One good reason for light weight hiking, that I havent seen covered much, is air travel. Got to fit all your kit in the 8kg carry-on or you'll get hit with extra charges for luggage. And the low but very real risk of luggage getting lost by the airline/airport. Met one guy who had to buy a whole new kit for the hike.
I didn’t know the garden hose was an option, I vote garden hose. Also can you update on your thoughts on the alpha direct after using for a bit? I’ve been using alpha specifically for my sleeping system and it’s been fantastic
It does seem amazing, Robert! Personally I'm being freakish about not getting soak wet (except the shoes of course) so I use Mont bell vesalite 185gr but with full zipper, lazy me ;) and still when it's total outpour I put on a silnylon poncho Nature hike (210gr) this way my pack straps and hip belt stay dry as well, those tend to dry very slow if totally wet. so yeah I have 395gr of rain protection, but no rain so far penetrate it ever... and I'm a happy hiker :)
Seams like a bomb proof solution and if it works and make you feel safe then why not… we all make active choices like this, what to bring and what not so 👍🏻🙂 (don’t like ponchos myself though 😄, but see a lot of people using them)
Appreciate the review, would’ve never known about this jacket otherwise. It’s something I’ll examine, but I can’t help but wish they went with a full length zipper. The weight is great, it’s a proven fabric, it’s sized appropriate to American clothes (can’t always depend on that from Euro brands) and the cost isn’t terrible assuming you know what you’re getting. May end up buying this for my super-ultralight load out. Gonna be hard to get me off the montbell versalite bandwagon though.
This sounds great. Looking for very light gear for walking the Te Aroroa in NZ. I hesitate though: I looked it up online and the website (a good one) had a heads up mentioning not to use it with a heavy back pack because of the thinness of the fabric. You mention it but not as a dealbreaker, it seems. Often, even in thicker jackets in my experience, the straps remove the coating I think, making it leak. No issue for you?
I have it too & love it for the same reasons you stated which outweigh the drawbacks for me on many trips! If it's going to be consistently wet plus colder, I'll take my Columbia Outdry jacket, but the Rab Phantom is a great UL go-to pullover! Great job, thank you!
Hey, good review. 1) After almost a year, how much have you used it? 2) How does it stand up in terms of wear and tear - is durability an issue? 3) Rab has described as a running jacket. Is it going to be alright wearing a 55-60l backpack over it for through hikes? 4) Lastly, doesn't sweat and condensation build up if you are very physically active? Asking because condensation seems to be a problem with most rain jackets. But the jacket called Montbell Versalite at 180g has 48cm long pitzips and they should be very effective at dropping excess heat and moisture. So trying to figure out which to get. Thanks in advance.
OK I will answer my own questions. It is made for running. If I backpack with it, I will likely wear down the paper thin fabric quickly. but if I run with it, I will sweat so much that I will need to wash it after every use and that will wash off the DWR in no time so this jacket isn't really good for anything except keeping in one's pocket for the sudden drizzles on casual backpack-less walks around town.
Great review, thank you. So far the only review I found about one of these ultra light rain jackets, that included a real hike in heavy rain with a heavy backpack on. I am considering buying one of these, but the one concern I have is of course the durability, because I also want to use it (even though sparingly) with a quite heavy backpack on. Most times I use a water resistent softshell and an umbrella, but sometimes that's not enough. I don't expect this jacket to last for many years, but I was wondering if it can withstand a backpack at all. Your review gives me hope, that it can. Roughly how heavy was your backpack, if I may ask?
@@jbrue thanks and glad you liked the review! My backpack at the time had a base weight of about 5,5 kg, then 1 kg of water and about 4 kg of food so roughly about 10 kg start weight the first day. I bring about 700 grams of food each day. I still use this jacket and find it working perfectly, so nothing to complain about yet. I hope you will like this jacket as much as I do. Good luck. 🙂
Glad you liked it and we’ll see, not sure it will be a long form content review but a short or just an update on the Community tab might be a good option, so remind me in a year 😄🙏🏻
@@War_Daddy_31 thanks for the reminder, I will put it in my to do list and make a SHORT VIDEO update 👍🏻 but I love it, still working great and I’ve used it also for other than hiking. Nothing to complain about.
