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Rab was started in Sheffield in 1981 by Rab Carrington, who had been sewing sleeping bags in his flat for other climbers. The range still reads like it was built by someone who needed the gear himself: down jackets and sleeping bags, three-layer waterproofs, fleece cut to layer under a shell, and packs sized for a day on the hill rather than a commute. It is British kit, tested in British and alpine weather, which makes it very good in sustained cold and rain and more jacket than you need for a summer walk at home. Wild Earth stocks the range in men's and women's sizing, with free shipping Australia-wide and 80 days to return anything, sale items included.
Two decisions, and they're separate. First, down, or synthetic. Down gives you more warmth for its weight and packs smaller; synthetic keeps insulating when it's damp and handles being worn while you're working hard. Second, how cold it's going to be - this is the one most people get wrong, and buying too warm is more common than buying too cold.
Genuine cold and altitude: Neutrino Pro
The Rab Neutrino Pro Down Mens Insulated Hoody is the one for mountaineering, winter climbing and standing still in the cold. It's filled with 800 fill-power down - fill power is a measure of how much space the down takes up, so a higher number means more warmth for the same weight - under a Pertex Quantum Pro ripstop outer that shrugs off snow and scuffs against rock. The hood fits over a helmet and the front zip opens from the bottom so you can work a belay device through it. It's around 563g in a men's medium.
Unless you're going above the snowline, heading to New Zealand or Japan in their winter, or doing something that involves a lot of standing around in the cold, this is more jacket than you'll wear.
Moving fast in changeable weather: Xenair Alpine Light
The Rab Xenair Alpine Light Womens Insulated Jacket is the opposite approach. PrimaLoft Gold Active+ synthetic insulation, mapped so there's less of it over the hot spots and more where you actually get cold, under a Pertex Quantum Air face fabric that breathes rather than sealing you in. Around 270g in a size 10. You can wear it walking uphill without cooking, which is the thing a down jacket can't do, and it doesn't collapse if it gets wet.
If you want one insulated jacket for Australian conditions and the odd trip somewhere colder, this is the more useful of the two. The Xenair line also runs to a vest.
In short: Neutrino Pro if it's genuinely cold and you're not moving much, Xenair Alpine Light if you are.
The choice here is between a three-layer jacket and a two-and-a-half-layer one, and the practical difference is comfort over a long wet day rather than whether you get wet.
Sustained rain and a heavy pack: Kangri GTX
The Rab Kangri GTX Mens Jacket and the Rab Kangri GTX Womens Jacket use three-layer GORE-TEX, which means the waterproof membrane is bonded between the outer fabric and a proper inner liner. That liner is why it doesn't stick to your arms after an hour. Rated to 28,000mm - that's how tall a column of water the fabric will hold up before it leaks, and anything over about 20,000mm is genuinely serious. The men's runs around 438g with pit zips, a helmet-compatible hood with a wired peak, and hand pockets set high enough to clear a hip belt.
Everything else: Downpour
The Rab Downpour Mens Waterproof Jacket does the same job in two-and-a-half layers - a printed coating on the inside instead of a separate liner. Lighter at around 377g, packs smaller, costs a good deal less, and rated to 20,000mm. The trade-off is that the inside of the jacket feels clammier when you're working hard, and the coating has a shorter life than a bonded liner. For day walks, travel and throwing in a pack on the off chance, it's the sensible buy.
In short: Kangri GTX if you're out in real weather for hours with a pack on, Downpour for everything else. Both need the outer fabric re-proofed occasionally.
Rab's fleece is cut to go under a shell, so it runs closer to the body than a casual jumper and the seams are kept low-profile, so they don't press through under a pack strap.
Light layering: Nexus
The Rab Nexus Womens Fleece Hooded Jacket uses a 178 gsm grid fleece and comes in at about 258g. It's a hooded layer for cool starts and exposed ridgelines - warm enough on its own in the shoulder seasons, thin enough to wear under a rain jacket without bunching up. The hood sits under a helmet, which tells you who it was designed for.
Wind and abrasion: Ascendor
The Ascendor is a fleece-backed softshell hoody rather than a straight fleece. Slightly heavier, noticeably more wind-resistant, and it holds up better against rock and pack straps. It's the one to pick if your fleece spends more time as an outer layer than a midlayer.
In short: Nexus to layer, Ascendor to wear on its own.
A vest keeps your core warm while leaving your arms free to move and vent, which is why they work so well for hiking and shoulder-season running. The Rab Xenair Vest uses the same PrimaLoft Gold Active+ insulation as the Xenair jackets, at around 210g and 170g respectively. Worn over a fleece they'll cover most Australian winter mornings; worn under a shell they add warmth without a third set of sleeves.
Rab's packs are built around the same idea as the clothing - light, weather-resistant and sized for a specific day rather than for everything.
