Seems like everybody has gotten into the down sweater game these days. Patagonia, Cloudveil, Rab…the list goes on, and for good reason. It’s an excellent compromise between weight and warmth. We’ve been testing the Rab Microlight Jacket in a variety of conditions over the last couple of months, and it has performed flawlessly.

What We Like

This thing is light. It comes in at 11.3 ounces, which is slightly less than the offerings from both Patagonia (12.4 oz) and Cloudveil (12.5 oz). Now I’m generally not one to try to shave grams here and there, my pack is usually heavy and has lots of extra stuff in it. I always figure it’s good training weight, and will simply make me stronger, so who really cares. But if weight is a concern to you, then this is certainly the lightest you can get right now.

The shell is made of Pertex Microlight, which did a decent job shedding light moisture, and the fill is warm and fluffy goose down, meaning you get a lot of warmth for the weight. I would say the fit is athletic, I have a size large and it doesn’t have a baggy feel like you get with some puffies. The other thing I really like is that it stuffs into its chest pocket, which is nice when you want to get it as compact as possible in your pack.

What We Don’t Like

The handwarmer pockets don’t have a zipper, meaning they are always open. This probably sacrifices some warmth, though it’s hard to say how much and is likely somewhat minor. For those that think a hood would be nice (like us), you can get the Microlight Alpine Jacket, which is the hooded version of the one we have.

All in all, this is a great down sweater from a company that is known for making clothing that is functional, without the fluff or hype. So far, the Microlight lives up to that task.