Written by 1:30 pmOutdoor Gear

Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

Image of the Rab Microlight Alpine jacket in black color with blue-green hood insides on a white background

If you commonly experience wet, cold, and windy weather on your mountainous adventures and are looking for a new mountain alpine jacket, one that is light in weight, has a long life, comes with a stuff sack, a chest pocket, and is easy to pack, then you should immediately purchase the Rab Microlight Alpine. If your Ghost Whisperer 2, Patagonia, or European Goose is failing, it may be time to switch to purchasing Rab’s mountain climbing equipment.

A good mountain jacket purchased in the United States will have stitch-through baffle construction, up to 750 fill power, and a majority of 5 stars in the reviews section. This Microlight Alpine item is a great jacket, as it combines a super tightly woven “down-proof” Pertex Quantum face fabric with a magnificent DWR coating and recycled 700-fill power down guaranteeing water resistance.

It is worth the premium price because cheaper products will not keep the wind or rain out, which is potentially unsafe. The hood is an ideal size and has a brim to help keep light rain out of your face. Rain is not ideal when you are climbing through hazardous areas, and a jacket that protects you is necessary. This alpine jacket has exceptional water resistance and accomplishes this while remaining comfortable, lightweight, and compressible. The men’s Microlight Alpine Jacket is specifically designed for when warmth, weight, and whether or not it is packable are vital concerns.

Product Overview

Image of a woman wearing a winter jacket in color black, with both hands inside the side pockets, looking at the camera.

Hood: Polymer Peak | Closure: YKK Zipper-up | Shell: 30D Pertex Quantum Ripstop Nylon

Rab products started to be made in 1981 by Rab Carrington where he hand-stitched his own sleeping bag. His Sheffield attic became a local factory where customers demanded sleeping bags and jackets crafted for climbing. One day in 1973, Rab Carrington was stranded in Buenos Aires and so his friend Hector Vieytes taught him how to make emergency sleeping bags. Thanks to Rab’s incredible work, the company continues to produce high-quality mountain clothing and equipment to provide protection and comfort in sometimes dangerous surroundings. The materials are premium quality, water-resistant, and time-tested, so are trustworthy. Their slogan is: “By climbers for climbers.”

It has been nearly 40 years since Rab’s founding, and over the decades they have managed to awaken a climber within so many talented people. Along the way, they have then equipped these climbers for the ascent on the mountains with valuable clothes and equipment. Their Microlight collection ensures a sustainable performance, as well as the most up to date technology, and is great for the environment which the company is incredibly passionate about. Rab’s Alpine jackets prepare you extremely well for mountain climbing and skiing all over the world as well as cold, crisp evenings around a campfire.

Key Features:

This classic lightweight style jacket has been freshly designed with a beautiful aesthetic and is actually the most premium jacket for men in the Microlight collection at $280. The Microlight collection pride themselves on being unique due to their recycled construction, and their noble environmental methods of producing materials. The Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket is easy to pack and the ultimate jacket to provide rapid heat when the temperature drops to very cold up in the mountains.

This jacket is a regular fit despite spanning over 7 sizes, and it weighs 466.5g/16.5oz. It features an adjustable hood with a hardened peak and nylon fabrics that are soft and packable. The jacket is designed to have zoned lightweight micro and YKK zipped hand pockets with a large, zipped chest pocket. The company emphasizes this alpine jacket’s lightness in weight because it is essential when mountain climbing to have lightweight equipment that also has mass storage space. The main fabric of the jacket is recycled 30D nylon Pertex Quantum, 50g/m², with DWR. This is breathable and comfortable, making your favorite sport even more enjoyable. The lining is made of recycled 20D nylon, 38g/m², to provide the necessary warmth in the cold mountain weather. The jacket is well insulated with a recycled 700 fill-power down Nikwax hydrophobic finish. This ensures that the product has water resistance which is important to stay warm and safe when climbing.

The Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket is functional as it is very lightweight which is a positive because climbing takes up a lot of energy, and you do not want anything heavy dragging you down. The warmth that it provides is also a huge benefit given that mountain climbing is a very cold sport. It also means that you can wear this jacket for camping with your friends on a cold evening, so it is very versatile. The jacket is windproof, which will stabilize you on the mountain tops, as the wind could potentially be dangerous when climbing unsteady mountains. It is made from breathable materials, which will improve its comfort, and the jacket itself is packable, so can easily be transported when traveling to go climbing.

This Rab Microlight Alpine jacket comes in 7 different colors: polar blue, ascent red, black, deep ink, pine, firecracker, and beluga. The bold and colorful firecracker color jacket is currently the most popular Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket by Rab, with only two sizes currently available: small (s) and large (l). However, the black one is currently the least popular with most sizes still available to order, except the extra-extra small (XXS). This signifies that customers are responding to Rab’s more exciting colors, and perhaps want a more visible jacket that will protect them in potentially hazardous situations. The Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket comes in 7 sizes as well as 7 colors: XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL. Therefore, this flexible jacket can be enjoyed by every person with every kind of body type.

