, eye-catching look.
The Microlight, like so many other super lightweight insulated jackets these days, stuffs into a pocket for compression. What makes this jacket stand out in the crowd, though, is that the jacket stuffs into an interior pocket, leaving the outside pockets unfettered by zippers. This might make gadget-carriers cringe in fear, but there’s no need to worry – the pockets are also designed differently than the standard, with a more, er, bucket-like (?) shape (why yes, I AM a professional writer) that keeps items secure and hands toasty warm. The pockets aren’t just diagonal slashes, they are curved at the top so that the opening is 100% above the actual body of the pocket. Got that image? No? Well, you’ll just have to write in with a better way to describe it then.
Okay, so if you’re big on the monkey bars, like to ride the Zipper at the county fair, or commonly engage in the kind of ice climbing that requires one to become inverted (like this guy) you might lose some stuff out of the pockets. Otherwise, you’re golden. And you always have the zippered interior pocket if you really really need to be sure something won’t fall out.
I’ve been consistently impressed with Rab – the fit and quality is top-notch. Sizing is also consistent, and is true to real sizing, and I do mean real – not inflated or deflated; so you better order your ACTUAL size, don’t fight it. Most Rab items are cut trim, so take that into account when choosing your size. Me, I like the body conscious fit, so I stay with my regular size and have had good luck with Rab sizing.
I like being the only one wearing Rab locally, but I’m a fan of the company so I look forward to seeing the logo out and about. Rab keeps setting a high bar with each new item, and I think it’s only going to keep getting better.
Rab Latok Alpine Jacket
April 21, 2008
Rab is an established company in the UK, and is just starting a push to join the US market. If you’re not yet familiar with Rab, believe me, you will be soon. It’s pretty gutsy for Rab to go up against North American top guns like The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, and Arc’Teryx, but based on what I’ve seen so far, those jet jockeys might have a fight on their hands soon (and if I hadn’t liked the jacket, I could have said “Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full!” but as it turns out, there’s always room for one more. But that’s not as catchy a fighter pilot slogan).
I usually don’t post reviews of products until I’ve seriously beat them down for a while, but since all my adventure partners are sick of hearing about how much I love this jacket, I figure I’d better stop testing their patience and just post my review already. This won’t stop me from shoving it in everyone’s face and telling them they have to check it out, though, because this is one product that delivers.
At first blush I was impressed by the construction and design, not to mention the ridiculously light weight. Even though the sample was a wee bit on the small size for me, I refused to hand it off to a smaller tester because I liked it so much. The true-to-size fit was actually quite nice, because the warped-sizing guessing game involved in finding clothes that fit these days is pretty annoying. I have clothes in my closet ranging from size 2 to size 8. I can understand disparity between two sizes, but four? Argh. Rab also uses numerical sizing (2-4-6-8, etc.) instead of S-M-L, so you can really dial in the fit. So when buying Rab, buy your REAL size. Do not think that you can fit into a size two just because you wear a size small in The North Face. That said, I really like the trim cut of the Latok Alpine. For me it is a tad bit long, but I know that I’m practically unique in that complaint since women seem to be almost universally clamoring for longer jackets and shirts, and sadly for me, manufacturers are listening.
Best of all, the Latok is cut trim in the body but generously in the sleeves, and my readers know how much I like that. Total arm mobility is important in climbing, folks! The design is minimalist, with two big outside pockets and two smaller inside pockets. The outside pockets are huge, and the water-and-wind-proof zippers keep out the elements. If you like being close to nature but not THAT close to nature, you’ll be grateful for the weatherproofing. Those wise ladies who wear helmets to protect their noggins will appreciate the oversized hood (oversized? It’s ENORMOUS), guaranteed to fit even a full-faced motorcycle helmet, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Minor complaints are limited to the sizing of the two logos – both the rather drab yet giant Rab logo on the chest (kind of odd on an otherwise understated and elegant jacket design) and the equally obvious bright orange eVent fabrics logo on the sleeve. Did you know that eVent fabrics is owned by General Electric? I didn’t, either, until I saw the huge logo and then read the accompanying literature. My jacket and my refrigerator are made by the same company? Weird. When it comes to logos, less is more, sometimes.
Edit: I took the Latok on an ice climbing trip (remember, we’re in Alaska, we can ice climb in May) and I thought it worth mentioning that this is the best ice climbing jacket I’ve ever tried. The trim cut made it so easy to use with a climbing harness – the waist belt just buckles right over the jacket, no muss, no fuss, no folds or bulges or annoying extra fabric to bunch up under the harness. The arms have plenty of room for swinging, hooking, and, oh yeah, ice climbing too (ha!). The more things I use this jacket for, the more I like it. The eVent fabric seems impervious to water and dirt, both of which exist in abundance here in Alaska. Rab is well on its way to becoming a staple in my gear closet.
