It's light, it's waterproof, close-fitting and made from very breathable eVENT fabric. We check out Rab's new Drillium jacket.
rab drillium test
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Rab Drillium Jacket
Tested
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Price:
£159.95
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Weight: 343 grammes
(medium)
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Features:Short-cut
multisport waterproof jacket using eVENT three-layer storm
fabric, roll-away hood with wired peak, separate protective
collar, water-resistant front zip and internal storm flap,
two outer self-draining pockets, one laminated inner pocket,
folds away into pocket.
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Very breathable fabric, nice trim cut, light weight too.
Hood offers limited protection in serious
weather.
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The Concept The new for spring/summer 2006 Drillium is part of
Rab's Neutrino range. That means it's intended as a no compromise
lightweight garment which can be used across a variety of activities.
Features Rab's used the impressively breathable eVENT fabric
for the Drillium. Other than that, it's a classic, shorter-cut
lightweight waterproof jacket with twin pockets, a water-resistant
zip, drop-tail and a roll-away hood complete with a small wired peak.
No silly fripperies, no vents either.
In Action As we've said before, eVENT is definitely the most
breathable conventional waterproof fabric we've used. That's because,
unlike Gore-Tex waterproof fabrics, it's genuinely air permeable.
We've seen steam emerging through eVENT fabrics after full-bore rides
and runs on cold winter nights, real human steam, not the stuff that
comes out of a kettle at 100 C...
That's
because eVENT has no thin PU layer on the inside like Gore, so water
vapour molecules really can pass straight through the pores of the PTFE
membrane. That's born out by real world experience; it simply feels
more comfortable and less clammy. In fact the breathability is about
the same as Gore's Windstopper fabric, which is a PTFE membrane
without a PU layer.
Anyway, put the techy stuff on one side, what really matters is
that eVENT waterproofs breath as well as some windproof fabrics. You
can still overwhelm them with heavy, sustained sweating, but even
then, you'll find yourself drying out faster afterwards. The only
downside is that losing vapour may make you feel cooler when standing
around.
The Drillium did all that, offering complete waterproofness
combined with top-end breathability. It's helped by a slim, athletic
cut which eliminates air gaps and for the most part the fit and
design are excellent. Pockets sit neatly above harness or pack belts
and a drop tail at the back gives enhanced butt protection while
allowing free movement up front - good for biking and running.
We liked little touches like the grippy plastic zip-pulls and the
water-resistant zips. The jacket spec says that the pockets are
self-draining, but the ones on the test jacket didn't seem to be. If
we were being really fussy, we'd prefer half-mesh venting pockets,
but to be fair, the jacket's pretty breathable and neat cuff design
means you can roll the sleeves up for efficient forearm venting
too.
What else? The jacket weighs in at a genuine 343 grammes for a
medium, which is light, but not stupidly so. The fabric feels pretty
robust in fact and while we wouldn't suggest it for sustained heavy
pack use, we don't think it's particularly fragile. It does sound a
little crisp-packety from new, but eVENT fabrics do seem to soften
with sustained use.
The only real fly in the ointment is common to most very light
waterproof jackets and that's a hood that, while okay in showers,
offers limited protection when things get really gnarly and, in
particular, from driven rain and sleet in side winds.
Because it's a roll-down item, it's quite cutaway at the sides of
the face, so anything hitting side on has unimpeded access to your
nose and cheeks. Mostly that doesn't matter, but we'd willingly have
traded a few extra grammes for a more protective hood.
Like we said, it's a common issue with lightweight waterproofs,
but it does limit the Drillium's protection levels in really nasty
weather.
We like the Drillium a lot. You get an excellent, highly
breathable fabric and a neat, athletic cut that, while it may be too
snug for larger users, is ideal for the trimmer walker, runner, biker
or climber. Most of the design details work well, but it would be an
even better jacket with a more protective hood. As it stands, you get
limited protection from side-on onslaughts, though it's hardly a
problem which is unique to the Drillium. For the other 99 per-cent of
the time though, this is a really nice lightweight jacket.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time
Neatly cut and very breathable lightweight waterproof
jacket. Only downside is limited hood protection in really
gnarly driven side winds.
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