Gear Review: Rab Microlight Jacket

I’m too old to be trendy.  

My thinning hair taught me that a long time ago.  Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but notice how cool all those small-baffle down jackets I’ve been seeing on my friends look.

 

"No," I told myself, I can just layer up under my fleece. 

"No again," I can just allow my blubber layer to grow thicker.

I stood strong for over a year, but then M picked one up and I took the time to try one on.  I was hooked.  They’re so… squishy…so…toasty.  After all, I live in northern Maine.  If I’m going to overspend on anything it should be either blaze orange suspenders or winter jackets. 

Having chosen the latter, my search began.

As always, I was completely unwilling to pay anywhere near full price.  Likewise, I knew I needed to be careful because even with the small baffling of today’s uber-technical down jackets, they can easily make my 5’8” frame look like a stack of tires or an overcooked artisan bread. 

First Impressions:  After wading through a veritable acid-trip of brightly colored combinations of nylon and feathers, my search ended when I discovered the Rab Microlight Jacket.  It looked warm, I could buy it at a deeply discounted pro-deal price on OutdoorProlink.com, and it came in a variety of sweet old-school color combinations. 

The Good:  When the jacket arrived, I was thrilled.  It was everything I hoped for.  It was soft, surprisingly warm, and $100 cheaper than any legitimate competitor I had considered.  When compared with my friend’s much more expensive Patagonia jacket, it compares favorably – it has similar features, and anecdotally warms just as well (more on that in the next section though). 

If you consider ordering a jacket like this, pay whatever it takes to get the hooded variety, called the "Microlight Alpine" by Rab.  I reluctantly shelled out the dough, and I haven’t been disappointed.  It has a reinforced, moldable brim on its hood, which is nice for visibility and style.  Most of all though, what I’ve found is that I can stay outside for at least twice as long when wearing the hood as I can without it.

  

The best part about the jacket, and probably all down jackets of its kind, is the wide range of temperatures in which it can be worn.  My office runs cold:  50-60 degrees on most days.  I’ve comfortably worn my jacket when working at my desk on the lower end of that temperature range.  Amazingly, I also wore it recently at the scene of a late-night car accident, where I had to stand outside in nothing but dress shoes, dress pants, and my Rab Microlight jacket while the air temperature held at a raw -15 degrees.  Donning my hood, and standing with my hands pressed deep into my down-insulated pockets (or “hand-warmers” as Rab calls them), I waited 20 minutes before help arrived, and could have comfortably waited longer if I needed to.  Admittedly, you can’t put a price on adrenaline in those situations, but the fact is I was warm enough.

Finally, the Microlight jacket, and probably most, if not all, small-baffle down jackets allows the user complete freedom of movement.  If clouds could be stuffed into Pertex fabric and sold, they would probably look and feel like down.  After years of muscling my way through winter in Carhartt work wear and oversized ski jackets, down has been a welcome change. 

The Bad:  There’s really only one hole in the soft, fluffy armor that is the Microlight Jacket.  In a jacket that otherwise sports only the highest quality materials – Pertex shell, YKK zippers, and durable hems and cuffs – the developers at Rab chose 750 fill down.  750 fill is a great down – far superior to anything you’d find at most dealers of puffy outerwear.  But among high-end manufacturers, 800-fill has become the gold standard.  To come so close without choosing to have the best is disappointing.  That said, there is no noticeable deficiency in warmth or loft with this jacket.

The Ugly:  I knew I’d found the right product when the reviews I read complained that the sizing was “two sizes too small.”  In the USA, this can be read as “true to size for any healthy person.”  Rab uses European sizing.  It tends to be a little more of an athletic, tapered cut than traditional American brands.  Having been frustrated many times by the tent-fly size of “medium” clothing from mainline brands like L.L. Bean and Columbia, I knew if one of my fellow Americans thought this jacket was grossly undersized that it was probably perfect for me. 

I will say, though, the zipper on the jacket pulls from the left side – the opposite of most American Jackets.  This takes a little getting used to, but has no effect on performance or appearance. 

As my blubber layer grows, I know I’ll gravitate more toward American sizing, but for now, Rab is perfect.  The athletic cut helps prevent the aforementioned tire-rack/bread loaf effect.

Conclusion:  The Rab Microlight jacket is a great choice in a very full market of small-baffle down jackets.  If you’re looking for a roomy feel to your jacket, this one’s not for you.  However, its combination of comfort in a wide variety of temperatures and great styling makes it a bargain for its list price of $214.95.  If you can get it for less, like I managed – then jump on it while you can.