"Rab" Brand Products

[DayTrip]

Anyone have any feedback on the Rab brand of products, in particular the jackets. There are a lot of sales right now on winter coats and feature wise it sounds like they make a nice product. Says they have a lifetime warranty. I have no experience with this brand.

Any comments on the brand, customer service experiences, etc would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[weatherman]

They're pretty popular here with some serious tele skiers I've seen, who like them. I'm still liking my old REI stuff, haven't had occasion to change yet. I think they are perhaps more of a Canadian brand???

 

[TCD]

I think it's actually a British brand. Good quality stuff. I have a Rab lightweight down jacket. It's solid. (Need to get used to the British left-handed zipper.)

 

[egilbe]

Rab makes good stuff, although it seems sized small. I get a size larger than what I would normally take.

 

[alexmtn]

Rab is good stuff. Relative to the other high-end brands, their chief distinction is that they work in eVent. I don't have a jacket yet, but have very much enjoyed a pair of heavy duty eVent winter pants - superior air exchange to their GoreTex predecessors.

Hikers who crave ventilation and want to be waterproof owe it to themselves to do an eVent piece sooner rather than later. Due to Gore's market power, brand options are limited.

Rab makes good stuff, although it seems sized small. I get a size larger than what I would normally take.

My Rab pants are true to size (M).

 

[bignslow]

I think it's actually a British brand. Good quality stuff. I have a Rab lightweight down jacket. It's solid. (Need to get used to the British left-handed zipper.)

Correct, they're a UK brand. I have a few of their jackets and I like them a lot. Their gear is definitely more oriented towards actual outdoor pursuits rather than looking good on the ski slope or college campus...

Rab makes good stuff, although it seems sized small. I get a size larger than what I would normally take.

They definitely have a European/athletic fit, I think it depends a lot on your build and the jackets themselves.

Rab is good stuff. Relative to the other high-end brands, their chief distinction is that they work in eVent. I don't have a jacket yet, but have very much enjoyed a pair of heavy duty eVent winter pants - superior air exchange to their GoreTex predecessors.

Hikers who crave ventilation and want to be waterproof owe it to themselves to do an eVent piece sooner rather than later. Due to Gore's market power, brand options are limited.

One of the RAB pieces I would love to take for a test drive is their neo-shell (made by polartec) jacket. The claim is the breathability of a softshell with the waterproofness of a hard shell (seems impossible, but I have read of people complaining that they can feel a breeze through the jacket, despite the fact that it is waterproof).

On the topic of eVent, I highly recommend the MH DryQ Elite (note the importance of elite vs the regular DryQ). It is the eVent membrane laminated to some different fabrics than GE uses for standard eVent (though I'm not sure the performance is all that different).

 

[jfb]

I bought a Rab Latok Alpine jacket a few years ago to replace a Precip anorak. The Precip coating had worn away inside the collar area and was allowing my neck to get wet. I use the Rab jacket (with eVent) as a rainjacket, not as a "winter" jacket. Quality is excellent and fit seems the same as most other jackets, to me. My jacket zipper is a one-way, I think they upgraded to two-way zippers the year after I bought mine. I find the breathability of eVent to be better than my old Precip and also better than my Patagonia Storm jacket.

 

[Trail Boss]

Owner of:

• Rab Momentum Jacket (eVent)
• Rab Generator Alpine Jacket(Primaloft)
• Rab Photon Pants (Primaloft)
• Rab Vapour-Rise Lite Alpine jacket
• Rab Vapour-Rise Lite jacket
• Rab Sawtooth jacket
• Rab MeCo Long-sleeve Tee (wool/polyester)
• Rab Orbit Zip-Tee (fleece)
• Rab Latok Gloves (eVent)
• Rab Latok Alpine Gaiters (eVent)

Yeah, I like Rab's "kit".

• UK-based company founded by Scottish climber Rab Carrington.
• Well-designed, high-quality clothing.
• Typically sized for slim/trim/athletic builds.
• Sleeve-length tends to be generous.
• All items were purchased on sale (up to 50% off MSRP).

 

[Jay H]

Timely post. I lost an old MH shell (Conduit) and just bought a Rab Viper 2.5L DVL) from a store for $140... I'll see how it is but it's gotten some good reviews for it's price....

Jay

 

[TDawg]

I've been happy with my Neutrino Endurance down jacket. Had it for almost a year now, very warm.

 

[DayTrip]

I think it's actually a British brand. Good quality stuff. I have a Rab lightweight down jacket. It's solid. (Need to get used to the British left-handed zipper.)

Funny you mention this. One of the reviews I read was from a guy complaining about why they did this. Now I know.

 

[DayTrip]

I've been happy with my Neutrino Endurance down jacket. Had it for almost a year now, very warm.

This is the exact jacket I was looking at. Sounded too good to be true relative to similar coats in the price point. I almost bought and then read that it wasn't true box construction but stitched. Any complaints about the down settling, moving, leaving cold spots?

 

[TDawg]

No, but I've only had it one winter season. Only a few hikes, minimal times being stuffed and unstuffed.

 

[jfb]

This is the exact jacket I was looking at. Sounded too good to be true relative to similar coats in the price point. I almost bought and then read that it wasn't true box construction but stitched. Any complaints about the down settling, moving, leaving cold spots?

If you already have a lighter down jacket, you could get by with something like the Neutrino Endurance to wear over your existing jacket. The Photon X jacket looks pretty nice also, although it might be slightly less compressible than down.

 

[DayTrip]

If you already have a lighter down jacket, you could get by with something like the Neutrino Endurance to wear over your existing jacket. The Photon X jacket looks pretty nice also, although it might be slightly less compressible than down.

I currently own the LL Bean model that won all the Backpacker magazine awards a few years back (when I bought it). I've been very disappointed with it and really was bought at the start of my serious hiking phase when I didn't know enough about to what to look for. I'll be replacing it and don't want to compromise on the next one. Not looking for something "you could get by with".