Review: Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket

Ultralight Rain Jacket
Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket
$165, 7.7 oz./219g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL (8-16)
backcountry.com

Two startingly loud, sharp, and sustained crackles of thunder and a flash of lightning gave us about a two-minute warning before the skies opened up while we hiked at well over 11,000 feet on the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in mid-September. I got Rab’s Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket on and zipped up moments before the thunderhead began bombarding us with wind-driven rain and hail. And this ultralight rain shell kept me dry hiking through that storm and setting up our tent in steady rain and wind once we found a campsite.

I also wore this shell hiking in strong wind on days without rain on the CDT in southwestern Colorado, and during windy times, mostly on warm mornings and evenings in camp, while backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route in mid-April, where the only rain was early one morning before we got up.

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First of all, worth noting is the jacket’s appeal when not wearing it—and for most hikers, backpackers, and others, a rain jacket spends more time in a pack than on your back: At just 7.7 ounces/219 grams (for a men’s medium), and packing down to the size of a softball (although it doesn’t pack into one of its pockets), the Downpour Light represents one of the lightest and most packable waterproof-breathable rain jackets on the market.

The weather protection owes to Rab’s 20-denier, 2.5-layer Proflex stretch-woven waterproof nylon fabric plus a waterproof front zipper. That fabric provides a bit more durability than the very lightest rain shells or ultralight wind shells but does not compete with heavier (and more featured) waterproof-breathable jackets, some of which are legitimate four-season shells. While it’s not a choice for climbers or backcountry skiers and riders, it’s tough enough for the kind of use it receives in the hands of dayhikers, mountain scramblers, lightweight backpackers, and other three-season users.

Breathability is moderately good: It moved moisture out while I carried a full backpack uphill at elevations between 11,000 and over 12,000 feet, on partly sunny, quite windy days on the CDT in Colorado. While those conditions don’t challenge breathability as much they do as a jacket’s ability to block wind, I had other reasons to believe it has good breathability (enunciated below). Not surprisingly in a shell this light, it has no pit zips for ventilation.

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In the San Juans, my wife hiked in a heavier, Gore-Tex jacket without overheating, too, and that jacket likely blocked the wind better than the Downpour Light—meaning this jacket is more breathable and slightly less windproof than a Gore-Tex jacket: I could often feel some wind coming through the fabric. But in that rapidly shifting mix of sun, clouds, temperature, and wind—a common meteorological stew in the mountains from spring through fall—this jacket was precisely what I needed to maintain a balance of feeling neither too warm nor cold.

The fit is comfortable, with space for layering light insulation underneath and articulated sleeves that allow full freedom of movement without the jacket riding up. The fabric’s backer feels nice against bare arms, too.

Lastly, in a category of jackets that often sport very minimalist hoods, the Downpour Light’s one-hand adjustable hood has a brim that helped keep rain off my face during the thunderstorm, aided by a front zipper that comes up to just below the nose; plus adjustable, hook-and-loop cuffs, and a hem that extends about six inches below the waist. The two spacious, zippered chest pockets sit above a pack’s hipbelt, making them accessible while wearing a pack.

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To be sure, the Downpour Light will not steal the crown of supreme weather protection from heavier, more featured, 3-layer rain jackets—but it’s not designed for severe weather. Rab markets the Downpour Light as a just-in-case shell that’s best for dayhikes or one-day peak scrambles where you face the possibility of some precipitation. I would say it delivers enough protection for multi-day trips where thunderstorms or rain showers are possible, but hours or days of sustained rain is unlikely.

Look at it this way: If you’re generally avoiding severely wet weather, the Downpour Light gives you all the protection you need, in a lighter and more packable design that will be less likely to cause you to overheat than a heavier, more fully featured (and weatherproof) rain jacket—at far less expense than that rain shell that’s overbuilt for your needs.

If you want a more full-featured rain shell, Rab’s Downpour Plus 2.0 Jacket ($180, 13.2 oz./375g), is made with 100 percent recycled, 2.5-layer Pertex Shield fabric and has a helmet-compatible hood, all at a very competitive price.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or women’s Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket at backcountry.com or rei.com, or a men’s or women’s Rab Downpour Plus 2.0 Jacket at backcountry.com or rei.com.

See “The Best Rain Jackets for Hiking and Backpacking,” “The Best Ultralight Hiking and Running Jackets,” and all reviews of outdoor apparel at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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