Once I decided to invest in good quality gear, this jacket was the fist item on my list. It's simply amazing, waterproof, breathable and you can literally carry it in your pocket anywhere and anytime. I went for the bikepacking version which has a full zipper and longer rear part. Haven't tested it in heavy rain myself yet. A freind of mine says it soaked only after full two hours around the backpack straps.
Was this footage from a hike near Helags? We were just out there this summer and it looks awfully familiar! Great video, really nice to see gear actually tested in the conditions you are interested in. This is an unrelated question, but you've mentioned in other videos preferring trail runners over boots. While I agree a lighter shoe is nicer for better weather, I've always preferred boots for muddy and very rainy conditions. Is there a trick I am missing? Surely having wet feet for several days is miserable?
Hi 👋🏻 and yes, you are right. The footage is from a hike in Jämtlandsfjällen and we passed Helags, a really beautiful hike… More footage in the hiking video “this is bad” because we hiked during the storm Hans 😄. Yep in totally recommend trailrunners for 3 season hiking if mostly sticking to the trails and if not having a too heavy backpack. Wet feet is something easy getting used too, not for everyone perhaps but as soon as you set camp you take of the wet and let the feet breath and dry up to next day. The trick is having shoes that drains, so you don’t get a pool of water and somewhat quick drying, they will not dry unless it stops to rain off course but if it turns sunny they dry pretty quick while walking and during the night. Also nice not having to take the shoes of doing water crossings, saves time and energy. Can only recommend trying it, maybe you love it, maybe you don’t 🙂 I think Altra and TOPO are worth checking out and… choose ones with a vibram sole and without Goretex. Good luck 👍🏻
Hej bra "review" som vanligt. Jackan verkar ha många fördelar, har dock lite svårt för halvlånga dragkedjor (som din flees också), krångligare att få på och av. Har en Haglöfs LIM som jag är nöjd med, väger dock lite mer, använder den också som vindjacka.
Tackar så mycket 🙏🏻 kul du gillade reviewn, och LIM är också ett bra alternativ, har en också lite äldre men funkar bra. Men som sagt, inte riktigt lika lätt så därav att jag bytte. Gällande dragkedja ja, det är lite krångligare men fördel gällande läckage och vikt.
Köpte den i våras efter tips av dig 🙏😊 Var i Jämtland runt 1 vecka innan er, hade tur att det inte var så mycket regn då, men du har testat vad den pallar för 😊 Jag har varit nöjd med jackan!
Should include that there are tons of PFAS included in this jacket. Would never recommend such toxic chemicals, neither for the environment nor a person. The Rab kinetic 2.0 rain jacket is better in every way. Except the weight, but still light. And no PFAS
I put this comment before watching this video to say, if this thing is being advertised as "lightest", then its most likely stupidly expensive. If not, I'll come back to amend this reply.
@roberthammenrudh Considering an ultra-sil nano poncho is only $100 then yes $150+ for a raincoat, is stupidly expensive. Especially when you don't account for the rain pants and the backpack cover which all 3, exceed the weight of that poncho. The large poncho only weighs 143 grams. Furthermore the poncho can also be used as another blanket if needed I think you can see where I'm going with this.
Ah, thanks! 🙏🏻 missed that one so, clearly I’m wrong here! Oops… I hope being able to try it sometime and compare it… a bit less H2O though in comparison.
@@roberthammenrudh well they are not really being produced anymore, so i would guess only available second hand - in general i find it hard to notice a big difference both on breatability and water resistance in most of these very light jackets, pressure from a UL pack shouldnt be enough to challenge the water column rating, and breathability.... well in prolonged rain all jackets tend to loose almost all of their rated breathability anyways due to retained surface water on the outside
I really don’t like bucket hats and really don’t see any advantages over the more practical alternatives. To me, you might as well wear a flower pot. Each to their own.
@ I’ll take a wide brimmed hat, like a Tilley, anyday. Having grown up in Africa and having lived in a desert country for over 12 years I have never seen anyone wear such a hat. Everyone goes for wide brim hat or else adopt Arab style headgear.
