Reviews You Can Rely On

Rab Microlight Alpine Review

This inexpensive jacket will keep you warm and protected from the weather wherever you take it
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rab microlight alpine down jacket review
Credit: Sam Schild
Price:  $295 List
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Manufacturer:   Rab
By Sam Schild ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Jan 23, 2024
79
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#3 of 16
  • Warmth - 30% 8.0
  • Comfort - 30% 9.0
  • Portability - 15% 5.0
  • Weather Resistance - 15% 9.0
  • Breathability - 10% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Rab Microlight Alpine fights the elements better than most. It features a DWR treatment on recycled 30D nylon Pertex Quantum outer to keep the weather off your back. And if the DWR stops working, it's stuffed with 700-fill down with a Nikwax hydrophobic finish. Beyond the awesome weather resistance, this jacket performs well all around and is one of the only jackets we've seen with recycled down. It's extremely comfortable and looks good enough to wear in town and on the mountain. It's warm and has smaller baffles under the arms to allow for more ventilation. This model has everything the most expensive jackets do and costs less than those premium models. If you're looking for an excellent adventure-ready jacket with great weather resistance and enough warmth to take you from the mountain to the mountain town patio, the Microlight is an ideal choice.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Great fit
Weather resistant
Recycled shell and down
Hydrophobic down
REASONS TO AVOID
Relatively heavy
Doesn't have slip-in internal pockets
Editor's Note: We ordered and retested the updated version of this product. The review you see here was updated on January 23, 2024, and reflects our most current findings.

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Bottom Line This midweight down jacket features excellent weather resistance and solid warmth in an affordable packageThis jacket provides solid heat and weather protection in cold weatherAn ultralight jacket that excels in fast and light mountain missions while disappearing in your pack when you're not wearing itThis lightweight hoodless option has a basic set of features, is comfortable, and looks greatYou'll probably do a double-take when you look at the price of this jacket
Rating Categories Rab Microlight Alpine Rab Electron Pro Mountain Hardwear G... REI Co-op 650 Down Wantdo Packable Dow...
Warmth (30%)
8.0
9.0
6.0
5.0
5.0
Comfort (30%)
9.0
9.5
7.0
8.0
5.0
Portability (15%)
5.0
4.0
10.0
8.5
8.0
Weather Resistance (15%)
9.0
9.0
8.0
6.0
5.0
Breathability (10%)
7.0
8.0
9.0
7.0
5.0
Specs Rab Microlight Alpine Rab Electron Pro Mountain Hardwear G... REI Co-op 650 Down Wantdo Packable Dow...
Down Fill Recycled 700-fill Down with Nikwax hydrophobic finish 800-fill European goose down with Nikwax hydrophobic finish 800-fill goose down 650-fill down 90% duck down
Responsible Down Standard (RDS) Certified Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Outer Fabric Recycled 30D nylon Pertex Quantum 20D nylon Pertex Quantum Pro 10D recycled ripstop nylon Recycled ripstop nylon 20D 400T nylon
Weight (Size Small) 14.9 oz 16.1 oz 8.3 oz 10.1 oz 10.6 oz
Hem Type Drop hem (large) Drop hem (large) Drop hem (small) Drop hem (small) Straight
Fit Standard Standard Slim Standard Standard
Pockets 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered external chest 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered internal chest 2 zippered hand 2 zippered hand. 2 internal slip in pockets 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered external chest, 2 internal slip in pockets
Hood Yes Yes Yes, hoodless option No, hooded option Yes
Cuff Construction Elastic cuffs Two stretch-panel cuffs Elastic cuffs Elastic cuffs Elastic
Adjustment Points Hem shockcord, hood shockcord Hem shockcord, hood shockcord, hood velcro Hem drawcord Hem drawcord None
Stow Option Stuff sack Stuff sack Zips into pocket None Stuff sack
Features Stiffened hood bill, recycled hydrophobic down Harness compatible pockets, helmet compatible hood, stiffened bill, hydrophobic down Recycled shell matierials, harness compatible hand pockets N/A N/A

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Microlight Alpine is a top performer across the board. It features good warmth, excellent weather resistance, fits well, and has great features. It's a bit heavy and bulky compared to some of the other jackets, but not the heaviest.

