Rab Men's Borealis Jacket

Great lightweight softshell

So I bought this jacket as a mid layer but primarily as outer layer for summer. The breathability and lightweight construction means that while you get a windproof layer you can wear this in sun or warm weather without getting much hotter than you would in a synthetic t-shirt. The fabric is stretchy which helps with comfort and the design of the middle zip was good enough to convince me to go for the pullover over the full zip. Mainly due to the lightness. I also have good experience of this in bad weather when I've been wearing in and got caught in heavy rain for around 10 mins which is really the most amount of time I'd expect to have this and not get in cover or have brought a proper waterproof layer. Anyway, having tried it with softshell proofer added, it is absolutely fantastic. water beads up and rolls off perfectly. Overall I'm impressed with the design, comfort and the fact it's a unique product in its lightweight stretchy breathable construction that's windproof and if looked after shower proof. Also the colour in my opinion looks good too.

I've used this jacket out on the Lakeland fells on a couple of occasions now.

As an ultra light weight wind resistant jacket for the summer months it's a great choice.

The material is thin and stretchy, making it comfortable to wear in warmer conditions where you just need effective protection from the wind or sun.

Its lightweight construction means it occupies very little space in your backpack and weighs a negligible amount.

On the whole, the fit is good, although speaking as someone with a longer than average torso I could do with it being a bit longer as it only just comes down to my waistline.

However, all of these positives are undermined a little by how the jacket behaves in wet weather. When I was caught in a shower this weekend, the entire jacket soaked through in just a couple of minutes despite claims of DWR treated material.

While I know the jacket isn't meant to be waterproof, I did expect it to survive a short shower without soaking through.

The jacket is just a couple of weeks old, has been worn twice and never been washed, in other words, the water resistance is probably as good as it's ever likely to be.

The upshot of this is that in future I will need to pack an additional waterproof layer, which unfortunately undermines the key benefits of this jacket.

Used for three days on the hills,
super small and lightweight which is perfect when these factors are at a premium. Another great product by Rab. Worked Perfect with the rab power stretch jacket.