Lightweight Hardshells - Rab Stretch Neo Jacket

Rab Stretch Neos, Men's and Women's, in all their colors.

The next hardshell I would like to talk about is the Rab Stretch Neo Jacket.  I have heard so much hype about Neoshell over the last couple years that I was very excited to get my hands on this jacket.  After a little bit of use, I still think the Neoshell softshell application, though heavier, is the more versatile application compared to a hardshell .  But, when a hardshell is desired, Neoshell is up there with the very best of the waterproof/breathable membranes.  In my experience, it is more breathable than the other membranes that I've used, but it is not as warm (I assume because of its air-permeable nature).

Though I have used this jacket a little bit, I haven't used it enough to feel comfortable writing a full review based on my personal experience.  My goal here is to give others an idea of what the jacket has to offer for features and fit.  I will fill in my own personal experience later after I have used the jacket more.

Facts and Features:

• 50 denier stretch face fabric with Polartec Neoshell Membrane
• 2-way adjustable, helmet-compatible hood with wire brim
• Waterproof zippers
• 2 napoleon pockets
• 2 internal mesh zip pockets
• Adjustable cuffs and hem drawcord
• Trim cut with long sleeves (great for use under a climbing harness)
• Weighs 18oz

Pictures:

The Rab Stretch Neo Jacket in the color Spring.  This jacket is a medium.  The body is trim and the sleeves are long.  

There are two drawcords at the hem.  There is also a button at the bottom of the zipper holding the stormflap (behind the zipper) in place.

Velcro-adjustable cuffs.  When the sleeves aren't tight around my wrists, they hang down most of the way over my hand.  I really like the extra length when I'm climbing because there is no restriction when reaching high above my head.  They could be a little shorter, though.  The Rab Latok Alpine jacket has slightly shorter sleeves but also doesn't impede reach at all, even when reaching high

One of the large, napoleon chest pockets.  These pockets are waterproof (against rain, but not watertight, as in submersion).  Or in other words, these pockets are not mesh lined.  Other jackets have mesh-lined pockets that can double as vents.  These do not.  The upside is that items in these pockets are much less likely to get wet.  The downside is that wet items, like gloves, are less likely to dry while in these pockets than they would in a mesh-lined pocket.  There are mesh-lined pockets inside though that work for drying kit.  The other downside that I already mentioned is that they can't be used as vents.

This jacket has two internal mesh pockets.  These work well for drying wet items.  Rab even uses a water-resistant fabric on the side and bottom of these pockets to catch the water dripping off wet items from leaking onto the user.

The jacket has two large, thin fleece chin/face patches.  The green square with "Rab" written on it is a velcro hood strap.  I don't like them, but it's an option.  

The hood rolled up and held down with velcro strap.

The hood has 3 hood adjustments; these two in the front and one drawcord pull in the back.  The hood has these two bungee tubes that keep drawcords from hitting the wearer in the face in high winds.

This bungee pull is at the back of the hood.  It pulls the hood tight around the head.

The wire brim in the hood allows you to shape the hood however you want. 

I'm 6'2", 185 lbs or so.  This jacket is a size Medium.  This jacket is just roomy enough to fit a fleece jacket underneath.  The sleeves are long and the cut is just right that the hem stays put when reaching above the head.

The hood fits nicely and comfortably with and without a helmet.  Without a helmet in this photo.

With a helmet, arms down.

Arms up,  the hem moves an inch or so.  Not much compared to most other jackets.  This jacket fits nice and trim, with little bellowing when climbing in a harness.  There are no pit zips on this jacket.  Apparently the Neoshell is so breathable that they're not necessary.  Because of the cut of the arms that allows the hem to stay put with arms up, the material of the jacket hugs the armpit with the arms down. It really doesn't bother me unless I am wearing a bulkier layer underneath the shell.  In that case, the extra layers snug under the armpit can be a bit annoying.  It usually isn't an issue.

