Just In - Rab Microlight Alpine Event

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

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

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