Rab Xenair Alpine Mild Insulated Jacket Assessment

The Rab Xenair Alpine Mild Insulated Jacket is an artificial insulated jacket with a hood, chest pocket, and hand hotter pockets. It has body-mapped insulation: extra on the torso and fewer alongside the edges for higher thermo-regulation when lively. I’ve been utilizing this jacket as an outer heat layer in very chilly uncovered circumstances. Whereas I’ve all the time used down jackets for this operate prior to now I reasonably like this Xenair Alpine Mild Insulated Jacket which compresses surprisingly properly and is extra amenable to be used below a shell if required.

Specs at a Look

• Gender: Males’s (ladies’s out there)
• Exterior cloth: 20-denier Pertex Quantum Air nylon
• Hood: Designed for under-helmet use.
• Pockets: 3
• Windproof: Sure
• Weight: 11.9 oz (337g) in males’s xl
• Insulation Kind: Artificial
• Insulation: PrimaLoft Gold Lively+
• Packable: Chest Pocket
• Again size: 28.1 inches (hip size)

The Rab Xenair Alpine Mild Insulated Jacket is a really heat artificial jacket that’s designed with breathability and lively use in thoughts. It’s insulated with 60 g PrimaLoft Gold Lively+ insulation in entrance, again, high of sleeves, and collar for heat and luxury, whereas the edges, underarms, backbone, and high of the hood have 40 g insulation. This insulation along with its Pertex Quantum Air nylon exterior cloth enhances the jacket’s capability to vent water vapor in use, significantly in drier and colder circumstances once you’re much less more likely to overheat and perspire.

Effectively-Becoming Hood

The factor that makes the Rab Xenair Alpine Mild Insulated Jacket markedly completely different from different artificial insulated jackets is the hood. Most lighter-weight artificial and down jackets have non-adjustable hoods which can be typically designed to be used with climbing or snowboarding helmets and are grotesquely too giant to maintain your head heat until you’ve got an unlimited Godzilla-sized head.

However Rab did one thing a bit of completely different with this jacket to maintain it lighter weight. As an alternative of instrumenting the hood with neck controls to make the face opening adjustable or placing a quantity adjuster on the rear, they “collect” the hood with a chunk of elastic on the rear which maintains human proportions, however can broaden to accommodate completely different head sizes. This makes the hood self-adjusting which makes it a lot easier and simpler when carrying gloves whereas making the jacket lighter weight and simpler to fabricate. Should you use a helmet, chances are you’ll not just like the hood as a result of it’s going to retard your peripheral imaginative and prescient. However when you’re a winter hiker and don’t use a helmet, this hood is simple to love.

Mid-Layer?

Rab positions this jacket as a mid-layer choice, however I discover it manner too heat for that objective when snowshoeing or mountain climbing up mountains, even in very chilly climate. I feel it’ll be advantageous layered below a shell for sitting on a chair carry and zipping again downhill, however for self-propelled adventures with actual elevation achieve, you’ll soak the liner very quickly. I do run a bit scorching on winter hikes, so your mileage will differ, however I’ve by no means ever discovered a down or artificial jacket like this one that may change a fleece hoodie as a mid-layer.

Match and Trim

The match is “common” and never too slim, so you possibly can layer beneath the jacket. The elastic wrist cuffs are pretty cosy so that they work properly below a shell, however they’re too tight to tug up your arms when you’re attempting to control your heat stage by exposing pores and skin. There’s an elastic hem adjuster, so you possibly can forestall wind from blowing up your torso.

Lastly, this jacket has three zippered pockets, together with two giant handwarmer pockets and a good-sized chest pocket contained in the jacket. Plus, you possibly can stuff the jacket into its chest pocket (there’s additionally a harness loop), though I by no means try this in winter as a result of I exploit the jacket to insulate the recent water bottles inside my pack.

Advice

The Rab Xenair Alpine Mild Insulated Jacket is a really heat artificial jacket that’s finest used as an outer insulation layer, however has a compact sufficient profile that it could possibly be used below a shell jacket. It has a human-proportioned hood that matches below helmets, versus over, making it appropriate for winter mountain climbing for these of us who don’t want to listen to protecting helmets. Light-weight and fairly packable, this can be a significantly good insulated jacket that feels good to put on and may present further insulation for objects in your pack that you just don’t wish to freeze.

Disclosure: The writer bought this garment.

SectionHiker is reader-supported. We independently analysis, take a look at, and fee the perfect merchandise. We solely earn money if you are going to buy a product by way of our affiliate hyperlinks. Assist us proceed to check and write unsponsored and impartial gear evaluations, newbie FAQs, and free mountain climbing guides.