I have been testing a new jacket, the Rab Microlight Alpine Down Hoody Jacket, which is part of a newly revamped collection of Rab down jackets.
The new range includes: Microlight Alpine Hoody, Microlight Jacket Microlight Shield and Microlighter.
More details of Rab’s new Down Jacket collection, all available in male and female sizes.
A key update is the introduction of Pertex® Quantum with NetPlus® across the Microlight Alpine Hoody, the Microlight Jacket and the Microlighter styles.
According to Rab, the brand has “incorporated more than 363,000m of fabric made with NetPlus in their AW26 products, repurposing more than 22 tonnes of discarded fishing nets, while maintaining the performance expected from technical mountain equipment.”
Rab’s Microlight Alpine Down Jacket
A lightweight, packable down jacket designed for all-mountain use.
Featuring:
Recycled 700FP down
Zoned baffles
Durable Pertex Quantum with NetPlus outer
Adjustable hood with malleable wired peak
Articulated sleeves
2 zipped hand pockets (one that doubles as a stash bag with loop for clipping to your harness, should you want to do so)
1 zipped chest pocket
One-way YKK centre-front zip, with insulated zip baffle.
Price: £220
Rab’s Microlight Shield Waterproof Down Jacket
The Microlight Shield combines waterproof protection and the warmth and low weight of the Microlight in one jacket.
Featuring:
2-layer Pertex Shield outer
Recycled 700FP down with a hydrophobic finish
Zoned baffles
Protective hood
AquaGuard zips
Adjustable cuffs and hem
Price: £300
Rab’s Microlighter Down Jacket
A lightweight layer designed to go wherever the adventure takes you.
Featuring::
Pertex Quantum with NetPlus outer
Breathable TXdown recycled down-infused sheet insulation
Close-fitting hood
Articulated sleeves
Integrated packaway pocket
Price: £180
For all the jackets, see Rab.
My thoughts: Rab’s Microlight Alpine Down Hoody Jacket
I have the Microlight Alpine Down Jacket in size UK10 and the dark bluebird colour. There are actually 10 colour ways to choose from, which is really good, and a size range from UK6 to 18. It would one nice to see a couple of extra sizes at the larger end.
It’s an easy jacket to like and it fits me very well. The arm length is excellent, by which I mean it fits my longer than average arms. The arm and wrist width is not generous so if you have larger than average arms in terms of width, I would go up a size. The cuffs are made of a soft fabric but they are not adjustable.
The torso length is also good and there is an elasticated adjustable hem plus the neck zips up to nose height with a nice soft internal fabric to protect the chin.
I like the fit of the hood which can be adjustable thanks to an elasticated outer rim. The malleable wired peak is quite small and there probably isn’t a great deal of use to it, but, all the same it’s better to have than not to have.
The jacket has been designed with 700FP down, which has been placed in body-mapped baffles. The bosy mapping is described as being in smaller nano baffles under the arms for mobility and larger micro baffles on the back, shoulders and front for optimised warmth where you need it.
The 700FP means Fill Power 700. This is the down fill of the particular baffle areas of the jacket. Just because it says 700FP doesn’t mean the jacket will be as warm as another with 700FP.
The way it works is that fill power measures the quality and fluffiness (loft) of the down – specifically how many cubic inches an ounce of down occupies – and not the total amount of down inside the jacket. So, in effect, that larger the baffles, the more down can be added to the jacket.
Even so, I do think that this is a warm jacket for its weight. It doesn’t feel constricting or bulky at all but it’s nicely warming. I wear it as an outer layer on cooler days and as a mid-layer under my waterproof jacket for much colder days.
It’s good to know that Rab has thought about the environmental impact of their clothing production. As well as the recycled content of the Pertex Quantum with NetPlus, Rab states that the Microlight has been “designed to be used intensively, repaired when needed and worn season after season”.
In 2020, Rab also stated that they were now using 100% recycled down in the Microlight collection, plus recycled outer fabric and recycled nylon lining. Since autumn/winter 2024, the product family has also been fully PFAS-compliant. To achieve PFAS-compliant status a product, material, or system needs to meet safety and regulatory standards by containing little to no restricted per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), whihc are also referred to as “forever chemicals”.
It all sounds very positive but it is hard to quantify the environmental impact from a layman’s point of view. Yes, recycled content is better than freshly made in terms of the cost to the climate and our planet, but I am not able to assess the actual impact to the environment from making each item.
At the end of the day, we should be working towards buying only needed products – and second-hand if possible – and wearing them for as long as we can.
Anyway, the jacket, including the recycled fabric and down, offers good warmth, as well as windproofing and breathability. It will apparently “withstand getting dropped at the crag or stuffed in a pack”.
The outer fabric is soft and silky feeling but I am not entirely convinced by how durable it will be. I have owned a Rab Cirque down jacket for many years and the so-called Pertex Microlight fabric seems a lot more robust. Indeed, the jacket is still in great condition many years later.
I am also noticing with the new Microlight Alpine Down Hoody Jacket that some of the feathers are escaping various stitched areas in the jacket. I haven’t lost more than a couple of feathers but it’s a new jacket and I’d prefer not to see any feathers protruding through the fabric.
I guess there is always a balance to be had when designing a lightweight yet warm and durable item.
It’s great to have two zipped hand pockets and another zipped chest pocket. One of the zipped hand pockets doubles as a stash bag if you want to stow the jacket when not being worn. The chest pocket is just large enough to fit my large smartphone.
The centre zip is YKK standard but I wish it was two-way, rather than just a one-way tip up.
The price is £220, which is not cheap but Rab is a well trusted brand and I would be hoping the jacket lasts well, so long as the feathers stay in place.
This is the sort of jacket I will frequently take with me whether walking, running or cycling. I like to have an insulated layer to pop on when I stop for something to eat, or when the temperature drops at higher elevation on a hill or mountain. Having a down jacket to put on after exercise is a bonus, too.
It’s a warming jacket with a good balance of weight to warmth. It has been well designed and I like Rab’s care for the environment. Time will tell as to its durability.
The other jackets in the collection are a lighter weight Microlighter and a waterproof Microlight Shield. There is also a Rab’s Microlight Alpine Down Jacket, minus a hood, and a gilet-style jacket.