Rab Neutrino Pro Review

The Rab Neutrino Pro is the warmest jacket in our review lineup. While there are even heavier-duty models on the market, this is a toasty down jacket that can still be worn while hiking, belaying, or chopping wood, making this our “heat retention” recommendation.

Warmth

This is the jacket you want if you live and/or recreate in very cold climates. Our testing team has worn the Neutrino Pro in many places, from the Alaska Range to the Himalayas, and we've found this to be an undisputed favorite even for around-town hangs in the winter.

The Neutrino Pro offers high-quality, 800-fill-power down that dependably lofts, even when we crammed it in a stuff sack for better packability. However, what makes this jacket this warm is its fill weight. In plain speak, it has a lot more down than most of the competition. With Velcro-adjusted wrists and a drawstring hem, the Neutrino can easily be sealed to trap even more body heat, and the hood can be somewhat tightened for a closer head fit. While you can find parka-style jackets that offer more warmth, that style of jacket typically has a much more limited use range. Our testing team has a few members who go to high altitudes a lot, and they appreciate a heavyweight puffy coat like the Neutrino Pro that can be worn in a variety of cold weather environments.

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Comfort

If you've ever seen A Christmas Story, you might remember Ralphie's brother, Randy, trying to put his arms down after their parents dressed them up for the cold walk to school. Fortunately, the Neutrino is a much more comfortable way to stay warm, and received great scores across our review panel.

The Neutrino Pro finds a middle ground between insulating and functional that isn't common in this class of down jacket. Thanks to a well-designed down pattern and a relaxed fit, it moves and feels like a lighter class of jacket despite its more robust fill weight. The adjustability allows you to get the fit just right and dial in warmth, even with varying combinations of under-layers. We also appreciated the next-to-skin feel, which was most noticeable in the neck area since the Neutrino is most likely to fit as an overlayer.

Portability

A jacket this insanely warm is simply not going to be light or packable, and we weren't surprised with the lower scores of the Neutrino Pro in this metric. When considering how well this layer retains heat, we aren't turned off by its bulk, but it's worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a lower-profile jacket.

At 20.1 ounces for a men's medium, this is a hefty jacket, but it offers excellent “value per ounce” when considering how warm it is, even in less hospitable environments. What makes this jacket stand out in the niche of heavyweight down coats is that it is actually relatively lightweight compared to others with a high fill weight.

Still, the Neutrino Pro is undoubtedly much bulkier than most of the down jackets we tested. We strongly suggest getting a compression stuff sack if you really need to tighten up your pack size.

Weather Resistance

While we wouldn't recommend walking out in a rainstorm with the Neutrino, Rab made some great design considerations to make this a down jacket that can at least handle some inclement weather.

The shell is constructed with 20D Pertex Quantum Pro material, which is both durable and somewhat weather-resistant. In a light drizzle, we didn't notice the fabric getting soaked through for at least half an hour, and in dry snowstorms, this jacket lasted all day without soaking through. In the event moisture soaks through the shell, Rab uses a Pertex hydrophobic down treatment to help retain insulation. In our tests, we found the down stayed lofted even when the shell fabric was saturated, though we urge you to avoid ever getting this jacket (or any down jacket) that wet.

Breathability

Rab made a very impressive genre-bending jacket, but the Neutrino Pro's warmth makes it fall further back in the pack with breathability. As is the case with most down layers, in very cold temperatures, you're far more likely to be able to keep a jacket like the Neutrino on, but for day-to-day use in the winter, it's tough to keep this garment on if you're working up a sweat. However, the two-way zipper allows you to unzip a bit at the bottom to shed heat.

The baffle pattern's sizeable squares packed generously with down simply make the Neutrino a less breathable down jacket. In our experience, a jacket of this weight class shouldn't be purchased for breathability anyway, as the whole point of a coat like this is its warmth above all else.

Should You Buy the Rab Neutrino Pro?

This is the jacket for you if you need a puffy on the heavier side for really cold climates. Most of the jackets we tested fall into the light to medium weight range, making this a relatively less versatile jacket. If you want something that offers only some warmth but can be worn for a wider array of seasons, the Neutrino Pro isn't the right garment for you.

What Other Down Jackets Should You Consider?