Performance Comparison


rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the microlight alpine is a great all-around down jacket with enough...
The Microlight Alpine is a great all-around down jacket with enough weather resistance to keep you warm and dry on the mountain.
Credit: Sam Schild

Warmth


The Microlight Alpine is one of the warmest jackets we tested. It provides a lot of warmth and is well-suited for serious winter conditions. With an efficient alpine fit that allows you to layer underneath it while not being too big to put a hardshell jacket over it too, it's versatile enough for most conditions.


It's stuffed with recycled 700 fill-power down with a hydrophobic coating. While 700-fill doesn't have the best loft for the weight, it's certainly lofty enough to adequately insulate in most conditions. And the 700-fill down is a big reason why this jacket is so affordable. If it were stuffed with 800-fill down, for instance, this jacket would likely be lighter, warmer, or both. But it would also be more expensive.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the microlight alpine is warm enough to throw on for early morning...
The Microlight Alpine is warm enough to throw on for early morning outdoor chores like shoveling.
Credit: Sam Schild

The jacket utilizes different-sized baffles in different areas to maximize thermal efficiency. On the front of the jacket, around your core, where you need more warmth, the jacket has wider baffles. On the sides of the jacket, under the arms, there are narrower baffles. This keeps you warm where you need it most without overbuilding areas that don't need as much insulation. It also helps with breathability, but we'll talk more about that below.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the microlight alpine has larger baffles on the front and back, with...
The Microlight Alpine has larger baffles on the front and back, with smaller baffles under the arms where you don't need as much insulation.
Credit: Sam Schild

Comfort


The Microlight Alpine is one of the most comfortable jackets we tested. It has a tapered, alpine fit that layers well and isn't too big to wear on its own. The lining material feels soft against the skin and is one of our favorites to wear in our day-to-day lives.


The Microlight Alpine has a fit that is just right, allowing for a full range of motion during any activity without being too baggy and getting in the way. It pairs well with other layers, too. This is one of our favorite layers to throw over a thicker fleece, yet it doesn't look like it could fit over a warm mid-layer. Most of our thinner testers liked the fit of this jacket more than some of our more broad-shouldered testers, though.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the knit zipper garage protects your chin from chafing while wearing...
The knit zipper garage protects your chin from chafing while wearing the hood fully zipped all day.
Credit: Sam Schild

The hood fits really well and has a knit zipper garage that protects your chin when you wear the hood all day. The hood adjusts with two toggles along the front, with a pair of fixed pieces of elastic sewn into the back of the hood to hold it in place.

The lining material is one of the most comfortable on our bare skin. During testing, we did a lot of fabric feeling, and this fabric feels better than most jackets. It's soft and not slippery in a way that just feels good to wear. It doesn't feel as sticky when you start to sweat as some lightweight jackets do, either.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the back of the hood has two sewn-in pieces of elastic to hold it in...
The back of the hood has two sewn-in pieces of elastic to hold it in place.
Credit: Sam Schild

Portability


The Microlight Alpine is relatively portable. The men's size small we tested weighs 14.9 ounces and packs into an included stuff sack. This isn't the most portable jacket, but it's still small and reasonable enough to easily carry with you.



Rab could have cut this weight down by using 800-fill down or cutting out some of the features. Ultimately, though, this jacket is light enough for most people, and the 700-fill down makes it a more affordable option than some otherwise comparable 800-fill jackets.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the microlight alpine weighs 14.9 ounces for a men's size small.
The Microlight Alpine weighs 14.9 ounces for a men's size small.
Credit: Sam Schild

The Microlight Alpine packs down easily into a relatively small stuff sack. The stuff sack has a large clip-in loop to easily hang this jacket off a climbing harness or backpack.

