Rab Shadow Hoodie Review 2012/12/20
Finding an item of outdoor clothing that simply works is so hard. I
find it almost impossible to get the right balance and find a layer
that suits me perfectly. This review will be on the Rab Shadow
Hoodie. Let's check it out.
Introduction
I took the Rab Shadow Hoodie with me as my ‘do everything’ mid
layer and was so impressed. Its official term is a ‘hard fleece’. This
is a layer that offers some wind and water resistance (but not at the
levels of a true softshell) with a small amount of warmth.
The Rab Shadow Hoodie makes for a great
wind and water resistant layer. Its a perfect all rounder. Most of my
trips will use this top at some point or another. I was in the Black
Mountains for three days of wild camping, hiking and photography. I
needed a garment to look after me in this very harsh landscape where the
weather is constantly changing. The Rab Shadow Hoodie fitted this
problem perfectly.
Design
The face fabric on the Rab Shadow Hoodie is a tight weave which in
conjunction with its DWR helps to shed light rain and moisture. Really
helpful when faced with that annoying drizzle or mist we face on the UK
hills so often. That same face fabric also helps with keeping the brunt
of the wind off. Super important as it eliminates the need for a
heavy fleece or having to put on a hard shell to cut the wind instead.
When on an exposed hill top the wind will take your warmth quickly.
However having something like the Shadow Hoodie in your layering
system will really help you out. Consequently as you need less overall
layers it will lighten your overall load out. The hood is perfect. It
fits underneath my hard shell hood neatly as it does not have a peak of
its own nor extra material that gets in the way either. It’s just a
perfect close fitting hood that helps keep your head warm and makes
wearing a hard shell hood more comfortable. I guess you could say it
acts as a base layer for your head!
Use
Pockets that sit high on the chest so don’t get in the way when wearing
a harness or rucksack. They are great for keeping hands warm too. The
inner fabric of the pockets are vented so if you are running hot, simply
open the pockets to dump some heat. Thumb loops on the sleeves bridge
the gap between wearing gloves and bare hands. If working equipment such
as a DSLR or bushcraft knife this feature is a real bonus. Warmth is
kept to a pleasant level for both moving through terrain and in static
environments. Rab have got the balance right in providing just enough
warmth to allow me to avoid sticking on an insulation layer as well as
preventing me taking off the Hoodie when working hard due to
overheating. Overall the workmanship and construction of the garment is
spot on and I can see myself incorporating the Rab Shadow Hoodie in my
layering system for many trips to come. I was using this Hoodie in
freezing, damp, windy and rainy weather in the Black Mountains and it
stood up to all of these very different environmental conditions really
well. Highly Recommended