Рік тому
@@chrishamilton2527 Sorry lost in translation. I agree 💯
@ no one in there right mind would wear such a hat in the desert. NO ONE. What are the meaningful benefits of such a hat? Zero; except for being distinctive / making a statement.
Certainly an interesting product, but I doubt would perform as a GORE-TEX PRO shell, like the Arc'teryx Beta. If you are looking to stay dry, I think there are better, but heavier, options.
There is always some pros and cons when it comes to rain gear like weight, breathability, durability and features and one have to choose the one that fits your needs and sure, some are more waterproof and more durable but then lacks in breathability and comes in at maybe 3 to 4 times the weight. Guess the Arcteryx is a great jacket but for me the weigh difference ain’t worth it.
OK, ya kinda got me with your cheeky, "Nooooo!"
😄👍🏻
😊
One good reason for light weight hiking, that I havent seen covered much, is air travel.
Got to fit all your kit in the 8kg carry-on or you'll get hit with extra charges for luggage. And the low but very real risk of luggage getting lost by the airline/airport. Met one guy who had to buy a whole new kit for the hike.
I didn’t know the garden hose was an option, I vote garden hose. Also can you update on your thoughts on the alpha direct after using for a bit? I’ve been using alpha specifically for my sleeping system and it’s been fantastic
It does seem amazing, Robert! Personally I'm being freakish about not getting soak wet (except the shoes of course) so I use Mont bell vesalite 185gr but with full zipper, lazy me ;) and still when it's total outpour I put on a silnylon poncho Nature hike (210gr) this way my pack straps and hip belt stay dry as well, those tend to dry very slow if totally wet. so yeah I have 395gr of rain protection, but no rain so far penetrate it ever... and I'm a happy hiker :)
Seams like a bomb proof solution and if it works and make you feel safe then why not… we all make active choices like this, what to bring and what not so 👍🏻🙂 (don’t like ponchos myself though 😄, but see a lot of people using them)
Appreciate the review, would’ve never known about this jacket otherwise.
It’s something I’ll examine, but I can’t help but wish they went with a full length zipper.
The weight is great, it’s a proven fabric, it’s sized appropriate to American clothes (can’t always depend on that from Euro brands) and the cost isn’t terrible assuming you know what you’re getting.
May end up buying this for my super-ultralight load out. Gonna be hard to get me off the montbell versalite bandwagon though.
Thanks 🙏🏻 and yeah, the Versalite is proven and a very good jacket no doubt. Only reason to change would be the weight.
This sounds great. Looking for very light gear for walking the Te Aroroa in NZ. I hesitate though: I looked it up online and the website (a good one) had a heads up mentioning not to use it with a heavy back pack because of the thinness of the fabric. You mention it but not as a dealbreaker, it seems. Often, even in thicker jackets in my experience, the straps remove the coating I think, making it leak. No issue for you?
@@hackman8909 no issue for me so far and like you say, no matter the thickness of the fabric the coating will eventually rub off 🤷🏼♂️
I have it too & love it for the same reasons you stated which outweigh the drawbacks for me on many trips! If it's going to be consistently wet plus colder, I'll take my Columbia Outdry jacket, but the Rab Phantom is a great UL go-to pullover! Great job, thank you!
🙂👍🏻
Really enjoyed the video and nice easy content . First time I have seen your channel and now subscribed.
@@peterdodsworth2272 hi 👋🏻 thanks ☺️ and very much welcome to the channel. 🙏🏻
Hey, good review.
1) After almost a year, how much have you used it?
2) How does it stand up in terms of wear and tear - is durability an issue?
3) Rab has described as a running jacket. Is it going to be alright wearing a 55-60l backpack over it for through hikes?
4) Lastly, doesn't sweat and condensation build up if you are very physically active? Asking because condensation seems to be a problem with most rain jackets. But the jacket called Montbell Versalite at 180g has 48cm long pitzips and they should be very effective at dropping excess heat and moisture. So trying to figure out which to get. Thanks in advance.
OK I will answer my own questions. It is made for running. If I backpack with it, I will likely wear down the paper thin fabric quickly. but if I run with it, I will sweat so much that I will need to wash it after every use and that will wash off the DWR in no time so this jacket isn't really good for anything except keeping in one's pocket for the sudden drizzles on casual backpack-less walks around town.
