Just In - Rab Microlight Alpine Event

Rab has popped a waterproof eVent shell on its lovely Microlight jacket for this winter.

Posted: 2 November 2009
by Jon

We're big fans of Rab's Microlight down jackets with their three-season friendly, micro-baffled construction, so our interest was piqued when the company launched the new Microlight Alpine Event Jacket for this winter, 2009.

And now one's landed in the OM editorial office. Essentially it's a Rab Microlight Alpine jacket but with a lightweight, fully-taped eVent waterproof and windproof shell complete with a wired, helmet compatible peak. It uses 140 grammes of top spec European 750+ fill power down compared to 165 grammes in the Microlight Alpine and weighs a very reasonable 670 grammes - the straight down version is 350 grammes, both in a medium.

The clue to its intended use is in the name, this is mostly aimed at lightweight alpine mountaineers who want light, compact insulation that's also going to cope with meltwater and snow as well as being windproof. But it should also be useable for mountain walking and belaying use.

Despite the waterproof and breathable outer, we reckon it's going to work best on cold, drier days rather than full-on UK deluge conditions when, inevitably, water will eventually find its way down your neck particularly if the lined helmet-happy hood isn't an and snugged up. It should be fine with snow though and cope with showers just fine.

With only 140 grammes of down in those neat microbaffles, it's never going to be as warm as Rab's more conventional down jackets, but still manages to have that welcoming, snug, down feel of warmth to it. And the relatively low insulation level may work in its favour when it comes to active use in very cold conditions.

Cut is medium long and snuggish with a subtle but handy drop tail, you get two big handwarmer pockets above harness level and features are similar to what you'd expect from a Rab technical hard shell jacket with water-resistant zips all round and a double storm flap over the main zip.

On top of all the practical stuff, the Microlight Alpine Event also has that elusive thing of being somewhat fanciable. It's a really nice looking bit of kit, particularly in black with the baffled liner in what Rab calles 'acid'.

How practical is it? We'll let you know, but we suspect a fair few of these will see extended pub as well as hill duty. After all, it no longer matters if it starts raining on the way home...

Price is £250, more Rab information at www.rab.uk.com.

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Discuss this story

John Burley

I'm more than a bit sceptical about this one.

It looks like Rab just took a stitch-through down jacket (which one could argue was a copy of someone else's design) and slung a lightweight eVent shell over the top. To my mind, that's less useful than having the two separate items and makes few savings in weight (only obvious one being that there's only one set of zips, hood drawcord etc).

If you take a look at the Crux Plasma for comparison, the Rab ceases to look like a good option (unless the Crux doesn't fit or won't work with your helmet of course)...

Side by side: + / -

Crux : Box Wall / Rab : Stitch Through

Crux : eVent bonded to baffles so no interior face fabric and better breathability / Rab : stitch through jacket with another layer thrown over the top.

Crux : 165g of down (750EU) / Rab 140g of down (750... used to say 650EU/750US so I can only suppose this is the ??? US measurement??)

Crux : Total weight 525g / Rab 600g (i.e. functionally 100g heavier as there's less down in the Rab).

Crux : riri Aquazip / Rab storm flaps and water resistant zips

Rab : Helmet compatible wired hood / Crux : wired visor but not specified to be helmet compatible

Rab : rrp £250 / Crux rrp £275

I'll freely admit that I'm a fan of Crux. But I was also a great fan of Rab up until recently. It just seems to me that they've lost their edge and are playing copycat games often with design or material shortcuts. OK - the RRP is a guide and Rab is often sold for less than that... whereas the Crux counterexample is generally harder to find on sale. But even so the £25 difference gets you a massively better specced jacket IMO and I know which I'd rather have.

Still... there's a job going in the design department so perhaps someone would like to pick up the gauntlet and put them back where they should be!!!

Posted: 04/11/2009 at 16:16

Jon Doran

I'm not sure Rab are playing 'copycat games' - if they are, then so is pretty much everyone else in the industry, there's not much out there that's genuinely innovative, most new products are variations on an existing theme.

As far as the Crux / Rab comparison goes, surely the point is that the Crux jacket is designed for use at significantly lower temperatures. The point of the micro-baffled down stuff is that it isn't as warm. I can think of a few times when I'd have considered using the Rab jacket for actual active climbing when the the Crux would probably be too warm.

Realistically, eVent-shelled down jackets are quite specialist things and I reckon a fair few will see most of their action on the way to the pub and back in winter, at which point all arguments are off

Posted: 06/11/2009 at 09:43

Martin Carpenter

Intruiging about the pub folk - I wonder if the somewhat greater practicality for wandering round town will outweigh the fact it doesn't 'look' like a down jacket?!

Posted: 06/11/2009 at 10:44

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