Rab Neutrino Professional Down Jacket Evaluation

Backside Line

The Rab Neutrino Professional is a heat and versatile winter jacket that ranks close to the highest of our lineup of greatest winter jackets and greatest down jackets.

We love its hearty baffles full of 800-fill energy down and outer shell resilient sufficient to deal with mild rain and frozen precipitation. It rapidly entered our rotation of jackets and stays one we attain for occasionally on the coldest days.

The Neutrino Professional’s spectacular loft packs down small in a pack, making it a wonderful selection for carrying into the backcountry. Handled with Nikwax, the down insulation can be hydrophobic, which helps forestall the down from soaking by way of.

Gear thrashers beware, the shell is just not as sturdy as others we examined. We discovered a number of feathers poking out of the seams after a number of months of repeated use, and it isn’t very resilient or protecting to encounters with brush or scraping previous rocks.

The Neutrino Professional is a wonderful selection for anybody on the lookout for a packable down jacket with a formidable weight-to-warmth ratio. When you won’t want the technical efficiency for many in-town outings, this jacket is a wonderful backcountry puffy for stuffing right into a backpack and deploying for speedy heat when the temperatures plummet.

How We Examined

We examined the Rab Neutrino Professional in Alaska’s winter chilly over three months. From below-zero temperatures to snow and sleet, the Neutrino Professional was examined in a wide range of situations skilled within the Alaskan backcountry.

Heat

The Rab Neutrino Professional is a masterclass in technical heat, making it a standout selection for these braving frigid situations. Full of 7.5 ounces of high-loft, 800-fill energy goose down, this jacket provides critical insulation, rivaling among the warmest parkas in the marketplace. The baffles of the jacket are properly positioned by way of the torso and remove any chilly spots.

We discovered that this jacket is greatest fitted to low-output actions like sporting at camp, or throwing on when taking a break on a chilly climate hike. We used this in Alaska’s winter chilly from the one digits to above freezing and located it to be too heat to train in temperatures above twenty levels. Whereas this jacket could also be too heat to be a viable three-season choice, it excels in chilly temperatures and is the proper selection for a basecamp coat, or light-weight winter tenting puffy.

Climate Resistance

According to most down jackets, we discovered the Rab Neutrino Professional to have lower than stellar climate resistance. Although not designed to protect in opposition to heavy precipitation, the Neutrino Professional was capable of face up to mild rain and reasonable quantities of frozen precipitation. The Pertex Quantum Professional shell is handled with a DWR end that’s sufficient for fast publicity to moisture however is not any match for heavy rain.

We took this jacket out in a winter snowstorm and have been impressed with the way it dealt with frozen precipitation. It rapidly shed snowflakes and labored properly sufficient to maintain us dry. Nonetheless, as a consequence of this jacket’s size, layering a water-resistant shell excessive leaves the underside of the jacket uncovered to moisture. It rapidly wetted by way of from water rolling off the shell. The Rab Neutrino Professional has its place as an insulating jacket and does that very properly. Nonetheless, it’s very simple for winter storms to surpass this jacket’s climate resistance and we recommend this jacket for occasions with out heavy precipitation or solely in dryer snow.

Consolation & Performance

Whereas the Rab Neutrino Professional lacks the trim and modern match of different jackets, it isn’t overly massive or overbuilt like different parkas examined. We discovered that it strikes the steadiness between an athletic lower whereas nonetheless being roomy sufficient to layer beneath comfortably. As talked about beforehand, the Rab Neutrino Professional doesn’t layer as properly with a shell over high as a consequence of its size. This leaves the underside hanging out and uncovered to moisture.

The Neutrino Professional is a decidedly technical jacket. Most at house within the mountains and on the paths, it will not be the most effective match for metropolis put on. This jacket features greatest as an insulating layer on the path or at camp. Too heat for three-season use, that is undoubtedly a jacket for chilly winter months. We beloved throwing this jacket on for fast heat whether or not at camp, pausing for a hike, or earlier than a frigid backcountry ski descent.

Options

The Rab Neutrino Professional is a well-designed jacket constructed with consideration to element. The fleece lining within the pockets and alongside the collar is heat and comfy on the pores and skin. The artificial insulated baffle guarding the entrance zipper is a good addition to offer heat in an space continuously uncovered to moisture.

With solely two hand pockets on the outside, we have been continuously left wanting an exterior chest pocket. Nonetheless, the inside chest pocket is massive sufficient for a telephone along with different smaller objects like a hat or gloves.

The adjustment on the hood is tightened within the entrance with two cinch cords situated on the within of the collar. This meant unzipping the jacket and exposing us to the weather to tighten it down. The again of the hood has a easy velcro strap that doesn’t present the identical cinching energy as an elastic strap.

The left-handed principal zipper could take some getting used to in the event you’re not used to European manufacturers. Whereas comparatively mild on options, the Rab Neutrino Professional fulfills its mission as a streamlined and technical jacket. For individuals who need the naked requirements, with not one of the weight and bulk of extra closely featured choices, the Neutrino Professional is a good match.

Ought to You Purchase the Rab Neutrino Professional?

You most likely could be psyched in the event you did. The Rab Neutrino Professional is a wonderful technical jacket for anybody trying to find a packable jacket that’s simply deployable for immediate heat.

Its excessive quantity of loft is definitely compressed right into a small quantity, and we beloved throwing it in our pack on chilly climate hikes. With a technical look, the Neutrino Professional is extra at house within the backcountry than on metropolis streets. This jacket is decidedly a winter jacket and is simply too heat for lively outings or high-output classes.

This puffy is a good basecamp coat, winter mountaineering insulative layer, or puffy emergency layer. We’ll proceed reaching for this jacket on days properly beneath freezing, or whereas spending lengthy hours with out producing physique warmth. For those who’re somebody trying to find a wonderful warmth-to-weight ratio in a light-weight platform, that is the jacket for you.

What Different Down Jackets Ought to You Think about?

Take a look at our different greatest winter jackets for males in order for you much more choices or take a more in-depth have a look at these comparable fashions:

Outside Analysis Tremendous Alpine Down Parka Evaluation: With a barely extra resilient shell, the Tremendous Alpine provides excessive heat in a barely extra sturdy platform.

Patagonia DAS Parka Evaluation: For those who love the warmth-to-weight ratio of the Neutrino Professional, however are on the lookout for the moist climate efficiency of artificial insulation, the DAS Parka would be the jacket to strive subsequent.

Feathered Buddies Khumbu Parka Evaluation: With much more insulation than the Neutrino Professional, the Khumbu is the king of chilly climate, expedition-level parkas match on your subsequent foray into the deep chilly.