Technical Specifications:

Technically, this Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket is highly sustainable because of the recycled down materials. Mountain climbing is beloved by many, and jackets need to be designed and created to provide safety for these climbers as well as comfort because it is a sport they enjoy exploring. Climbing is very adventurous, and the jackets need to be versatile enough to sustain the activity. The Rab Microlight collection is devoted to ensuring high-quality performance, modern technology, and protecting the environment.

The Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket has recently been redesigned to intelligently upgrade the established classic model. This jacket has always been multi-faceted and easy to navigate, but the new upgrade features many new elements. For instance, the jacket is able to remain warm via a combination of zoned micro and nano baffles which increase core warmth without inflating the weight or bulk of the jacket. The company guarantees that the jacket’s ethical credentials are sound which is very becoming of the company. The Rab Microlight Alpine Jacket now has a fully recycled shell, insulation, and lining with 30D Pertex Quantum ripstop nylon, and GRS-certified, 700 fill power P.U.R.E recycled hydrophobic down.

Pro's:
  • Lightweight
  • Warm
  • Windproof
  • Breathable
  • Easy to pack
  • Internally elasticated cuffs and a drawcord adjustable hem
  • Stuff sack included
  • Water-resistant
Cons:
  • Premium price

Final Verdict:

Overall, this Microlight Alpine Jacket is practical and user-friendly, both as an everyday jacket and as a mountain jacket. It contains so many additional features including 3 harness-compatible pockets, an easy-carry stuff sack, and a down-filled hood with a hardened peak for added protection.

The Microlight Alpine is one of the best jackets listed in 5 stars reviews, as it combines outstanding water resistance features with notable warmth in a relatively light package given the circumstances. It fits better than most other climbing jackets, offering great freedom of movement plus you are able to layer clothes over or underneath it, which is a huge advantage. Whether you want the benefits of down insulation in wet weather or you simply want a premium level affordable and high-quality jacket to wear around the cold campfire or around town, this is the one to buy.

With its refined styling, enhanced supply, water resistance, and ethical upgrades, the Microlight Alpine Jacket is the ultimate adaptable and accommodating mountain jacket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Rab Microlight waterproof?

Technically this mountain climbing jacket is not waterproof, however, it is extraordinarily water-resistant and still remains comfortable fitting, light in weight, and easy to pack and carry in a stuff sack.

To achieve perfect water resistance, this mountain climbing jacket is recommended because the Pertex Quantum fabric with the solid DWR coating achieved a perfect hydrophobic down jacket.

On a scale out of 10, this coat is rated a 9 for water resistance, in contrast to the Ghost Whisperer 2 which is at an 8. Therefore, the Ghost Whisperer 2 does not perform as well as the Microlight Alpine in any metric. Every review that exists on this coat that reaches 5 stars achieves this excellent rating because its water resistance is excellent and is one of the best for coats suitable for climbing.

The DWR coating is so impressive because the way it works is by forcing all of the water sprayed on it to quickly drip and fall off. Even after months of usage, the coating will continue to work as intended, as it is prone to do. The performance of the DWR coating is by far one of the best that any climber can find on the finest jackets in the market today. While it is not technically waterproof, no other contender will offer the same complex and advanced combination of water-resistance features. Combining these features with the hardened hood is excellent because this will successfully keep water from falling onto your face when climbing, and this is such an advantage because it can really disrupt your activities. This is one of the best down jackets for wet weather that still preserves all the attributes that make climbing so joyous and fun in the first place.

Is Rab a good make?

Judging by the excellent reviews online, the conclusion would be they are an excellent make. One user gave a 5 stars rating and said they carefully researched lightweight down jackets and that Rab’s product is perfect and snug. Commenting on how versatile the jacket is, the user claims it works well with a shirt and even a light sweater underneath. The rain-resistant features work extremely well for drizzle or light rain, and it appears to dry very quickly. It can be worn on 30 degree walks without feeling too hot or too cold.

Another user gave a 4 stars rating because it was “very puffy”. One more customer awarded 3 stars as they found the coat to be too tight. However, they were extremely generous with their comments, saying that the style was beautiful and that the snow bounced right off the coat, allowing them to stay warm in a 20/30F weather range. With both of these reviews that did not quite reach 5 stars, the issue was picking the wrong size which has nothing to do with Rab’s products, showing that their items are still first-class and definitely worth 5 stars.

Winter for many is unbearably cold, but one user has commended this coat so much as it “makes winter comfortable”, awarding it 5 stars in the process. They were amazed at the condition of their item, saying it was “top-notch” with perfect seams and durable material. If you are stranded in freezing cold weather, this user is definitely recommending Rab’s Microlight Jacket, as it works splendidly with a warm base and mid-layers. One user even claimed that they were surprised at how great the coat was, despite their already high expectations. They gave the product 5 stars, saying that their expectations for the coat were very high. When they received it they were “frankly blown away.” This coat is ideal for hiking and backpacking, as it is light in weight, packable, comfortable, and very warm and toasty. When you add the included stuff sack, the coat shrinks to about the size of a water bottle and weighs very little, which is largely beneficial. Unlike a Ghost Whisperer 2, the jacket is stylish enough to wear to work or other social events. Overall, this user recommends this coat to every climber, or even a casual hiker, but especially to a backpacker looking to stay warm whilst saving essential space and weight.

