Microlight Alpine lives up to Rab reputation
photo courtesy Rab
Rab Microlight Alpine jacket
- Pros: Adjustable hood with brim; Compresses to size of popcorn bag; Nearly windproof
- Cons: Left-hand zipper; Hand pockets don’t zip; No fleece over top of zipper
- Bottom Line: The Microlight Alpine jacket is perfect for winter camping, snowshoeing or throwing in the bottom of your pack during late fall or early spring hikes.
- MSRP: $200
When a fleece jacket won’t keep you warm enough and a bulky insulated jacket won’t fit in your pack, the Rab Microlight Alpine down jacket comes to the rescue.
The UK-based company, known for its mountaineering outerwear, first produced the lightweight down jacket in fall 2008.
Filled with 165 grams of goose down (with a fill power of 650+), the Microlight Alpine jacket is perfect for temperatures above 35 degrees (when only wearing a T-shirt underneath and just standing around). For more active pursuits, such as snowshoeing, it’ll keep you warm when temps dip into the low teens while just wearing a base layer underneath.
The virtually windproof jacket, even with its flexible-wire-brimmed, down-filled, adjustable hood, packs into its zippered chest pocket to the size of a popcorn bag.
But it doesn’t have a hem drawcord, any interior pockets and the outer hand pockets don’t zip (all likely to save weight).
It also has a left-hand zipper, tight cuffs, a short torso and the company’s sizing chart runs small – so, to be safe, order a size larger than it says.
While many other companies have similar jackets on the market, the Microlight Alpine competes well in weight, warmth and cost, but it has an extra perk: It has a hood.
With the correct size the cons can be easily overlooked making the Rab a strong contender in the lightweight down category.
