Rab Stretch Neo V's Marmot Zion

Hi, i have been researching shell coats for a while now and i am having a new one for my birthday. i have looked at all the technologies and decided i was going for Polartec Neoshell over all the others (eVent, Gor-Tex etc....).

 I have been deliberating over either the Rab Stretch Neo or the Marmot Zion.

 I am a little confused as they both have the Polartec Neoshell but the Marmot is a soft shell and the Rab is a shell!!! I want a shell not a soft shell but as they are the same material i am a little confused.

Also the Rab has fewer (and in the wrong location IMHO) pockets compared to the Marmot which has more pockets which i prefer.

Has anyone got one of these two or had any experience of these???? Thanks 

I've used both. They are the same fabric, but different versions of it in that the Marmot has a thin insulated backer to it which adds a little extra insulation in a 'soft shell sort of way'. The Rab is a more conventional waterproof jacket.

 The Marmot is actually waterproof, I used it on a really wet day in the north Lakes without problems, but more of an alpine-orientated, high mountain shell than the Rab. 

For mostly UK use I'd go for the Rab jacket to be honest. For more alpine and mixed snowsport use, the Marmot's nice, but you wouldn't really choose it for a typically wet UK mountain day unless it was sub-zero I think. You also save a little weight.

Does that make any sense? NeoShell's a nice fabric and breathes very well, but there's not that much of it out there. Canadian brand Westcomb has some option in NeoShell too and a lightweight jacket in development.

OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

Hi,

Thanks for that, i like to wear either a base layer or a fleece jumper so i think the Rab may be the way forward but the pocket locations annoys me as i like to put my hands in my pockets!!

I've had a look at Westcomb but i cant find a local stockist as i would like to try before you buy!! any ideas?

Jon, which would you recommend out of the two for walking in the UK, Ben Nevis, Snowdon being the most extreme.

Thanks

Hi, i have been researching shell coats for a while now and i am having a new one for my birthday. i have looked at all the technologies and decided i was going for Polartec Neoshell over all the others (eVent, Gor-Tex etc....).

Probably worth noting that what it's made of will probably make less difference in the field than the particular design and fit.  So a jacket in the "ideal" fabric which is a bit short on you and has pockets in places you don't find comfortable will be a pain, while one in a marginally less breathable fabric that has the details right will be a good and trusty bit of kit.

I'd select by trying stuff on rather than narrowing it down to a particular fabric unless you come across what looks like a monster bargain online (and even then be prepared to send it back).

Pete.

rob_harrison wrote (see)

Jon, which would you recommend out of the two for walking in the UK, Ben Nevis, Snowdon being the most extreme.

Thanks

 Aren't they really designed for climbing?

I wouldn't choose the Rab stretch Neo as a walking jacket and can't believe it's intended for that really.

A friend has one which he got very heavily discounted through working at Ellis Brigham . He let me try it on the other day.   He had the medium which  fit me widthways (I'm usually a Large, so is he) but was level with my trouser belt and sleeve reached over my fingertips.

Very short in the body (I often say this due to my torso length, but this seems even more so than other Rab offerings I've tried) and very long in the arm  - even for me  (and having a gibbon somewhere in my ancestry, I usually complain about jackets having short arms).  Longer arms than my old Rab slipstream (sizeL) .   Mate claimed he'd tried a large and it was no longer in the body - just wider.

Thanks for all the feedback.

I understand that the Rab may not be a 'walkers'shell but i want the helmet compatability as i do go climbing once every few months and i cant afford to get both for seperate activities so i want to "kill two birds with one stone".

I understand that there are other options avabile but from previous experience i dont like HyVent, Q2 technology because of the build of moisture inside and finally after recent research on the comparison of Gore-Tex to Polartec and eVent i am impressed with Polartec and chose this to take forward to find a shell. I understand that this narrows my search but i could spend months comparing different brands and models to find a shell.

Finally what shell would you recommend based on what i have said? Thanks

dunno - go to a whole stream of shops and try a bunch on in various sizes?  Thats what I did.

Personally I'd get something in eVent  seeing as the neoshell isn't in a walkers cut yet....

That means Rab or Montane or maybe Crux I guess

I'd seriously consider getting another one of these if I had to make the decision (which hopefully I won't for a few years)

http://www.montane.co.uk/products/men/shell/super-fly-jacket/419

the latest incarnation feels better than the old to me - my Father has one (I have a 3 year old) might need to size up with Montane - they are trim fitting.

Or even the Superfly XT

I plan on trying a load on but its not that simple as most shops only stock a few of each range. Go outdoors for instance only stocka couple of RAb shells and there are more than that.

So therefore i am trying to get an idea of the 'best' and then find that in my size. I dont know if this is actually possible!

Thanks

No experience with the Zion, but I'm very impressed with my Rab Stretch Neo.

I've used it in temps from -15 dry and cold to +22°C in all day rain and it's amazing!

Best piece of kit I've spent money on. I like the pockets it has - can be used while wearing a rucksack.

My GF tried mine a few times cycling to work in the rain and was also so impressed, she bought one too !

Finally got to use my Rab stretch neo in crap weather this week, 3 hours of wind and rain up over 800 metres on the beacons.

Only wore a base layer T and a RAB Boreas pull on underneath and that was plenty warm enough when working hard. If as I've read the marmot is much warmer then it is probably too warm for British weather.

Wore the jacket with hood and zip done up tight right from the car and although I did get a sweat up on the ascent it was nowhere near as bad as when wearing my old Montane venture in eVent.

As for the prolonged rain which was the one thing I was concerned about I was well happy to see that apart from a bit of sweat where the rucksack makes contact the rest of my top half was bone dry.

By the way, the Rab, comfy as it is, is definitely a shell.

Fantastic, 

I think i am set on the Rab Neo Stretch in either blue or green, probably blue!!

Thanks

because heavy, prolonged rain is actually quite rare

IME you only need one or the other to defeat a soft shell, rather than both together.

And while I'd agree it's the case that one doesn't really need a hard shell that often, it only takes one really bad session to render a bad day utterly, utterly miserable.  And if that involves spindrift and gales together then the difference between a cheap, light shell and a more expensive one with a serious mountain hood is worth paying for, both in money and weight.  This becomes more the case with colder temperatures and longer days: a summer dander and if I get wet, well so be it, but a long winter walk with a few tops and maybe an overnight I'll want a good hard shell as a priority item.

spend your money on the softshell or softshells that you will be wearing most of the time?

TBH most of the time I just wear a base layer and if it's cold a midlayer too, finding that something like a Paramo reversible shirt is windproof enough that as long as I'm working I'll be quite happy without bothering with formal windproofing.  Again, the want of something more serious goes up as the temperature and daylight go down, but most of my ticks have been without either hard or soft shells on.

Pete.

Hi, I'm new here. I've been looking at the Rab jacket and it would be really helpful if someone had the length measurements for the size small. I can't try it on before buying unfortunately and have all but resigned to having to send it back if it's too short. Why does no retailer, or even the Rab website, give any such measurement? It's very difficult to buy over the internet without basic information such as this!

Thanks,

Ian