Rab Firewall Light review: This lightweight waterproof jacket gets the balance right (aff)
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Rab’s latest lightweight waterproof jacket focuses less on extreme mountain survival and more on comfort, practicality and wearability in unpredictable British weather
Testing a waterproof jacket in a British spring sounds like a doddle. But unfortunately the arrival of Rab's new Firewall Light Waterproof Jacket coincided with a depressingly dry spell.
Rain is seemingly never far away, though, so I've been able to put this £200 lightweight waterproof jacket through its paces and I'm mightily impressed.
Of course, it's fair to assume that a high-end jacket like the Rab Firewall Light will perform well, but Rab really has perfected the design of its outdoorwear over the years, and this new garment borrows heavily from all that experience.
The first thing that strikes you about the Firewall Light Waterproof Jacket is how light it is. This is a huge bonus in warm, showery weather because as insulated as it is, it doesn't cling, and it's nice and breathable.
It also means the Rab jacket packs away well, into a rucksack pocket if you need to, and for a Pertex jacket with a triple-layer water shield, that's impressive.
It's also nice and soft. A trick top layer of Proflex fabric gives the Firewall Light a more gentle, stretchier feel than many Gore-Tex alternatives, and that genuinely makes a difference on longer walks or changeable days. It's quiet and flexible.
I also really like the fit. Rab tends to cut jackets for people who actually move around outdoors rather than just pose in coffee shops, and the Firewall Light jacket has enough articulation through the arms and shoulders that it never feels restrictive.
The slightly longer sleeves and decent hood design help too on the Rab waterproof shell.
There are compromises, mind you. This isn’t the jacket I’d choose for brutal winter mountain abuse or scrambling through endless abrasive rock. The Firewall Light is more durable than you'd expect for a 300g light layer, but it's going to have its limits.
There's no two-way zip, which is perhaps a mixed blessing, and you could argue there are limited pocket options. But, then, pockets just add bulk and vulnerability, so it doesn't bother me all that much on a lightweight hiking jacket.
As a £200 coat, I realise the Rab Firewall Light Waterproof Jacket isn’t exactly an impulse buy. But outdoor gear pricing has become faintly ridiculous lately, and in context this actually feels fairly sensible for a lightweight three-layer waterproof from a premium outdoor brand. Especially one you’ll probably end up wearing constantly rather than occasionally.
That’s ultimately the Firewall Light’s biggest strength. It doesn’t feel like a specialist bit of kit. It just feels easy. Easy to pack, easy to wear, easy to live with.
And honestly, that probably matters more than shaving another 20 grams off the weight or adding yet another technical acronym to the hang tag.