This company also offers a washing service for cleaning your purchases. Washing jackets and sleeping bags can be so tedious and time-consuming, as it involves a lot of effort. Tumble drying your mountain coats can also damage them and affect the amount of warmth and dryness that they offer. RabWash is a no-fuss, specialist wash service that ensures your coat or climbing equipment is professionally cleaned and ready for your next mountain climbing adventure.

Are RAB jackets warm?

When it comes to keeping warm, we felt that this coat provided some of the best warmth while still retaining its low-weight model. Usually, these mountain coats would be expected to have at least a 750 fill power to be expected to be warm enough for these backpackers, however, despite using a slightly inferior 700 fill-power down, this product excels in terms of its warmth. It has been given a very generous metric rating of 8/10 for warmth, even though the Ghost Whisperer 2 appears to reach 9/10. This should not put anyone off, as there are plenty of 5 stars reviews all over the internet for this coat, and it would not have achieved this rating if the coat did not keep climbers warm.

While 700 fill-power down is not the highest lofting down used in mountain jackets, it is still pretty light in weight and still keeps you warm and toasty. This coat has handwarmer pockets and pairs that with the most easily sealed off face enclosure, that is, a hardened hood that keeps all cold and wet weather off your face. Although the Ghost Whisperer 2 appears to be ever so slightly warmer, the coat does a great job of combining high warmth with many other great traits.

Are Rab down jackets well-fitting?

These products are considered a slim fit, however as mentioned above, come in 7 sizes ranging from size extra-extra small (XXS) to extra-extra-large (XXL). It is large enough around the torso so that you feel no constriction whatsoever, which is more than can be said about some other trim fitting jackets suitable for climbing.

The coat has a loose enough fit that wearing a layer underneath is not a problem, and many climbers will do this to keep extra warm. The length of the sleeves and the hem is perfectly ideal for most climbers, and if you are exceptionally tall, you can order this coat in a “long” version which many will be super pleased with, because this company caters for every type of body. Some customers have complained that the collar in this product was slightly snug around the neck when they chose not to wear the hood, but overall this coat has a pretty much perfect fit, and a metric rating of 8 out of 10. The Ghost Whisperer 2 rates at 9/10, however as mentioned above, the numerous 5 stars reviews for Rab’s items signify the superior condition of their jackets.

Are Rab products compressible?

This coat comes with an aligned sack that has a huge clip-in loop. The product is relatively easy to stuff in its sack, but due to only being 700 filled and having slightly heavier fabrics and zippers, this can be quite a tedious task. The coat can appear quite bulky, so be patient when completing this job because it can tire you out quite easily. Although the metric rating on this feature was pretty average at 6 out of 10, the coat’s overall features rating was an outstanding 9 out of 10, and its overall stars rating was 4.6 stars. Therefore, although this product is packed tighter than some other mountain jackets, that is to be expected from a 700-fill coat with durable fabrics.

Are Rab down jackets heavy?

This review is for a men’s coat, and Rab’s men’s medium size coat weighs in at 16.5 ounces. This mass is pretty decent and durable but had they gone with a 750 fill power down and a few more weight-saving construction methods, it could have been more competitive in this metric. But the stars ratings still overwhelmingly come in at 5 stars, so Rab’s hoodies are in the marketplace and are not going anywhere soon.

Conclusion

If you are after a light weight coat with raving 5-star reviews, then please use Rab’s Microlight hoodie on your next camping adventure. This review has hopefully given you all the relevant information you need to find a hoodie with the perfect fit and for a decent premium price. For men who have raided their local shops for their hiking department, or searched their home for an ideal coat, look no further than the Rab Microlight Alpine. Its power may not be 750 fill, but you can rest assured knowing that the reviews overwhelmingly come back with 5 stars, and this is not for any random reason. Any decent climbing equipment manufacturer would review this product with glowing stars because it offers heat protection, weather protection with its hood and front zip, as well as being light and a great fit ranging across several sizes. The chin guard, zip baffle, and hood all offer a perfect down coat for men to use when climbing, hiking, backpacking, or chilling around a campfire. Any error would be put right immediately by the company who guarantee repairs and warranty and can be held to account for any wrongdoings on their services page, although it is highly unlikely that customers would be upset with their purchase. In terms of comparative rankings, this coat ranks extremely high. Therefore, it is of high value for being practical and well-fitting for climbers, making it a high-end down hoodie. Free shipping is also promised, so you will not have to wait long for your anticipated climbing hoodie which will arrive looking shiny and ready to be worn through the adventure.

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