Rab Strata Jacket - Insulated (For Men)

I bought this jacket after reviewing it extensively. I try to justify my purchase as not having too much overlap in my gear. Well, with this lovely thing, it is hard to overlap with another piece of kit. I own jackets from Columbia, Mountain Hardware, and Marmot, but this is probably my favorite. The Pertex Microlight is super soft, yet rugged and repels water well, along with being very wind resistant. The Polartec Alpha insulation is as amazing as it claims. It insulates well, and when moving keeps you warm without building up a sweat. It is also SUPER breathable. I can work up a sweat and it dries very quickly. I am pretty warm blooded and it is good down to 30F with a tee shirt. Anything more and you will need a shell or some light insulation underneath. It layers well with both of my shells. The pockets are amazing, I fit a 20oz Camelbak in the chest pocket with ease. As with most Rab's, it has more of an athletic cut with longer arms and a longer torso. I am 6'0, 240 pounds and the xlarge fit well. Buy one, you won't regret it!

I was looking for something a bit warmer. This was an excellent spring/fall jacket for 30s (under a shell) and higher (alone). Excellent fit. and materials. Size L fit 6' 220lbs long waist very well.

This is an exceptional insulating layer. Warm, breathable, with a great cut. I'm very impressed with the combination of Pertex and Polartec Alpha in this jacket... I haven't had it long enough to test it in really technical applications, but I've been in a wide range of temps (5-50 degree F) in it while active, and it has regulated my temperature very well. I'm about 220lbs, 6ft, 46 chest and an XL is a very comfortable fit. One of the most impressive aspects of this jacket for me is when transitioning from cold temps outside to warmer temps inside while around town... The jackets breathes and adjusts very quickly. I haven't yet felt the need to quickly unzip or anything. You just wear it and are comfortable. I couldn't offer higher praise. Plus, the green is a great color.

I've had this for a couple of weeks and been using it in cool to bitter cold weather. As a standalone jacket it is surprisingly warm, but what stands out is how breathable it is. I tend to sweat a lot but I can wear this jacket comfortably (even when it is a bit warmer) and not feel uncomfortable. As a mid layer for bitter cold temps, it works amazingly well. When the wind chill dips below -5f, you might want something a bit more...depends how active you are...Overall, I'm really impressed. Fit is great too (sleeves a little long, but nothing terrible). I'm 5'8, ~190lbs, 43chest, and large fits well.

This has become my go-to jacket as a mid-layer for ice climbing and as a casual jacket around town. I love the color (I got the green one), the trim/athletic fit and the fantastic warmth to weight ratio. I also like that you can purchase it without a hood as I don't need a hood in my mid-layer since I already have one in my shell and belay jacket.

As a mid-layer, I can use it with a heavy weight base layer and a gore-tex shell down to about 10 degrees (F) while ice climbing. Around town I can use it down to about 40 degrees. It's very breathable and will shed light rain. It's ok by itself in winds up to 10 mph. Anything more and you'll feel the wind coming through.

My only nit is that the breast pocket is pretty large and my cell phone gets lost in it. The breast pocket does double as a stuff sack (it packs into it's own pocket).