Recommended Price: £275
Weight: 465g
Rab is now making their long-popular Kangri jacket with recycled outer fabric – I’ve taken full advantage of the shockingly wet Scottish autumn to put this updated classic through its paces. Made from 70 denier 3 layer Gore-Tex, I’ve found it to be a reliable hardshell with excellent features that make it comfortable for all day wear.
The fabric feels very robust but is still reasonably flexible and doesn’t make too much noise during wear. I found the sizing true to size; I’m 5’3″ and it properly covered my bum and the arms are long enough to cover my hands but have velcro at the cuffs which allows adjustment for ventilation or to wear the sleeves at the wrist. The women’s design is slightly fitted and the fabric has a bit of stretch in it, I found it plenty large enough to wear a base and bulky mid-layer underneath. The cut and slight stretch allows the arms to move freely and there are huge underarm, two-way, pit zips that are easy to adjust while wearing and allow a really good amount of ventilation. Similarly the two front pockets have long zips so can be accessed while wearing a pack hip belt and they are big enough to take an OS map. The zips here and underarm are waterproof and there is an internal chest pocket large enough for most phones or GPS. The main front zip is a solid YKK two-way with a really well designed large pull cord that can genuinely be used with gloves. The storm baffle behind it is secured with a snap fastener at the bottom and there’s soft fabric on the inside at the top which makes it comfortable when zipped completely up.
The hood is a good shape but isn’t helmet compatible – this is a real hillwalkers jacket. It has an easy to use, volume adjuster at the back and a more fiddly cord to adjust around the face. The stiffened and wired peak works well and the hood moves with your head and doesn’t impede vision in the way some do. There’s a drawcord to adjust the hem and also one for the back section of the waist. This could be used to tighten the jacket in cold weather or if wearing without a bulky mid-layer but it provides a potential spot for the fabric to get rubbed by a rucksack, however it shows no sign of wear here despite some long wet days.
In general the fabric and construction seems really bomb proof with excellent waterproofing and ventilation features – Gore-Tex pro would provide a tougher jacket but likely push the price sky high. The Kangri should provide solid use for years to come, and provides a good compromise between weight and quality to make it good option for bad weather days and the Scottish winter.
Available in four colours and sizes 8 – 16, the men’s version also comes in five sizes and four colours and the same £275 RRP.