A supremely warm, durable and water resistant down jacket that’s small enough to accompany you on all your winter adventures
If staying warm at all costs when adventuring is your primary concern then you absolutely need the Rab Neutrino Endurance Jacket in your life. This is one insanely warm, well fitting and super puffy jacket that does an exceptional job at keeping out the wet and wind, as well as the cold. Filled with 216g of ethically sourced 800 fill power down, this updated version of the Neutrino is even better than ever. Read on to see how this jacket can bring so much happiness!
Rab Neutrino Endurance Jacket: The stats
| Insulation: | Rab fluorocarbon free Hydrophobic Down |
| Weight: | 585g / 21oz (UK size 12) |
| Down fill weight: | 216g / 8oz (UK size 12) |
| Down fill power: | 800 |
| Outer fabric: | Pertex Endurance |
| Pack down size: | 25 x 16cm / 9.8 x 6.2in |
Features of the Rab Neutrino Endurance Jacket
Hood peak
The large peak on the hood is very effective at keeping the snow and sun out of your eyes. The peak has a flexible polymer wire along its rim so that you can turn it in at the sides if needed.Outer fabric
The Pertex Endurance outer has a very impressive hydrostatic head (HH) rating of 1000mm. This means that it is highly water resistant (not waterproof). The fabric is also 100% windproof and breathable.
Hood roll down system
The hood is very puffy — superbly so when it’s up — but it can get in the way a little when it’s down. So the roll down system is really useful to get all that puff under control! The system is Velcro-free to prevent any snagging, and features a simple hook and loop on the end of a long fabric tap that hangs inside the jacket when not in use.
Hood drawcord
There is an elasticated drawcord that runs around the edge of the hood that is adjustable. When cinched in, the lengthened ends of the cords tuck back into the jacket and out again (but towards the floor). So no bits of plastic painfully flapping in your when walking against the wind. These ends also make it really easy to cinch in the cord in the first place.
Chin guard
The top of the neck cuff is lined with the most decadently soft fabric that feels wonderfully luxurious on your chin. When you zip the jacket right up, the neck cuff comes right up to your bottom lip with no risk of chin chaffage — even when it gets wet. Cinch the drawcord in and the cuff fully covers your mouth too.
Hem drawcord
Cinching in the bottom of a jacket is a ‘must-have’ feature to prevent unwanted drafts coming up through the midriff. The Neutrino has two hem drawcord adjustment points that sit at bottom of each side seam.
Long back
To help with the elimination of a chilly midriff, and to extend the warmth of the Neutrino to your backside, the rear hem is even longer than the front. A superb feature that is not to be undervalued.
Zippered pockets
There are two hand pockets that are zippered with the same YKK VISLON AquaGuard zips as the main front zip. Their PU coating makes them water repellent. Inside each pocket there is a panel of the same luxurious fabric as the chin guard to keep your hands lovely and cosy.
Internal chest pocket
On the left-hand side of the jacket there is an internal pocket at the chest. This is zippered and contains as separate stuff sack.
Stuff sack
Inside the chest pocket lives the stuff sack. It features a drawcord, a mesh panel to get some air to the jacket when stuffed, and a tape carry handle. When the jacket is packed down in its sack, it measures XXX
Velcro cuffs
The arm cuffs are lightly elasticated with a very sturdy Velcro tab on each. This is a really handy feature that enables large gloves to underneath before clamping down on any unwanted drafts creeping up the sleeves.
Two way zip
The water repellent front zip is a two way zip. This means that you can keep the top half zipped up and unzip the bottom half (as well as vice versa). Ideal when wearing a climbing harness and belaying, and also very useful for when nature calls and you need a bit more access to the top of your trousers!
Rab Neutrino Endurance Jacket review
If you have any serious interest in getting cosy inside a high quality down jacket, then you’ll already know that Rab make some of the best down jackets on the planet. And although I was expecting great things from the Neutrino, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite this brilliant. I was totally blown away when I first tested it out. In fact, every time I wear it I fall in love with it a little bit more.
The warmth
This winter in the UK has been particularly chilly. The snow storm, known as ‘the beast from the east’, and its sub-zero temperatures, brought the whole country to a standstill, just when we were starting to enjoy lighter evenings and the promise of spring. No such luck. So as you can imagine, the Neutrino has featured quite heavily in my day to day life on the windy Cornish coast, as well as accompanying me on some freezing and very windy weekends hiking up on moors.
To say that I have enjoyed the toastie warmth of this incredible jacket is something of an understatement. I absolutely love it! Since the Neutrino came along there have been no battles with my inner sun worshipping self to get outside when the wind chill is reaching -10ºC. No worrying about how long it will take me to warm up in my tent after a day of hiking in the coast. And I’ve even taken to eating lunch outside (even when it’s near freezing), because I can!
The outer
In light rain and snow, the DWR coating rolls the moisture off brilliantly. But the durable and tough Pertex fabric of the outer is also water resistant making it deal with water much better than your average DWR coating. I spent 15 minutes walking in light rain wearing the Neutrino to find that even the cumulative build up of water didn’t start to seep through as it usually does after the first beading. I’m very impressed with this, and really love that I don’t have to check the weather forecast every time I put the jacket on.
As with any down jacket, I’d not purposefully wear it in rainy conditions, and I always take a waterproof shell if heavy rain is on the cards. But it deals so well with light rain that it just ain’t a thing!
The fit
Having followed the Rab size guide, I opted for a size 10 (UK) jacket. And it’s perfectly true to size. Although it’s one hell of a puffy jacket, it also manages to have a bit of feminine shape to it (just!). And the cut is relaxed enough to wear a good couple of layers beneath it (including a thick wooly jumper).
The arms are also just the right length, with no restriction under the armpits when moving lots.
What I love the most about the Rab Neutrino Endurance Jacket
It’s the warmest jacket I will probably ever own! But we know how much I love its cosiness already. So deciding which of all the Neutrino’s other amazing features I love the most is a real tricky one. But I think I’m going to go with its length. The front is slightly longer than your average jacket with even more length at the back that covers your backside. There’s absolutely no chance of a drafty midriff negating all that cosy warmth that the rest of the jacket generates.
What I don’t love so much about the Rab Neutrino Endurance Jacket
Technically, this jacket is pretty much perfect. And even aesthetically it ticks almost all the boxes — except for the peaked hood! The hood does a great job at keeping the snow or sun out of your eyes, but I just feel (and look?!) a bit duck-like when my hood is up. Yep, really clutching at straws here, I know! But in all honesty there is very little to pick faults with in this jacket, and it is fast becoming my new favourite piece of outdoor clothing.
Verdict
If you’re tired of battling against the cold and constantly fighting to stay warm on your winter adventures, the Rab Neutrino Endurance Jacket is for you. In the warmth department it performs exceptionally well and is one of the warmest down jackets on the market. But what this durable and robust jacket offers that other leading models don’t, is its ability to deal with more than just the cold. It is 100% windproof, water resistant and very hardwearing. It packs down relatively small for its weight and looks pretty great on too!
This is a jacket for life that will increase your enjoyment of cold weather adventures tenfold. Without a doubt the Neutrino Endurance is a very worthy investment.
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Disclaimer: Cool of the Wild received this product free in return for an honest review. We only recommend gear that we love from companies we trust and we are under no obligation to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are that of the reviewer and we are in no way influenced by the brand or company.