Great review, thank you. So far the only review I found about one of these ultra light rain jackets, that included a real hike in heavy rain with a heavy backpack on. I am considering buying one of these, but the one concern I have is of course the durability, because I also want to use it (even though sparingly) with a quite heavy backpack on. Most times I use a water resistent softshell and an umbrella, but sometimes that's not enough. I don't expect this jacket to last for many years, but I was wondering if it can withstand a backpack at all. Your review gives me hope, that it can. Roughly how heavy was your backpack, if I may ask?
@@jbrue thanks and glad you liked the review! My backpack at the time had a base weight of about 5,5 kg, then 1 kg of water and about 4 kg of food so roughly about 10 kg start weight the first day. I bring about 700 grams of food each day.
I still use this jacket and find it working perfectly, so nothing to complain about yet. I hope you will like this jacket as much as I do. Good luck. 🙂
I've had this on my wish list for a while, great to see the initial review. Would be great to get a 6 or 12mth update too for longevity.
Glad you liked it and we’ll see, not sure it will be a long form content review but a short or just an update on the Community tab might be a good option, so remind me in a year 😄🙏🏻
@@roberthammenrudh its a year next month, hopefully it held up, looking for a good rain system
@@War_Daddy_31 thanks for the reminder, I will put it in my to do list and make a SHORT VIDEO update 👍🏻 but I love it, still working great and I’ve used it also for other than hiking. Nothing to complain about.
@@roberthammenrudh awesome, looking forward to it! I enjoy your videos!
Do you think durability might be an issue with such thin fabric? How long before it wets out or soaks through?
Yeah that’s one of my worries and exactly what happened to my Halo Smock. Only time can tell.
Great presentation
@@greenbimoon Thanks 🙏🏻🙂
Once I decided to invest in good quality gear, this jacket was the fist item on my list. It's simply amazing, waterproof, breathable and you can literally carry it in your pocket anywhere and anytime. I went for the bikepacking version which has a full zipper and longer rear part. Haven't tested it in heavy rain myself yet. A freind of mine says it soaked only after full two hours around the backpack straps.
Can only agree… it’s a great jacket 👍🏻🙂
Great video Robert! 👍
Thanks 😊🙏🏻
For reference, Houdini ~105g
Was this footage from a hike near Helags? We were just out there this summer and it looks awfully familiar! Great video, really nice to see gear actually tested in the conditions you are interested in. This is an unrelated question, but you've mentioned in other videos preferring trail runners over boots. While I agree a lighter shoe is nicer for better weather, I've always preferred boots for muddy and very rainy conditions. Is there a trick I am missing? Surely having wet feet for several days is miserable?
Hi 👋🏻 and yes, you are right. The footage is from a hike in Jämtlandsfjällen and we passed Helags, a really beautiful hike… More footage in the hiking video “this is bad” because we hiked during the storm Hans 😄.
Yep in totally recommend trailrunners for 3 season hiking if mostly sticking to the trails and if not having a too heavy backpack.
Wet feet is something easy getting used too, not for everyone perhaps but as soon as you set camp you take of the wet and let the feet breath and dry up to next day.
The trick is having shoes that drains, so you don’t get a pool of water and somewhat quick drying, they will not dry unless it stops to rain off course but if it turns sunny they dry pretty quick while walking and during the night.
Also nice not having to take the shoes of doing water crossings, saves time and energy. Can only recommend trying it, maybe you love it, maybe you don’t 🙂 I think Altra and TOPO are worth checking out and… choose ones with a vibram sole and without Goretex. Good luck 👍🏻
Vilka regnbyxor använde du till Phantom-jackan? Rab Phantom där också eller något lite kraftigare?
Hade sedan tidigare ett par Berghouse Overtrousers så använde dem, numer kallade Paclite Pants. Inte UL kanske men väldigt bra byxor.
Hej bra "review" som vanligt. Jackan verkar ha många fördelar, har dock lite svårt för halvlånga dragkedjor (som din flees också), krångligare att få på och av. Har en Haglöfs LIM som jag är nöjd med, väger dock lite mer, använder den också som vindjacka.
