The guys at Go Outdoors contacted me a few weeks back and after some friendly email exchanges they sent me a couple of Rab jackets to try (and write up about, of course).
I have been looking at a down jacket for those cold, drier days on the hills. In fact, I’d been looking at a couple of videos a couple of weeks before to better understand all the technology and terminology. And Go Outdoors had come up in my YouTube searches.
Actually, as a side note and with my marketing hat on.. Go Outdoors are great at content marketing and MD John is a natural at explaining all the options on video.
https://youtu.be/LhsBrhFKHr8
So first up: the Rab Infinity Endurance Men’s Hydrophobic Down Jacket.
I’ve worn this now a few times out on the moors and a bit further afield – and until we get into winter proper, it’s almost too warm (!) That’s not a complaint: it’s a factor of our milder autumn and early winter and testament to the jacket.
And I haven’t been out in truly wet conditions – just light drizzle – but the Pertex Endurance coating did its job and the jacket didn’t ‘wilt’ into wet down inside.
I’m away in the Glen Coe area very early January and I’ve no doubt that it will really come into itself.
That said, with the recent snowfall we’ve had I have worn it on the Marsden Moors and it really is a great jacket for warmth, weight and fit.
I’m not a climber so I’ll never make the most of the helmet compatible hood but the drawcord adjustment is a neat feature. And the pockets are very generous for a phone, compass, snacks etc.
I used the stuff sack that comes with it to compress it into a day pack last week and forgot I was carrying it (it was too mild to wear it).. e.g at 575g it’s very light. A great jacket!
The second jacket Go Outdoors sent me was the Rab Men’s Firewall Jacket.
This is also a great jacket – I already have a venting waterproof jacket (a Jack Wolfskin) and I love the fact this has similar venting options under the arms.
Again, the hood is helmet compatible – not something I need as such – but it rolls down and folds away nicely when it’s not raining. It has a good sized map pocket and the side pockets are roomy (good for those gloves and scooby snacks for the hound).
I like the cut of it – it’s pretty roomy so you can wear a couple of layers underneath. And the ‘Pertex Shield’with the ‘3L stretch fabric’ makes it a waterproof and comfortable wear.
As an unexpected test.. I took my DSLR out last week on a walk up the hill behind me (there’s been a kestrel up there and I was after a couple of pics). On the way back down the skies opened in true Marsden Moor style e.g from dry to drizzle to torrential in 10 seconds! Or that’s how it felt, anyway – it was raining hard.
And I hadn’t taken my camera case with me – doh. So I zipped the camera into the front of the jacket.. it was a tight fit but the jacket zipped up AND the camera was dry when I got home, after 20 minutes of continuous rain. No ruined camera .. a pretty good albeit unplanned ‘field test’!