More news from the Outdoor Trade Show in Friedrichshafen earlier this summer, and this time Rab's future appears in the crystal lense of, erm, our digital camera...
Two-layer eVent
Rab have been using eVent fabric for a while now but next spring will see the birth of the first two-layer eVent Rab jackets - the Jet for women and the Pinnacle for men. They both retail at £160 and features include two high outer pockets that don't interfere with your harness or waist belt, as well as everything you'd expect from a fully-specced Rab shell jacket - wired hood, map pocket, storm flap, and so on.
The men's Pinnacle jacket comes in five colours - lemongrass, black, burnt orange, graphite and stratos, although we can only visualise the black version with any certainty right now. Women apparently don't like stratos, graphite or burnt orange though, so they get an anti-freeze version instead - that's blue to you or I.
There's also a longer-length two-layer eVent jacket due to hit the shelves at the same time, called the Pioneer, and it features five pockets in total - that's two on the chest and two on the waist as well as the internal map pocket. The damage to your pocket is £200.
Here's our chosen victim from Rab modelling the Pioneer, and looking decidedly in the zone into the bargain, if we may say so :-)
Alpine Trek Pant
To go with your new Pioneer jacket you must need a new pair of trousers, so Rab are bringing out the Alpine Trek Pants. They're softshells this time, made from Teklite fabric, and they're fully articulated at the knees for Alpine use.
Features include Cordura abrasion resistant panelling on the knees and thighs, a high back with belt loops, thigh pocket, abrasion resistant ankle scuff patch, two hand pockets, and one back pocket. Looks good for next summer's Alpine season, or wherever our next venture takes us ...
Down Mitts and Boots
Now we've sorted out top and bottom, it's time to turn to the fingers and toes, and a fair bit of attention they require too when the temperature plummets...
To tackle nippy extremities Rab are bringing out some new down mitts, which have been built in two separate sections. Either you can wear them as they stand or, if things are feeling a bit moist inside, you can remove the inner pile insulation for drying. This also means that the outers can be worn over normal mountaineering gloves, without the insulated inner.
The outer is made of Pertex Endurance fabric and the inner is 90% goose down with a 660+ fill power, which sounds pretty cosy to us. Hmmm, what's santa's address these days, we wonder?!
And in case your feet are feeling left out of the insulation game by now, there are not one but two pairs of down boots to think about. Firstly, the existing expedition boot has had a makeover so it now comes with a detachable bottom, and there's also a new lightweight down slipper in the equation.
A Downy Night's Sleep
A few changes are on the cards for the sleeping bag range and the most significant concerns the Quantum Top Bag. This will be re-branded as the Quantum Top Bag AR and, as Rab never give you style over substance, there are a couple of notable changes to the features too.
The first is the use of Primaloft in the insulation under your feet, instead of down. The thinking behind this one is that anyone using a Top Bag is probably trying to keep weight to a minimum and so they might well be using a three-quarter length Therm-a-Rest instead of a full length version. That's all well and good except that if your feet are poking off the end of your Therm-a-Rest then they might get a bit damp, which makes for seriously unhappy down.
Primaloft, on the other hand, hangs on to its insulating properties when it's wet, and so it's a better option.
The other update is an inbuilt sleeve on the underside of the bag where you can slot in a three-quarter length Therm-a-Rest. That way, you can't roll off in the night and get cold. The sleeve can also be extended to fit a full-length Therm-a-Rest.
Best of all, the new features all come without any increase in weight.
Slight humilitaion of Rab's staff is involved in this pic too - we apologise. You aren't really supposed to smile for photos, are you?
And more ...
Those are the main changes to the range, although there are plenty more where they came from, including:
Drillium Jacket - Two new colours for this one next year - green and burnt orange.
Vapour Rise Jacket - This now has a detachable hood so it can be layered more easily.
Atlas Sleeping Bags - These return to a Pertex Microlite outer instead of using Rab's own fabric.
Ladakh Sleeping Bag - This becomes the High Atlas sleeping bag, available in 600 and 800 fill-power, with a women's 800 and a short-length 800 beefing out the range.
Summit Sleeping Bags - This range is joined by a women's 900 bag, while the Summit 300 becomes the Summit Alpine, with fill-power ratings of 300, 400, and 500, and a generally more robust make-up than the Quantum bags for Alpine use.
That's all for now, but look out for all the upgrades, and new itmes, in the shops early next year. In the meantime, visit Rab's website for full details of their current range.
Ian Iles