Having the stuff sack makes packing this jacket away easier, but it does mean you have to keep track of that stuff sack while you're wearing it. If you can stuff a coat into one of its pockets, that's one less thing to worry about.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the microlight alpine doesn't pack down to the smallest size, but...
The Microlight Alpine doesn't pack down to the smallest size, but it's relatively packable.
Credit: sam schild

Weather Resistance


The Microlight Alpine is one of the most weather-resistant jackets we tested. Its exterior is very water resistant, and it's insulated with hydrophobic down. This means you'd have to be out in heavier rain or a lot of wet snow before the jacket fully stops insulating. It's also very wind-resistant.


While no down jacket like this one is waterproof, this is one of the more water-resistant jackets we've seen. Like any down jacket, even one with the best DWR treatment, if it sees a significant downpour or if the weather lasts for a long time, then you'll need a rain jacket to stay dry.

The Pertex Quantum nylon outer shell material is treated with a DWR coating that performed very well in field testing and during our spray and rub lab test.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - this jacket has a robust dwr coating that easily beads water. its...
This jacket has a robust DWR coating that easily beads water. Its down filling is also hydrophobically treated for extra weather resistance.
Credit: Sam Schild

Additionally, the jacket's 700-fill down has a Nikwax hydrophobic water-resistant finish. These two features combined make it one of the most weather-resistant jackets that we tested.

When rain and hail poured down on our testers during hikes out from the Diamond in Rocky Mountain National Park, the water fell off the jacket. Even after a summer of afternoon thunderstorms, the Microlight's DWR still fought the rain. The brimmed hood also kept the water off of our faces.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - we think this is a great value for a weather-resistant down jacket.
We think this is a great value for a weather-resistant down jacket.
Credit: Sam Schild

It also does an excellent job of blocking the wind. On windy ridges, we never felt a significant amount of wind cut through the jacket. In our wind resistance fan test, it let some of the least amount of wind pass through the outer shell material of any jacket we tested.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the mirolight alpine blocked most of the wind generated in our wind...
The Mirolight Alpine blocked most of the wind generated in our wind resistance fan test.
Credit: Sam Schild

Breathability


The Microlight Alpine performs just above average in the breathability metric. It's not the most breathable jacket we tested, but we wouldn't hesitate to use it during higher-output winter activities such as hiking, snowshoeing, or sledding with the kids.



It has smaller baffles under the armpits that allow for more airflow, where your body creates a lot of heat. The smaller baffles also keep you cooler, so you don't overheat as quickly. You can also unzip the pockets to vent the lower front of the jacket for breathability.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the microlight has smaller baffles under the arms for breathability...
The Microlight has smaller baffles under the arms for breathability, you can also open the pockets to vent this jacket.
Credit: Sam Schild

Should You Buy the Rab Microlight Alpine?


The Microlight Alpine offers a ton of great features at a very affordable price. This is highly water and wind resistant, is very warm, and fits better than most other jackets we tested. It allows a full range of motion during any activity and is one of the most comfortable jackets to wear overall. If you're looking for a jacket to take into alpine environments, want an affordable down jacket to wear around town, or want a jacket that can do it all, you should consider the Microlight Alpine.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - the microlight alpine is an excellent all-around down jacket for any...
The Microlight Alpine is an excellent all-around down jacket for any winter activity.
Credit: Sam Schild

What Other Down Jackets Should You Consider?


If you're looking for a lighter, more packable down jacket, check out the ultralight Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer/2. If you're looking for something that's as warm as this jacket but significantly lighter, check out the Feathered Friends Eos. For an even more affordable option without as much weather resistance, check out the REI Co-op 650 Down or the even less expensive Wantdo Packable Down Hoody, that's a decent choice for mild climates.

rab microlight alpine down jacket review - testing the microlight alpine on a high elevation hike in colorado.
Testing the Microlight Alpine on a high elevation hike in Colorado.
Credit: Sam Schild

Sam Schild