Why We Chose The Rab Alpine Pro 600: Pertex Quantum Pro all-weather protection, all-year use, good water repellency.
When Glasgow-born Rab Carrington set up his company his initial goal was to create rugged climbing kit that would be able to keep performing in some of the most miserable conditions and inhospitable terrain in the world. Being a climber himself, Rab ensured that he and his mates tested every bit of kit in proper conditions to make sure it was all up to his self-set criteria.
It was technical sleeping bags that he first started making, created in the attic of his house in Sheffield. Fast forward 49 years and whilst the production line has long moved out of Rab Carrington’s attic, hand craftsmanship remains at the core of his company’s sleeping bags, which are hand-filled in Derbyshire.
“The use of Pertex Quantum Pro was a real winner for Rab and the Alpine Pro range.”
First brought to the market in 2010, the Rab Alpine series aimed at meeting the needs of alpine climbers who required lightweight, weatherproof protection for cold bivouacs high in alpine terrain. Whilst that may seem like a niche activity to focus on, the actual result was a versatile and lightweight year-round sleeping bag that was able to handle a range of conditions far beyond that of alpine terrain.
Now for 2019 we have the Rab Alpine Pro series, and it offers all of those benefits of the 2010 predecessor with a few nice tweaks.
The use of Pertex Quantum Pro is one of the key features in this new range. What this is, is a tightly woven ultralight fabric that has a thin PU coating over it to provide a good degree of water resistance.
This is paired, rather excellently, with a 650 fill power responsibly sourced European duck down which has been given the Nikwax experience. In other words, it’s been treated with Nikwax’s eco-friendly hydrophobic solution to offer a tag team of water repellent technology.