Reviews

Rohan EOS Insulated Jacket | Review

Rohan have pulled out all of the stops to create a proper winter insulator. Here’s out verdict.

Rohan seem to have pulled out all of the stops with this jacket, and the result is impressive. It’s a real winter insulator that, as I found during my tests in the Scottish Highlands, has a lot of the right attributes for proper mountain use. It’s filled with a quality down, the baffle construction is designed for maximum thermal efficiency and there are some smart little touches too.

Construction and Performance

This is a very lofty jacket that brings a lot of warmth without bulk or weight. That’s thanks to the quality of the down fill Rohan have used here and they way it’s all housed. Rohan don’t list the amount of down fill that goes into this but I’d say it feels around about the 260g mark and it’s all good quality and thermally efficient being derived from geese and rated as 700 fill power. What’s more, the down is all housed in box wall baffles. This form of baffle construction creates compartments for down insulation without compressing it, allowing it to fully loft and trap more warmth. Unlike sewn-through baffles, box wall construction minimises cold spots by preventing direct stitching from the outer to the inner fabric, resulting in better overall insulation.

Will Renwick using the Rohan EOS in the Highlands. Photos: Dave Macfarlane

The shell and liner fabrics are made from a ripstop polyester. This has a thin feel but I’ve got the sense that it’s strong enough to the rigours of the trail and everyday wear. I found I could wear the straps of a heavy backpack without worrying about wear and tear at the shoulders.

Both the down and the shell fabrics have a PFC-free hydrophobic treatment. On my hiking trip in Scotland – which ended up being quite wet at times – I found this was able to repel light rain but it did start to wet out in prolonged downpours. That’s to be expected from modern DWR treatments. Fortunately the down did seem to stay lofty, though I expect that the jacket will need topping up with some Nikwax every now and then.

It packs down pretty small, as you’d expect a down jacket to, and it takes up very little space in a pack. Some might find it a shame that there’s no stuff sack supplied with it, or that it doesn’t pack into its own pocket. I personally don’t really mind that as I tend to just cram my jackets into the nooks and crannies of my backpack. That said, I know climbers usually appreciate a jacket that can be stuffed up and clipped onto their harness.

Details

There’s no skimping of insulation in the hood, particularly around the back of the neck. Fully done up, the hood is supremely comfortable and with the adjustment cords cinched in, it moves nicely with the head. The hood’s volume is quite small and there’s an adjustment tab at the back of the head so those factors prevent it from being climbing helmet compatible.

Touches I appreciated when using this include the fleece-lined collar and handwarmer pockets, the large zipper tab which makes life easier when you’re wearing thick gloves and I like the fact you can adjust the hem using the cords at the base of the handwarmer pockets. Said handwarmer pockets can be accessed when you’re wearing a backpack with a hipbelt and are big enough to hold an OS map or large pair of gloves.

The main zip, which isn’t two-way, has a flap behind it that successfully blocked out draughts for me. There’s also an anti-snag detail as well, which does make the zip glide nicely. This is also present on the chest pocket zip too. Said chest pocket is too small for an OS map but it’s ideal for keeping your phone within easy reach, and for keeping the battery warm too.

Fit

I’m 5 foot 10 and I have an average build. I tried this in a size Medium, which is my usual size, and it fitted nicely. I could wear it comfortably over a thick fleece without feeling crammed in or losing any articulation. In fact, the jacket still felt loose and free around the armpits, which is always nice.

The cut is a touch longer than most of the similar insulated jackets I’ve tested recently, including the Mountain Equipment Oreus, the Rab Cerium Ultra Hoody and the Keela Solo. That’s no bad thing as it means you’ve got more jacket to protect you and to keep below your backpack’s hipbelt.

Verdict

With the EOS, Rohan have developed a very warm jacket with excellent capabilities. It’s the kind of thing that I could rely on as my main warm layer for hiking adventures right through winter. If it wasn’t short of a two-way main zip, a larger hood that could work with a helmet and an internal dump pocket for gloves, it’d be able to rub shoulders with some of the technical mountaineering layers out there from the likes of Rab, Mountain Equipment and Montane. It’s not trying to compete with them though; it’s more of an every day jacket that can basically serve you from pub to peak and back.

It’s available in men’s and women’s styles and in various sizes.