Rab Downpour - Women's Review

This is our favorite rain jacket design when it comes to comfort and performance on a budget. We love the malleable fabric and a generous fit that's easy to layer, and enough water resistance to keep us dry during afternoon showers. The pit vents are effective while the hood is helmet-friendly, making this a great choice for ladies who still like to get rowdy despite suboptimal conditions.

Water Resistance

The Downpour kept us dry during intermittent afternoon showers in moderate and shorter storms we experienced during testing. In order to put more stress on the layer, we stood underneath water pressure in the shower to simulate harsh conditions. The jacket kept us dry for 30 minutes of consistent pressure before absorbing water and beginning to soak through. Rab gives this design a 20,000mm hydrostatic head rating along with a 4 of out 5 score for water resistance, meaning this design is good to go for sustained conditions and high pressure drops you might experience during a fast and furious alpine thunderstorm, and our we feel our showerhead test backed this up.

The zippers aren't waterproof, but there are storm flaps to cover the main zipper and hand pockets, which we found pretty effective. Our gloves stayed dry tucked away in the hand pockets during hikes in colder weather conditions. We love the coverage of the hood that also features a brim to keep precip at bay; it even fits over a bike or climbing helmet for water resistance when the weather doesn't care about your outdoor plans. Although there are more water resistant jackets in our lineup, we love the Downpour's performance features that are available for a fair price tag.

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Breathability

We're not exactly sure what makes the Downpour jacket so breathable, however, it's one of the first things we noticed after slipping it on and heading out for our objective uphill testing. Sure, it has reasonably-sized pit vents, but it vents well even with the main zipper and pit vents closed. We speculate the generous sizing has something to do with it, making it easier for airflow to better circulate within the interior, however, we only noticed this when our layering was minimal underneath.

The 2.5-layer Pertex fabric also wicks sweat better than most, easily offloading any excess to the wind once the ventilation is opened up. There's a saying in the Eastern Sierra that the “wind is your constant companion,” and if this is the case, it's easy to adjust both the cuffs and the hemline to trap body warmth during colder outings or high and uncomfortable wind speeds. When testing the Downpour in hot, humid weather in Yosemite Valley, we were happier to open up all the vents and let the jacket wick sweat that was building as we hiked up and down steep trail systems. If you're looking for an affordable design that's breathable enough to perform during high-output activities, the Downpour offers performance that exceeded our initial expectations.

Comfort and Mobility

We love that the Downpour is a more budget-friendly option that foregoes the typical stiff, rigid, and loud fabric often associated with more affordable technical outer shells. Instead, the Downpour is comfortable to wear thanks to a softer, more malleable fabric that feels great against your skin. We found the fit to run true to size, including enough space to layer a light puffy jacket underneath as well as plenty of length in the sleeves to maintain coverage while riding a bike and holding onto the handlebars. The hood is helmet-compatible, too.

The fully articulated sleeves made a big difference in overall comfort, and we also love the malleable material. Because it doesn't have a mesh lining, it can get a little sticky against the skin in hot and humid conditions. However, the interface at the chin was never bothersome, even when moving at a good pace. If you're like us and want to move your body outside despite a sub-optimal forecast, the Downpour is one of our favorite comfortable jackets for active women on a budget.

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Weight

Weighing 12 ounces for a size small, the Downpour isn't the lightest option in our review, but it's certainly not heavy, and most people won't mind an extra ounce or two. In fact, we don't mind carrying less than a pound of extra weight in order to stay dry and comfortable despite a rainy forecast.

When the skies cleared, we were happy to tuck the Downpour into its own pocket for easy storage. Our lead tester, an avid rock climber, loved this feature for attaching the jacket to her climbing harness for multi-pitch climbs when the weather looked iffy. The relatively lightweight design combines with packable features that make this jacket one of our favorite affordable options.

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Construction Quality

Unlike some other options in this price range, the Downpour maintains a high-quality appearance along with details that emulate those of top performers. The design foregoes mesh lining for effective pit vents and Velcro hand cuffs to help offset or contain body heat, while the fabric is soft and flexible, both comfortable and easy to move in. The recycled outer shell is fully seam-sealed, the zippers are durable, and the toggles are minimal but effective.

While the main front zipper can get caught in the storm flap, especially if you're rushing to stay dry at the onslaught of bad weather conditions, this didn't happen every time we went to close the main zipper. We love that the jacket is constructed from recycled materials that also include a PFA-free DWR finish.

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Should You Buy the Rab Downpour?

The Downpour is our go-to design when we're after technical performance and comfort for an affordable price. It offers good water resistance, useful features like pit zips and a helmet-compatible hood, and a generous fit that's easy to layer, making it a great choice for activities outside like backpacking or biking in poor weather. If you're looking for a comfortable raincoat and don't want to break the bank, this is a great option to pull out of your pack during afternoon thunderstorms while you're out on the trail.

What Other Rain Jackets Should You Consider?

If you're sticking to a budget, the REI Co-op Rainier and the Marmot PreCip Eco are less expensive but don't provide the same level of performance. The Black Diamond Fineline Stretch is our favorite jacket for those who are counting every ounce of their gear during alpine missions; it features a similar level of water resistance but weighs almost 4 ounces less. For super serious backcountry pursuits where staying dry is of the utmost importance, we like to wear more premium designs like the Arc'teryx Beta SL.