What's It For?
It keeps you warm without adding many grams to your rucksack, getting in the way of your climbing harness, or bothering you in any other way. Simple as that, really.
There aren’t many outdoor types that couldn’t make use of the Photon Hoodie. It’s a warm insulation layer without being too warm – so you can use it in spring or autumn, or on one of those june-going-on-january kinds of summer days, as well as in the winter. And it’s suitable for walkers and climbers alike.
The jacket we’ve tested here is the new women’s version, so the fit should take into account female contours, but if that’s not you then rest assured that there’s a men’s version as well.
The Techy Bits
The Photon Hoodie uses Primaloft insulation. If you haven’t made its acquaintance yet – OMer, this is Primaloft; Primaloft meet OMer (exclamations of delight etc. )
Ahem. Primaloft sits on the second rung of the insulation ladder, just below down, when it comes to measuring warmth for weight. However, it makes up for it by having a crucial feature on its C.V. that down doesn’t have – it doesn’t mind the odd deluge. So if you’re hiking in the Highlands, walking in Wales, trekking in Teesdale, or rambling round … erm … Rochdale then you’re covered for normal climatic conditions. You’ll stay warm even when your jacket gets wet.
Rab have used the Primaloft insulation cleverly in the Photon Hoodie, filling different parts of the jacket with different quantities of the stuff. 60g Primaloft goes in the arms so you’ve got extra flexibility, while 100g Primaloft fills the rest of the jacket for extra warmth. There are also quilted panels around the front and sides of the body to keep things in place.
How It Performed
The Photon Hoodie ticks two crucial boxes straight away – it’s as light as a (synthetic) feather, and at the same time it’s nice and toasty. That’s already half the battle won.
For general use in the UK, we like the fact that it’s not too warm to wear while you’re walking, on a cold day. We could happily use it as a spring and autumn jacket as well as a mid-winter one – or even as a just-in-case layer in the summer - so it needn’t sit packed away in a cupboard for half the year.
It’s not just the weight and warmth that tick the right boxes though. Rab have got the details sorted as well. The two hand pockets sit well out of the way of your harness – not a token inch or two above the hem but properly high up the chest – and the jacket’s long enough at the back so you don’t get a cold butt.
The fit’s the other big plus point. We often find women’s jackets a bit short and roomy, without a real waist, but this one hugs your figure properly. It means you don’t have any wasted material sagging uselessly around you, and you don’t get any big air pockets that waste heat either.
So what are the negatives? Well, in this case we have to put our pedant’s hat on to find them, but the best opportunity presented itself around the hood. The hood has a nice peak that keeps the weather off, and as a whole it’s nicely adjustable, but once you’ve tightened it the spare sections of cord flap in your face with nowhere else to go, which is a bit annoying, especially when it’s windy. We also aren’t wild about the low internal security pocket when we’re wearing a harness – beware putting your keys there – although that’s less of a problem when you’re walking. Rab say they wanted to avoid bulk in the chest area – you can decide for yourselves which is the lesser of two evils.
Apart from those small gripes, we’ve got nothing to complain of. The jacket’s well-made, it packs down small, the outer’s proved durable so far, and we’ve had plenty of use from it. So, it’s a nice bit of kit, QED:-)
Verdict
If you’re looking for an all-round, reliable insulation layer, come rain or shine, then you could do a lot worse than the Photon Hoodie. It takes up minimal pack space, and the weight far from has you staggering, so it’s worth carrying around as a back-up in case conditions get gnarlier than expected. At the same time, it’s more versatile than the warmest winter garments so there are plenty of months in the year when you might well want it out of your pack and on your back.
Primaloft insulation is the warmest on the market, per gram of weight, with the exception of down, and it works when it’s wet as well. Add to that a good women’s fit and attention to detail, and you’ve got a genuinely high quality jacket that’s well worth putting your hand in your pocket for.
