Rab Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket Review

The Rab Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket is a synthetic insulated jacket with a hood, chest pocket, and hand warmer pockets. It has body-mapped insulation: more on the torso and less along the sides for better thermo-regulation when active. I’ve been using this jacket as an outer warmth layer in very cold exposed conditions for over a year. While I’ve always used down jackets for this function in the past I rather like this Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket which compresses surprisingly well and is more amenable for use under a shell if required.

Specs at a Glance

• Gender: Men’s (women’s available)
• External fabric: 20-denier Pertex Quantum Air nylon
• Hood: Designed for under-helmet use.
• Pockets: 3
• Windproof: Yes
• Weight: 11.9 oz (337g) in men’s xl
• Insulation Type: Synthetic
• Insulation: PrimaLoft Gold Active+
• Packable: Chest Pocket
• Back length: 28.1 inches (hip length)

The Rab Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket is a very warm synthetic jacket that’s designed with breathability and active use in mind. It’s insulated with 60 g PrimaLoft Gold Active+ insulation in front, back, top of sleeves, and collar for warmth and comfort, while the sides, underarms, spine, and top of the hood have 40 g insulation. This insulation together with its Pertex Quantum Air nylon exterior fabric enhances the jacket’s ability to vent water vapor in use, particularly in drier and colder conditions when you’re less likely to overheat and perspire.

Well-Fitting Hood

The thing that makes the Rab Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket markedly different from other synthetic insulated jackets is the hood. Most lighter-weight synthetic and down jackets have non-adjustable hoods that are often designed for use with climbing or skiing helmets and are grotesquely too large to keep your head warm unless you have an enormous Godzilla-sized head.

But Rab did something a little different with this jacket to keep it lighter weight. Instead of instrumenting the hood with neck controls to make the face opening adjustable or putting a volume adjuster on the rear, they “gather” the hood with a piece of elastic on the rear which maintains human proportions, but can expand to accommodate different head sizes. This makes the hood self-adjusting which makes it much simpler and more effective when wearing gloves while making the jacket lighter weight and easier to manufacture. If you use a helmet, you may not like the hood because it will retard your peripheral vision. But if you’re a winter hiker and don’t use a helmet, this hood is easy to like.

Mid-Layer?

Rab positions this jacket as a mid-layer option, but I find it way too warm for that purpose when snowshoeing or hiking up mountains, even in very cold weather. I think it’ll be fine layered under a shell for sitting on a chair lift and zipping back downhill, but for self-propelled adventures with real elevation gain, you’ll soak the lining in no time. I do run a bit hot on winter hikes, so your mileage will vary, but I’ve never ever found a down or synthetic jacket like this one that can replace a fleece hoodie as a mid-layer.

Fit and Trim

The fit is “regular” and not too slim, so you can layer underneath the jacket. The elastic wrist cuffs are fairly snug so they work well under a shell, but they’re too tight to pull up your arms if you’re trying to regulate your warmth level by exposing skin. There’s an elastic hem adjuster, so you can prevent wind from blowing up your torso.

Finally, this jacket has three zippered pockets, including two large handwarmer pockets and a good-sized chest pocket inside the jacket. Plus, you can stuff the jacket into its chest pocket (there’s also a harness loop), although I never do that in winter because I use the jacket to insulate the hot water bottles inside my pack.

Recommendation

The Rab Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket is a very warm synthetic jacket that’s best used as an outer insulation layer, but has a compact enough profile that it could be used under a shell jacket. It has a human-proportioned hood that fits under helmets, as opposed to over, making it suitable for winter hiking for those of us who don’t need to wear protective helmets. Lightweight and quite packable, this is a seriously nice insulated jacket that feels good to wear and can provide extra insulation for items in your pack that you don’t want to freeze.

Disclosure: The author purchased this garment.