We check out Rab's new for this winter, bombproof mountaineering jacket. Just the job for the frozen apocalypse that is full-on Scottish winter mountaineering we reckon.
Rab Suilven Jacket - First Look
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Price:
£230
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Weight: 670 grammes
(medium)
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Features: Winter
walking and mountaineering jacket in three-ply eVENT fabric,
roll-down, helmet-compatible wired hood, twin outer pockets
with water-resistant zips, map pocket behind double storm
flap, pocket drainage system, lumbar drawcord, internal
security pocket, articulated cuffs, cut to layer over
insulation clothing, adjustable cuffs and hem.
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What's It For? Think bombproof winter mountaineering jacket -
the Suilven's aimed at climbers and walkers who put their jacket
through hell and want to be certain it'll last. That includes guides,
instructors and people who habitually tote whopping great packs
around with them while smearing themselves relentlessly against
abrasive sandstone. It's cut large to accommodate extra insulation
layers to cope with the cold as well.
The Techy Bits There's nothing massively innovative about the
Suilven, but then that's the point of it. Everything's belt and
braces, tried and trusted stuff, so you get a proper double storm
flap over the main zip, tethered hood adjustment cords and hem cords,
a gurt big hood with wired peak and lots of adjustment so it works
with and without a helmet and so on.
What really makes it stand out is the fabric. To the best of our
knowledge, this is the first really bombproof eVENT jacket on the
market, so you're getting better breathability than other
conventional waterproof fabrics with the icing on the cake being a
super tough Taslan-type fabric on main wear areas like the outsides
of the sleeves, hips and base of the back and shoulders. In the pics
it's the black fabric.
How It Works We've only used the Suilven a couple of times so
far and that in half-decent conditions, so we'll reserve final
judgement until we've had the chance to try it in the sort of
cataclysmic Scottish winter conditions it's intended for.
So far though it's been immensely reassuring. It's a bit like
being out on the town with your huge, 20-stone, rugby-playing mate -
nothing is going to touch you. The fabric, particularly the heavy
duty reinforcement, feels massively tough and bombproof. The hood is
cavernous, but adjusts down to be comfy without a helmet and moves
neatly with your head thanks to an adjustable cord that grips the top
of your skull.
Double storm-flapped zip is reassuring and the cords are all
neatly tethered and tucked away. Like we said, nothing radical, but
all very workmanlike and reassuring.
Cut is looser and longer than Rab's Latok which allows you to
layer a mid-weight fleece underneath and still have room to breathe,
useful in full-on winter conditions, but with a pack and harness in
place, it stays neat, helped by the half waist cord which runs around
the back of the jacket only and is operated through the pockets. Lots
of those, pockets that is, and placed so they're fully useable with
pack or harness on as well.
We do have a few minor quibbles: there's a bit of stiffness to the
chin area when the hood's cinched down not helped by the use of a big
metal, belts and braces, pop stud, the zipper garages on the pockets
are slightly too small for the zip pulls fitted and we'd expect wear
on the waist cord channel with time as it rucks up the fabric and
creates ridges and high points, though only experience will tell with
that one. That's it really; quibbles rather than major flaws.
So far the Suilven seems to be what it says on the box - a
balance of breathability and protection with belt and braces
reassurance coming as standard.
It really does feel bombproof and should appeal to anyone who
wants the increased breathability of eVENT fabric married to the sort
of tough materials and proven construction that should shrug off
regular hard use.
We reckon this is a cracking winter jacket and at a real life 670
grammes on the OM scales, you're not paying a huge weight penalty for
it. Good kit if toughness matters more than saving the odd couple of
hundred grammes.
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
the world. If you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our
gear
forum.
