A knockout jacket with some minor issues for a regular joe - Rab Microlight Jacket - Mens

I like and enjoy the outdoors, but cannot claim to be a technical climbing dude. I was hunting for a compact, low-bulk down jacket for the upstate New York winters. Contenders were Patagonia's sweater jacket, Mountain Hardwear Nitrous, and Marmot variations. I cross-shopped most online, while the MH fit like a tent in a size large (I am 6' and 200-205 lbs., depending on the time of year). The Rab fit was excellent, slightly form-fitting, but not the feminine fit that you see with some of the new jackets. Only complaints are that the sleeves are a bit long in my size L, while the pockets are missing that nice fleece-lined feeling and the inner portion of the pockets are thin (just the Pertex lining). I guess this is in the name of lightweight and for its intended use (climbing, low-weight backpacking), so I cannot complain too much. But we will have to see how well it holds up with regular use, e.g., keys in the pockets. All-in-all a fantastic jacket and it has made me an even bigger Rab fan (Boulder fleece, Baltoro Guide shell, and now this Microlight down jacket) - the Rab stuff is just well-made, fits great, and functions better than expected.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.