Rab Belay Jacket
- Thread starter johnnytheboy
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Hi Johnny,
Ive used a Rab belay in the past, (I guess your talking about the smock design) there very good kit.
As for warmth I guess it will keep you warm when its freezing, I base that on snowholing in the Highlands with a baselayer and a polartec 100 fleece on underneath where the ambiant temperature is around 0c. If its much colder than that the weather will probably be stable so you wont notice that much difference in the temperature.
Hope this helps Ed.
Ive used a Rab belay in the past, (I guess your talking about the smock design) there very good kit.
As for warmth I guess it will keep you warm when its freezing, I base that on snowholing in the Highlands with a baselayer and a polartec 100 fleece on underneath where the ambiant temperature is around 0c. If its much colder than that the weather will probably be stable so you wont notice that much difference in the temperature.
Hope this helps Ed.
Hi Johnny,
I've got a Rab belay jacket (the primaloft filled one) and I love it. It's probably not quite as warm as my Neutrino Endurance Down jacket but it's definitely better for a wider range of situations. I don't worry too much when it's raining as I know the insulation won't suffer in the same way as down does, and if it gets a rip you don't leave a trail of feathers wherever you go. The pockets are all in a useful configuration that I'm used to and the chest map pockets are big.
I've got one in a size bigger than I normally take so it can be thrown on over all my usual outdoor top layers if I stop for any length of time. The hood's a right bonus too, it goes straight up to keep all my heat in. You probably know this but if you're using it as a 'throw on when you stop' jacket leave the zip permanently zipped up a few inches at the bottom and pull it on over your head so there's no faffing with double ended waterproof zips in the cold and wet.
I've developed a bit of a theory about lightweight kit over the last few years. That is, that although I love being able to squash an insulated jacket into an apple sized bag or have a winter sleeping bag that squeezes into a something the size of a kitchen roll, if you're out and about fairly regularly and enjoy getting on with the job in hand rather than worrying about how your kit is performing, sometimes it's better to carry kit that's slightly bigger and heavier but robust and able to be used and abused in all situations. I find this jacket does all that. Small enough to bring with you, nice and warm and robust enough to abuse a bit/get wet etc.
You will still need to watch it around fires though...
I've got a Rab belay jacket (the primaloft filled one) and I love it. It's probably not quite as warm as my Neutrino Endurance Down jacket but it's definitely better for a wider range of situations. I don't worry too much when it's raining as I know the insulation won't suffer in the same way as down does, and if it gets a rip you don't leave a trail of feathers wherever you go. The pockets are all in a useful configuration that I'm used to and the chest map pockets are big.
I've got one in a size bigger than I normally take so it can be thrown on over all my usual outdoor top layers if I stop for any length of time. The hood's a right bonus too, it goes straight up to keep all my heat in. You probably know this but if you're using it as a 'throw on when you stop' jacket leave the zip permanently zipped up a few inches at the bottom and pull it on over your head so there's no faffing with double ended waterproof zips in the cold and wet.
I've developed a bit of a theory about lightweight kit over the last few years. That is, that although I love being able to squash an insulated jacket into an apple sized bag or have a winter sleeping bag that squeezes into a something the size of a kitchen roll, if you're out and about fairly regularly and enjoy getting on with the job in hand rather than worrying about how your kit is performing, sometimes it's better to carry kit that's slightly bigger and heavier but robust and able to be used and abused in all situations. I find this jacket does all that. Small enough to bring with you, nice and warm and robust enough to abuse a bit/get wet etc.
You will still need to watch it around fires though...
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