Wet-weather running and fast days: Veil XP 30L
The Rab Veil XP 30L Waterproof Running Backpack is genuinely waterproof rather than water-resistant: waterproof fabric, taped seams and a silicone coating, with a roll-top closure so it compresses down when you're carrying less. The harness is a mono mesh that doesn't soak up sweat, with a bungee chest strap and an asymmetric hip belt. Thirty litres is enough for a long day out or a light overnighter, and pole sleeves sit on the front of the harness.
For anything bigger, or for a straight hiking pack, start from our Hiking Packs and Daypacks pages - capacity matters more than brand here. Twenty to thirty litres covers a day walk, thirty-five to fifty an overnighter, and past sixty you're in serious multi-day territory.
Rab has been making sleeping bags since the beginning, and the thing worth knowing before you compare any two is which temperature number you're looking at. Bags are tested to a European standard that produces several figures, and the two that matter are the comfort rating and the limit rating. Comfort is the temperature a cold sleeper can sleep through the night at. Limit is where a warm sleeper is curled up and just about coping. Manufacturers often lead with the limit figure because it's a bigger-sounding number. Buy on comfort.
The second thing: your mat does as much of the work as your bag. Compressed down under your body insulates against nothing, so the R-value of the mat - its resistance to heat loss into the ground - sets the floor on how warm you'll be regardless of what bag is on top.
The Rab Windstopper Unisex Beanie uses a GORE-TEX WINDSTOPPER panel through the headband with a Thermic fleece lining, so it blocks wind across the forehead and ears where a knitted beanie doesn't. It's low bulk enough to fit under a hood or a helmet, and there are slots at the sides to hold sunglasses arms in place. Around 22g. There's also a plain knitted Rab logo beanie if you want the warmth without the wind layer, and gloves and balaclavas run alongside both.
Clothing: Jackets, Hoodies & Sweatshirts, Vests, Thermals, Pants, Beanies, Gloves
Bags: Daypacks, Hiking Packs, Duffel Bags
Sleeping: Sleeping Bags, Mats & Mattresses
Tents: Tents, 4 Season Mountain Tents
Snow: Snow, Snow Gloves
Free shipping Australia-wide with bulky items excluded, and 80 days to return anything, sale items included. Full detail is on our shipping and returns pages. If you'd rather try a jacket on before you commit, we have stores at Burleigh Heads and in Brisbane - check stock and opening hours on our store locations page.
Is Rab sized in UK sizes?
Yes. Rab is a British brand and its sizing follows UK conventions - women's garments are numbered 8 to 16, men's are alpha sized S to XL. Australian women's numbering lines up with UK numbering, so a 12 is a 12, which is a different situation to US-sized brands where you'd normally drop two sizes. Rab also cuts on the trim side because most of the range is meant to layer under a shell, so if you're between sizes or you plan to wear a thick fleece underneath, size up. Our Rab size guides have the measurements.
Does Rab have a warranty in Australia?
Rab warrants its gear against faults in materials and workmanship, and the term differs between clothing, sleeping bags and hardware. Separately from any manufacturer warranty, your rights under Australian Consumer Law apply to everything we sell. If something goes wrong, contact us and we'll handle the claim with the distributor for you.
Can Rab gear be repaired?
Usually, and it's worth doing. Down jackets and sleeping bags are repairable well past the point where they look finished - a torn baffle or a failed zip is a straightforward fix and much cheaper than replacing the garment. Get in touch with us before you send anything anywhere and we'll point you at the right place.
Is a Rab down jacket too warm for Australia?
For the mountaineering-grade jackets, often yes. If you're walking in Tasmania in winter, camping in the high country, or travelling to the northern hemisphere during their winter, they earn their keep. For most Australian conditions a lighter synthetic jacket or a vest is the more useful buy, and you'll wear it far more often. If the down jacket is for a specific trip, buy for that trip; if it's for general use, buy lighter.
How do I wash a Rab down jacket?
Machine wash it on a gentle cycle with a down-specific wash rather than normal detergent, which strips the natural oils out of the feathers. Rinse it twice. Then tumble dry it on low with a couple of clean tennis balls in with it - this is the part people skip, and it's what breaks up the clumps and gets the loft back. It takes a few cycles. A jacket that's gone flat is usually dirty rather than worn out.
What's the difference between the Downpour and the Kangri GTX?
Layers, weight and price. The Kangri GTX is three-layer GORE-TEX with a bonded inner liner, rated to 28,000mm, heavier and dearer, and it stays comfortable through a long day of rain under a pack. The Downpour is two-and-a-half layers with a printed inner coating, rated to 20,000mm, lighter and cheaper, and better suited to being carried just in case. Both are properly waterproof. The difference is how they feel after three hours, not whether they leak.
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