JL from United States, ID Public Profile

I was in the market for a lightly insulated, breathable jacket for shoulder season hikes, summer alpine starts, spring resort skiing, and XC skiing. I was initially leaning towards the Atom SL but this was well under half the price and I couldn't resist. It turned out quite similar to the Atom SL, more so than I thought based on the images and descriptions I found online. It can be a little hard to gather from the images and description but the sleeves starting just above the elbow are uninsulated and the breathable fleece fabric runs down to the inside of the elbow versus the entirely uninsulated sleeves with fleece side panels of the Atom SL. So far I really like it. It's kind of a Goldilocks jacket, it's been just right in a surprising range of conditions from 38F and sunny to a blustery 65F and has a really solid balance of breathability and wind blocking. It packs into it's own pocket a little bigger than I expected but it's still fairly packable and the hood fits well with or without a helmet. Do pay attention to the European sizing differences, I usually wear a L in stuff like Arcteryx/Patagonia but this fits great in an XL. I wish it had a two-way zipper and a hem drawcord but overall I really dig it.

This jacket is well-designed with a great feature set. It's light and packable, feels incredibly warm, the pockets are in the right spots with a harness on, the hem/hood adjustments are easy and intuitive, and the Pertex Quantum Infinity fabric is a revelation to see in person. I'd read several other reviews saying that Rab tends to runs small and decided to size up to an XL instead of my customary L and my arms were unfortunately swimming in this thing even with a couple layers on underneath. For reference, I'm 6' ~200 lbs with a 44 inch chest. I was extremely reluctant to return this item and I'll definitely keep an eye out for it in a size L.