The Complete Rab Insulated Jackets Guide (2026)

The Cirrus is where my own Rab story started, and two and a half years of constant use later it is still the mid layer that lives in my pack on every hike. Cirrus Featherless synthetic fill mimics down for loft and warmth-to-weight but keeps insulating in the damp, which is exactly the property UK conditions reward. It packs down small enough that there is no take-it-or-leave-it calculation: it just comes along.

It is the entry point to this range, warm enough as a standalone layer in reasonable conditions and a proper mid layer under a shell in anything worse. When you outgrow it, you will know exactly why the Nebitron Pro exists: same synthetic logic, more warmth, built for winter summits rather than three-season walking.

It also comes in three versions: the standard Cirrus covered here at around £160, the hooded Cirrus Alpine at around £170 to £180, and the slim, stretch-panelled Cirrus Flex Hoody at around £150. The full breakdown of the three is just below.

The Microlight Alpine is the jacket that built Rab's reputation in down insulation. It uses 153g of 700FP recycled hydrophobic down in a 30D Pertex Quantum shell, a combination that has been refined over many iterations into something that does exactly what a packable down layer should do.

It is not the warmest jacket here and it is not trying to be. What it is, is a very good packable down layer at a price that makes sense. It compresses to roughly the size of a 500ml water bottle. The hydrophobic down treatment means it handles light moisture better than untreated down, though a shell over the top is still the sensible call in anything more than drizzle.

If you already have a synthetic mid layer and want a lighter, more compressible down option for dry cold days, travel, or routes where weight matters, the Microlight Alpine is the answer. A proven classic at a price that has stayed sensible.

The Glaceon Pro and the Microlight Alpine use the same fill power down. The difference is in the construction. The Glaceon Pro uses a 20D Pertex Quantum Pro shell (thinner, lighter, and more technical than the 30D shell on the Microlight Alpine), which is why it comes in at roughly 265g total against the Microlight Alpine's 425g.

That 160g saving matters on long days, multi-day routes, or any situation where pack weight is part of the equation. What you give up is durability and a little price headroom: 20D fabric scuffs more easily than 30D, and the Glaceon Pro costs around £50 more for less total jacket weight. The helmet-compatible adjustable hood and belay-friendly two-way zip flag its intended use: technical hiking and climbing rather than everyday dog walks in November.

For most day hikers the Microlight Alpine is the better value. For anyone who counts grams, does technical routes, or wants the most refined construction in the 700FP bracket, the Glaceon Pro is worth the premium.

The Electron Pro is where the Rab down range steps up to 800FP European goose down. That step up is not just a number: 800FP fill lofts more per gram than 700FP, which means more warmth for equivalent fill weight. The Electron Pro carries 179g of it in body-mapped baffles, a mix of micro and midi chambers arranged to put warmth over the core and allow more movement where the arms need it.

At £300 it is a meaningful purchase. What you get for that money is clear warmth that the 700FP options in this guide do not match, in a construction that has been thought through properly rather than just filling a jacket with down and hoping for the best. The 20D Pertex Quantum Pro shell keeps the weight sensible at around 490g total while providing wind resistance and a measure of water resistance.

This is the jacket for walkers who have tried the Microlight Alpine and found it not quite enough on the days that really matter: the cold January summit, the late afternoon on a long February route when the temperature drops fast and tired legs are not generating the warmth they were at the start.

The Neutrino Pro carries 212g of 800FP down, more fill weight than any other jacket in this guide, in a stitch-through baffle construction. That construction is simpler than the body-mapped baffles of the Electron Pro: the baffles are stitched directly through the shell, which is more durable and easier to manufacture but creates thin points at each seam where the down is compressed and warmth escapes marginally.

At ~595g it is the heaviest down jacket here, which reflects the amount of fill, and at around £350 it now sits above the Electron Pro on price. Rab position it squarely as an alpine down hoody for serious winter mountaineering and alpine climbing, and that is exactly how to read it.

For UK day hiking the Neutrino Pro is more jacket than most people need. It earns its place on serious routes: winter mountaineering, alpine faces and belay duty, where the extra fill weight is the point. If you are doing those things, this is the tool for the job. If you are not, the Electron Pro gives you better-engineered warmth for less money in a lighter package.

The Positron Pro uses boxwall baffles rather than stitch-through. Boxwall chambers stand away from the shell rather than being stitched flat, allowing the down to loft fully in all directions without the cold spots that form at stitch-through seam points. The result is Rab's warmest conventional down jacket, designed for summit use in serious alpine conditions.

At £400 it is a clear statement of intent. This is not a jacket for wondering whether you need a mid layer. This is the mid layer for situations where the cold is the main thing you are managing: winter summits, multi-day routes above the snowline, climbs where stopping to belay means your temperature drops fast and you need the warmth to be immediate and reliable.

For UK day hiking, the Positron Pro is more than most people will ever need. The only domestic scenarios where it earns its price are extended winter days at real elevation: Snowdonia in February, the northern Cairngorms, the kind of routes where the summit temperature is a different proposition from the car park.

The Mythic G appears in Rab's lightweight category and their ultra-warm category. Both descriptions are accurate, which is the thing that takes a moment to understand.

It weighs 277g total. Lightest insulated jacket in the Rab range. But it contains 127g of 1000FP European goose down (the highest fill power commercially available) and is lined with TILT (Thermo Ionic Lining Technology), which works like a lightweight emergency blanket, reflecting radiant heat back towards the body. The combination produces warmth that outperforms most other jackets in this guide from a package that weighs less than most people's fleeces.

The paradox is real. 1000FP fill produces so much loft per gram that 127g of it outperforms 179g of 800FP from the Electron Pro. Add TILT, and the total warmth from a 277g jacket exceeds what you would expect from the weight. This is not a marketing claim. It is physics applied to materials that cost serious money to produce, which is why the Mythic G costs serious money to buy.

The shell that achieves 277g is necessarily very thin. This is not the jacket you haul over boulders or stuff into a pack covered in buckles that will snag it. You look after it. At £415, you will want to.

The Valiance does not fit cleanly into the categories above, which is the point. It has a Pertex Shield outer with fully taped seams, a genuinely waterproof shell, wrapped around 700FP recycled hydrophobic down insulation. Warm and waterproof in a single jacket.

The appeal in the UK is obvious. The limitation is also obvious: it weighs around 740g, heavier than any non-waterproof jacket here, and a waterproof shell over down insulation compromises breathability. On a hard multi-hour hike you will notice the difference compared to a dedicated insulated layer under a separate breathable shell.

For shorter cold-weather walks, or anyone who would rather carry one jacket than manage a layering system, the Valiance is a good jacket. It is also the answer if you are caught out in rain without a shell and need warmth that will not soak through. For longer active days on technical routes, the combination of a lighter insulated layer and a proper waterproof shell remains more versatile.