REASONS TO BUY
More waterproof
Excellent wind protection
Snap to allow unzipping during wear
Superb hood
Good hand pockets
REASONS TO AVOID
Doesn't pack into its own pocket
No reflective logos
Rab Vital Hoody - Women's Review
A blend of minimalist design and technical features, this jacket offers solid protection from the elements at a reasonable price
The Rab Vital hood stays in place, no matter your pace.
Credit: Kat Thompson
By Kat Thompson ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ August 20, 2025
Contributions From: Maggie Nichols
RELATED: Best Windbreaker for Women of 2025
Our Verdict
The Rab Vital is a standout in wind protection with special features you'll find yourself reaching for repeatedly. This jacket ranks among the best for wind and water resistance, with impressive breathability. Unique details like the structured brim with a close-fitting hood, as well as the chest snap that allows for maximum airflow while keeping the jacket in place, are features you won't want to do without. Successive upgrades have improved this jacket's ability to handle extreme weather and active pursuits. While this jacket is not designed to stuff into its own pocket, we found it easy enough due to the lightweight material and roomy pockets. An impressive blend of performance at an affordable price, this jacket is one of our all-time favorites.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Rab Vital is a full-zip, hooded windbreaker made of Atmos woven nylon treated with fluorocarbon-free DWR coating. It weighs 4.1 ounces while featuring a pair of zippered hand pockets, two inner open-top pockets, and a snap closure on the top of the main zipper for ventilation.
There's much we love about the fit and functionality of the lightweight, low cost Rab Vital Hoody. With features like half-elastic cuffs, a full-length storm flap, and a drawcord hem, the Vital stands out with impressive wind resistance.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Wind Resistance
The Vital is adorned with a lot of features that make it one of the most wind-resistant jackets we tested. Half elastic cuffs help keep your hands and wrists protected without stifling them in warmer weather. With a full-length internal storm flap behind the zipper, a single-sided drawcord on the hem, and a fitted elastic hood with a stiffened brim and rear Velcro adjustment, this jacket stands tough against the wind.
It is snug-fitting around the cuffs and hood, with an easily adjustable hem to keep the wind from chilling you on those extra breezy days. The Vital also has a longer torso than many other hip-length jackets we tested, which means you can wear it long and loose, or cinched up out of the way. This makes it one of our favorite options for biking or breezy yard work, and even for wearing over thicker underlayers. We are solidly impressed with the wind resistance of this little jacket.
The hood on the Rab Vital Hoody is fantastic at staying in place, thanks to its close-fitting scuba-style design, soft elastic edging, and wire-stiffened brim, which together ensure a secure fit and reliable coverage even in gusty winds or active use.
Credit: Kat Thompson
Breathability
The updated Rab Vital is made of Atmos woven nylon, which helps it retain reasonable breathability while still standing up to those stiff fall breezes. To offer additional ventilation for high-output activities, the Vital also has a short snap strap near the top of your chest. This lets you unzip it as far as you want — even all the way — without letting it fall back off your shoulders. Wearing this jacket on a chilly morning run during testing did result in a small amount of condensation inside the jacket. However, the snap closure and open zipper let that sweat quickly evaporate while on the move.
The newest version of the Vital features cuffs with a soft fabric elastic portion on the undersides. This makes them more comfortable to push up our arms than previous versions of this jacket. The cuffs are still much narrower than many other contenders, though, making it still a little too easy to start restricting circulation when pushed up too tightly. In general, though, the latest version of the Vital Hoody has more breathable fabric and good, useful features that make it a solid choice for high-output activities in cooler weather.
The snap across the top of the Vital lets you unzip it as far as you want and head straight into the wind without worrying it will fall off your shoulders.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Packability
While previous versions of the Vital packed into their own pocket or came with a small drawstring bag, this newest iteration has neither. The new Vital has shaved off two tenths of an ounce in weight by eliminating both the zippered internal pocket and the chest pocket it used to pack into. While this brings it down to just 4.1 ounces — below average for this lineup of products — we're not convinced the minimal weight loss is worth losing two pockets and not being able to securely pack it into itself.
Even without a designated stowable pocket for the jacket, this option is quite lightweight and packable. It's easy enough to stuff into one of the roomy hand pockets — just be sure not to close the one-way zipper too far or you might not be able to get your jacket back out!
Despite lacking a dedicated stow pocket, the lightweight Rab Vital Hoody packs easily into one of its roomy hand pockets—just avoid zipping it fully shut to keep retrieval hassle-free.
Credit: Kat Thompson
Versatility
The Vital features a longer than average torso, which provides coverage for activities requiring a fuller range of motion. The active snap under the neck also allows you to unzip the jacket for additional breathability, while the elastic hood helps keep the wind out when you need it. A single adjustability point cinches the back of the jacket without disfiguring the front hem. Two hand pockets are conveniently located slightly higher on the jacket, making it compatible with most hip belts and harnesses, and adding extra organization and hand-warming capacity. For everyday use, we appreciate the existence of hand pockets, where so many others cut them out to lower the weight of the jacket. They're also large enough to fit a smartphone — another big plus for heading to the store or walking the dog.
With updated versions, the Vital Hoody has a slimmer fit and comes in darker colors that are harder to see through, making it easier to justify wearing this jacket for casual use. We appreciate the utility of adding a brim to the elastic hood, though it might not be the most fashion-forward design. While previous versions of this jacket had reflective logos on the front and back, this latest version has just a single logo on the front that is not reflective. Bummer.
The Rab Vital has soft elastic around the cuffs, making them comfortable to push up as needed
Credit: Kat Thompson
Water Resistance
While windbreakers are meant to protect you from the wind, a little water protection is always a bonus. We are impressed with how long the Vital withstands wet weather. Treated with (more) environmentally friendly fluorocarbon-free DWR coating, this jacket protects the wearer from water for longer than almost any other jacket we tested.
Beyond our regular lab testing and standard wear-in-the-rain procedure, we also put the Vital through the wringer on a bumpy, windy Caribbean boat ride through choppy waves and intense sea spray. While it didn't keep us dry, it did stop our tester's hair from getting wet, and her back was still mostly dry as well. In contrast, many other windbreakers we tested couldn't even keep us dry in an intermittent light sprinkle in a dry climate!
The Vital is one of the most water resistant models we tested - for a windbreaker.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Should You Buy the Rab Vital?
When it comes to what you pay vs. what you get, the Vital proves itself a high-value contender. Despite costing less than most of its competition, this jacket offers both technical functionality and comfortable versatility. It's a great choice for most uses we can think of, even before considering its low cost.
What Other Windbreakers Should You Consider?
The Vital is a lightweight, packable windbreaker that is exceptionally wind-resistant and surprisingly water-resistant. It comes with a bunch of technical features that make it convenient without sacrificing too much in the name of low weight. While it's less breathable than some, we don't think it's unduly stifling, and we were happy to wear it for colder running days, breezy dog walks, and chilly mountain biking mornings. If you want something more breathable without having to unzip, and don't mind paying a little more for it, check out the Patagonia Houdini.
A few jackets elevate hood protection, like the Rab Vital, which pairs a scuba-style fit and soft elastic with a wire-stiffened brim for eye coverage, delivering impressive wind resistance despite its sheer fabric.
Credit: Kat Thompson
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Rab Vital Hoody - Women's versus top competing products:
—Kat Thompson and Maggie Nichols
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