Rab Electron Jacket – Performance

The 490g Electron’s about as warm as stitch through down jackets get and noticeably more effective than other lighter rivals at around the 300-400g mark and pack size is good given its weight. A lightweight stuff-sac is supplied.

The spec is super thorough. It gets that Nikwax hydrophobic 800 fill power down, highly water-resistant Pertex Endurance outer fabric, Vislon zips all round and a technical helmet hood complete with mouldable, elastomer peak.

Reassuringly Solid

The whole thing has a reassuringly solid, reliable sort of feel. Pull it on and you notice two things: first, there’s that near instant, lofty heat you associate with classic down. Second, the fit is quite generous. It’s  noticeably less fitted than, say, the comparable Mountain Equipment Vega which has a very similar spec.

On the one hand, that means more space for under-layers and potential for belay jacket use. On the other, you lose a little efficiency if you don’t fill out that space.

Generally the spec is good. Moulded tooth YKK Vislon zips all round operate with snag-free slickness. Neat semi-elasticated cuffs sit over shower gloves, though not gauntlet-style ones and you get two hand-warmer and a single inside chest pocket. Hem and cuffs are both adjustable.

Hoodness Gracious Me

The hood is mostly good. It takes a climbing helmet just fine with a rear-mounted Velcro strap preventing the mouldable peak from flopping forward over your eyes, but it’s worth noting that the lack of a top-cord adjuster means that a bare head moves inside the hood limiting vision if you need to execute Green Cross Code style manoeuvres.

So far this winter, it’s not really been cold enough to justify the Eectron’s extra warmth, but we’ve yet to hear anyone complaining about it being too hot. We’d always rather err towards over-speccing than shivering in the corner of some godforsaken, frozen bothy wishing we’d carried an extra 200g of insulation.

Equally, although the jacket is decently water resistant, it’s warm enough that you’re more likely to wear it in wet snow conditions rather than rain. Stuff it copes with admirably. But it’s nice to have the reassurance that if your jacket does somehow get soaked, it’ll bounce right back demanding more abuse.