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The Rab Xenair Alpine Gentle 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 perimeters for higher thermo-regulation when energetic. I’ve been utilizing this jacket as an outer heat layer in very chilly uncovered situations for over a yr. Whereas I’ve at all times used down jackets for this operate prior to now I moderately like this Xenair Alpine Gentle Insulated Jacket which compresses surprisingly effectively and is extra amenable to be used underneath a shell if required.

Specs at a Look

Gender: Males’s (ladies’s obtainable)
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 Sort: Artificial
Insulation: PrimaLoft Gold Energetic+
Packable: Chest Pocket
Again size: 28.1 inches (hip size)

The Rab Xenair Alpine Gentle Insulated Jacket is a really heat artificial jacket that’s designed with breathability and energetic use in thoughts. It’s insulated with 60 g PrimaLoft Gold Energetic+ insulation in entrance, again, high of sleeves, and collar for heat and luxury, whereas the perimeters, 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 capacity to vent water vapor in use, significantly in drier and colder situations if you’re much less prone to overheat and perspire.

Effectively-Becoming Hood

The factor that makes the Rab Xenair Alpine Gentle 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 usually designed to be used with climbing or snowboarding helmets and are grotesquely too massive to maintain your head heat until you have got an infinite Godzilla-sized head.

This jacket has a well-fitting hood, even supposing it’s not adjustable. (My mustache is rising again properly)

However Rab did one thing a bit 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 less complicated and simpler when sporting gloves whereas making the jacket lighter weight and simpler to fabricate. When you use a helmet, you might not just like the hood as a result of it should retard your peripheral imaginative and prescient. However in case 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 possibility, however I discover it manner too heat for that objective when snowshoeing or mountaineering up mountains, even in very chilly climate. I believe it’ll be advantageous layered underneath 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 sizzling 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 substitute a fleece hoodie as a mid-layer.

The elastic collect in the back of the hood adapts to a variety of head sizes.

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 comfortable in order that they work effectively underneath a shell, however they’re too tight to drag up your arms in case you’re making an attempt to manage your heat degree by exposing pores and skin. There’s an elastic hem adjuster, so you possibly can stop wind from blowing up your torso.

Lastly, this jacket has three zippered pockets, together with two massive 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 do this in winter as a result of I take advantage of the jacket to insulate the new water bottles inside my pack.

Advice

The Rab Xenair Alpine Gentle Insulated Jacket is a really heat artificial jacket that’s greatest used as an outer insulation layer, however has a compact sufficient profile that it might be used underneath a shell jacket. It has a human-proportioned hood that matches underneath helmets, versus over, making it appropriate for winter mountaineering for these of us who don’t have to put on protecting helmets. Light-weight and fairly packable, this can be a severely good insulated jacket that feels good to put on and may present further insulation for objects in your pack that you just don’t need to freeze.

Disclosure: The creator bought this garment.

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