Rab Mountain Dru Review 2011/11/06
Introduction
My last hard shell was a climbing jacket but its cut was not appropriate
for trekking or hill walking and as it was so short and my fleece always
got wet where the jacket didn’t cover it. Its design was not right for
what I wanted from it. Luckily for this trip I had a brand new eVent Rab
Mountain Dru in my pack with me.
Up on the moors and it wasn’t long
before the fog really started to close in and with it a light mist in
the air which soon overwhelmed the soft shell I was wearing. I stopped
and opened my rucksack and out came my new jacket.
eVent is breathable just make sure you
wash it often. If the fabric denatures due to lack of washing it is
not covered in the warranty!
Design
When you put the jacket on you immediately notice its tough feel, which
I found reassuring in the inclement weather. The jacket has some really
nice details which makes it a piece to look out for in the shops and on
the top of that list is its amazing freedom of movement. It achieves
this by having one piece of fabric that runs under the arm length ways,
sometimes called a gusseted arm. A simple solution but it does the job
better than other jackets out there. Moreover as there is less stitching
under the arms it also means less tape to seal the seams is needed which
results in a more breathable jacket in a key area.
Next in line is its great hood which is
very well designed. Above all a good wired peak and ample compression
points allow you to get it fitting your head well. Once everything is
tightened up the hood moves with your head in every direction. The
toggles used to compress the hood are easy to lock; something I have
found with other brands is that they don’t lock at all, or poorly. The
ones on the Rab Mountain Dru do an excellent job. The overall design of
the Rab Mountain Dru uses some well thought of features. They all come
together to make a great jacket. Another major part is the fabric which
is tough where you need it. For instance over the shoulders, under the
arms, top of the hood and around the waist all have a heavier weight
face fabric.
Pockets
There are three pockets on the front which are placed high enough so you
can use the jacket with a rucksack or harness. On the inside there is
one mesh pocket. The pocket zips are sealed against rain and the main
zip has a storm flap on both the outside and inside. There are no
vents or pit zips so to get fresh air passing into the jacket you have
to open the main zip. Talking more about the pockets there are tiny
drainage holes that empty to the outside of the jacket. I have had that
happen on another jacket when my ice covered gloves were warming up in
the pockets the water simply collected at the bottom. As with a knife
sheath a drainage hole is widely seen in products, it’s not something I
am used to on jackets but it’s an amazingly subtle feature and works
well.
The hood on the Rab Mountain Dru is one
of its stand out features. It really does a good job of keeping your
head dry.
Conclusion
The Rab Mountain Dru has a great design. It uses a top of the line
laminate so you get top performance. The colour Evergreen is best for
bushcraft as it blends in well. This is now the jacket that is in my
pack for my trips. Highly recommended as it has a good feel to it, it’s
nice and tough and it leaves you feeling confident when wearing it.
Cleaning and proofing
Wash with mild detergent first, then Tech Wash then Tx Direct Wash in.
Then lightly warm iron through a damp cloth to re activate the DWR.