Tackar så mycket 🙏🏻 kul du gillade reviewn, och LIM är också ett bra alternativ, har en också lite äldre men funkar bra. Men som sagt, inte riktigt lika lätt så därav att jag bytte.
Gällande dragkedja ja, det är lite krångligare men fördel gällande läckage och vikt.
Köpte den i våras efter tips av dig 🙏😊
Var i Jämtland runt 1 vecka innan er, hade tur att det inte var så mycket regn då, men du har testat vad den pallar för 😊 Jag har varit nöjd med jackan!
How do you wash that jacket? Can I spray Nickwax like Gore-Tex after washing?
Not sure, mine is still quite new and performs well so no need for this yet so, haven’t looked into it. I can only recommend asking RAB directly.
Thank you for your reply. I watch your videos often@@roberthammenrudh
Looking for a rain jacket for trail running. Do you think this would work or a better option is available.
Hi 👋🏻 and yea absolutely! It’s actually made for it just as the OMM Halo smock. Both is a great choice for trail running. 🙂
Ok but where is your signature hat ? ;)
😄 so true… wanted to try something different this time!! 😄🤷🏼♂️ glad you missed it!
I love my phantom. It's light enough to leave in your bag and forget about it. I also have the pants
Should include that there are tons of PFAS included in this jacket. Would never recommend such toxic chemicals, neither for the environment nor a person.
The Rab kinetic 2.0 rain jacket is better in every way. Except the weight, but still light. And no PFAS
Helpful video, Solid jacket, they need a new more incongnito logo design
Thanks 🙏🏻🙂
I put this comment before watching this video to say, if this thing is being advertised as "lightest", then its most likely stupidly expensive.
If not, I'll come back to amend this reply.
It’s not for free, but far from stupid expensive I believe. 🤷🏼♂️
@roberthammenrudh
Considering an ultra-sil nano poncho is only $100 then yes
$150+ for a raincoat, is stupidly expensive.
Especially when you don't account for the rain pants and the backpack cover which all 3, exceed the weight of that poncho. The large poncho only weighs 143 grams.
Furthermore the poncho can also be used as another blanket if needed
I think you can see where I'm going with this.
there are lighter jackets ;) Berghaus vapourlight hyper (full zip) is 72g in my small - and the smock version is 75g in size large :)
Ah, thanks! 🙏🏻 missed that one so, clearly I’m wrong here! Oops… I hope being able to try it sometime and compare it… a bit less H2O though in comparison.
@@roberthammenrudh well they are not really being produced anymore, so i would guess only available second hand - in general i find it hard to notice a big difference both on breatability and water resistance in most of these very light jackets, pressure from a UL pack shouldnt be enough to challenge the water column rating, and breathability.... well in prolonged rain all jackets tend to loose almost all of their rated breathability anyways due to retained surface water on the outside
Looks like it will be leaking before long since it is "breathable" and has stretchy fabric.
@@grizzkid795 well no, not my experience 🤷🏼♂️🙂 so far so good.
I really don’t like bucket hats and really don’t see any advantages over the more practical alternatives. To me, you might as well wear a flower pot.
Each to their own.
Worth their salt in the desert
@ I’ll take a wide brimmed hat, like a Tilley, anyday. Having grown up in Africa and having lived in a desert country for over 12 years I have never seen anyone wear such a hat. Everyone goes for wide brim hat or else adopt Arab style headgear.
@@chrishamilton2527 Sorry lost in translation. I agree 💯
@ no one in there right mind would wear such a hat in the desert. NO ONE.
What are the meaningful benefits of such a hat? Zero; except for being distinctive / making a statement.
@@chrishamilton2527 Hey man, I already owned it
Certainly an interesting product, but I doubt would perform as a GORE-TEX PRO shell, like the Arc'teryx Beta. If you are looking to stay dry, I think there are better, but heavier, options.
There is always some pros and cons when it comes to rain gear like weight, breathability, durability and features and one have to choose the one that fits your needs and sure, some are more waterproof and more durable but then lacks in breathability and comes in at maybe 3 to 4 times the weight.
Guess the Arcteryx is a great jacket but for me the weigh difference ain’t worth it.