Having read on this website recently a thread regarding fake goods for sale generally on the internet, it became clear that most contributors were reassured when buying goods through reputable shops via their online service, and would steer clear of the seemingly too good to be true bargains. On the last couple of occasions of having visited a Cotswolds Outdoors shop I have found however that they have on sale some items from the Rab stable, that I can't find listed anywhere on Rab's own website. Amongst them are the RV Jacket - a jacket in design, different depending on what colour you choose... and also the Ghost Jacket. There are others which I forget the names of at the moment. Does anyone have any idea where these come from at all? Strange as it is from Rab, some of these items seem to missing the proprietary materials seen in other garments made by them, but still seem quite genuine.
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 RV might be typo, could be the Rab VR (vapour rise), Don't know about the ghost jacket (good name mind)
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| Edited: 21/02/10 15:06 |
In my experience (some) it is not unknown for some companies to develop limited runs of equipment and put them on the market either:- to allow the general public to test the product in the field or to sell a product that has been tested in the field and performance has fallen short of expectations. These products may not appear on the official website. In the early days of Goretex it was found that some products that used the goretex fabric in garments had to invest a lot of time/materials to find the best means of lamination eg comfort vs abrasion resistance. Some of these garments found their way into the market via facory clearances etc.
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Might be some of Rab's discontinued lines, which have been removed from their website. I vaguely recall something called the Ghost jacket. tho I can't remember any details about it.
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 If you cant find it on the website any more its probably not made, if you search for rab ghost you will find that most places list it as not available, ie not a current model Changes in design between colours could be down to changes in design over time, some colours are no longer made. Could the RV actually be a VR (vapour rise)?
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 The Ghost was a Windpro / Powerstretch jacket. Not sure why they have done away with it.
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The Ghost is a Fleece available at Oneoutdoors for £60 
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 i've seen the rab stuff you mention. you can throw the idea of counterfeit/fake away immediately. these may be: a limited run ordered by cotswold as a shop exclusive - stores do this quite a bit with manufacturers, often with colours - so rab wouldn't show them on its website. end of range a rab promotion getting rid of stcok various other explanations. buying online from reputable shops is always done with confidence - even on those things that seem too good to be true as there are genuine extreme bargains sometimes. i wasn't impressed by the finish on these jackets but then i think rab's finishing has deteriorated a lot in recent years.
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.JPG) In my Local Cotswold a while back, they were selling the RV - in 3 different versions - the guy I spoke to reckoned they'd used up surplus fabrics to make a generic fleec/windproof shell 'RV jacket'. One had what seemed like 200 weight fleece lining, whilst another had 100 weight. The shell fabrics varied considerably as well. Also, you couldn't tell if the shell fabric was a coated waterproof fabric or just DWR - there was no detailed spec on the swing tags. The shop assistant had no info. Bit dodgy really.
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 Seen them too. Seemed to be cheap jackets, poorly finished and for sale at one of those slightly dodgy sale prices (i.e one with probably with a extra high mark up included! ). Not impressed with material and finish - markedly worse than present day Rab usual standards. I still recall when I had a summer job in a camping shop many years ago and the rep of a large well regarded firm came round selling a special run of down sleeping bags on which the retailer could have a mark up of 100% and still sell them at a bargain price. Obviously the manufacturer was still making usual profit but had negotiated a special cheap deal on construction, raw materials.
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Yes Mole, 3 different linings and 3 different shell fabrics, differing according to colour, yet I recall them all being the RV Jacket. I immediately thought where's the Pertex or the Polartec Powerdry. As you point out Ben, cheaper materials... I have to agree with the point about the build quality of Rab's garments being poorer generally than they used to be. I have a Baltoro Guide Jacket and though it's a great bit of kit, the moulding of the hood retaining clip is poor and stitched in the wrong way round. One has already seen it's way back to Rab on account of the clip having fallen off. I had a pair of Hispar Gaiters too and the stitching of the cord on one was in such a position that it offered so little adjustment to be useless. They too went back! Thanks Damian
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While knowing they weren't, they did look just like the Chinese/ Nepalese knock offs available in Pokhara and elsewhere. Dated fabrics, sloppy finish with a label added to create a brand. Cotswold are quite a good store but, like Field and Trek and others, seem to be heading to the outdoor fashion market too much for my liking. Oh well. Other shops thankfully remain.
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 Just picked one of these rv jackets from Cotswolds but have taken it back due to a 3 inch tear inside one of the pockets. I used it for a week before I took it back though and found it to be a very comfortable, warm, lightweight jacket which packs down small and looks pretty cool for £50. I would guess it is windproof but didn't get to test this. It doesn't have a hood so it would only be an 'occasional' jacket or a backup - ideally for nipping outdoors in iffy weather or for wearing around camp of an evening. It would never be your main choice of jacket for a full day out though - you'd feel conspicuous in it if there was no rain around but if it were raining you'd get soaked unless you had a waterproof hat or umbrella and even then you'd overheat if you exerted yourself in it with the zip up... Definitely not worth £100 - can't believe they ever sold any at the price - but for £50 it's not bad, provided you are aware of its limitations. Personally I think I'd rather pay a few quid more for something with a hood as I think I'd feel a bit daft wearing it in a downpoor... Agree with Ben about Cotswolds though. Just hope Rab aren't going the way of The North Face...
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 @ Dubster - if you are after a lightweight waterproof with a hood for under £50 you can get a Marmot Precip / Precip Impulse for £45 - the hood on the Impulse is removable.
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I picked a black RV jacket up in my local charity shop for £3.50. It is windproof and pretty good, though it does have to be pretty cold for me not to get too sweaty in it on my bike, but perhaps thats just me. The only thing that i dont like is how the fleece lining doesn't slide well over any other jumpers you are wearing underneath, so it doesn't slip on too well and i end up faffing with it for ages. Don't have the same problem with my Marmot pertex/fleece(which i also got for 3.50 in a charity shop,ha!) Apart from that though, its good.
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