The Verdict

Having only used this jacket a few times (drytooling in wet snow and rain), I have limited experience with its performance.  The couple things I can say is that it breathes as well as any other hardshell I have used (including gore-tex proshell), maybe better.  It is also plenty waterproof, so far.  The Neoshell is not as warm as gore-tex, because it is not totally windproof (99.9% windproof).  The little bit of air that is allowed in helps breathability, but as it carries moisture out, it also carries heat out.

I think this is a great active hardshell.  I think it would be ideal as a climbing jacket for nasty conditions and as a great backcountry skiing jacket.  It could be a little chillier sitting on a ski lift in the wind, but dressing a little warmer would fix that.  One thing that I haven't mentioned much is the stretch.  The jacket has a fair amount of stretch and really allows for great movement while climbing, even with a close-fitting jacket.  It is definitely designed for active use.

Lightweight Hardshells introduction

Early this morning, about 4am, I got dressed to go climbing before I had to go to work.  It was raining quite hard and the temperature was hovering around 35 degrees.  We decided to go drytooling instead of rock climbing, figuring we may get more purchase with picks in cracks than rubber on wet rock.  Not only that, drytooling would allow us to wear warm boots and gloves.  Instead of being bummed as is normally the case when rain thwarts our rock climbing plans, I got excited knowing that colder temperatures and wetter weather is a good sign that ice season is approaching.  But drytooling in the rain and sleet meant I needed a jacket that would keep me dry from the elements, but breathe well while I was pulling hard.

Last year I did most of my ice climbing in a softshell.  Only one or two times did I ever wear a hardshell while climbing, and only when it was snowing really wet snow and I'd be out in it for a long time.  In fact, I generally only wear hardshells in really wet and nasty conditions. This morning was a hardshell morning.

In years past, I avoided wearing hardshells except in the worst conditions because I would generally overheat, oversweat, eventually get cold and clammy, and would be uncomfortable.  But, with the progress that has been made with waterproof/breathable membrane technology over the last 3 or 4 years, and especially in the last year or two, I have started working hardshells into my clothing systems again.

This morning I was surprised at how comfortable I was able to stay while climbing hard in a hardshell.  I stayed dry from the outside, even though it was dumping rain/wet snow, and I didn't work up a sweat like usual on the inside.  I was climbing in the Rab Stretch Neo jacket, made of Polartec Neoshell.  My friend was wearing a Mountain Hardwear Drystein jacket made with Mountain Hardwear's proprietary Dry Q membrane.  He stayed pretty dry too, only complaining once that he started to work up a bit of a sweat while pulling the crux of one route while being totally pumped.  We both agree that hardshell technology has come a long way.

So, while it rained hard on us while we were climbing and it continued to rain all day, I thought about the important role that hardshells play.  It has been said, "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."  With that in mind, there are certain types of weather that require a hardshell to be considered good weather.

There are a lot of great, new hardshells on the market.  I have the good fortune of inspecting a few of the better ones (in my opinion) that we will be selling at our shop, GEAR:30 in Ogden, Utah.  Because I haven't used most of these jackets yet, I will not be writing reviews on these jackets based on performance.  I will simply try to show the fit, features, and details in a useful way for those that are interested in any of these jackets, but maybe haven't had the opportunity to use or see them in person. For the jackets that I decide to buy and use, I will update the posts with performance information based on my own experience after a few months of use.

The jackets that I will be highlighting are as follows:

• Rab Stretch Neo Jacket - Neoshell - (I actually have used this one, but it's still relatively new and I don't have a lot of mileage in it yet)
• Rab Latok Alpine Jacket - eVent
• Outdoor Research Axiom Jacket - Gore-tex Active Shell - (Outside Gear of the Year 2012)
• La Sportiva Stormfighter - Gore-tex Active Shell - (Outside Gear of the Year 2013)

I will try to highlight one jacket each day, but depending on how busy work is, I may switch to one every other day.  If other jackets become available that fit the category of 'lightweight hardshells,' I will add them to the mix