I have only a few select pieces from a small selection of different brands (Rab among them) that I trust to make good kit that lasts. I’ve been trying out the Rab Kangri for the last few months, as I’ve been without a lightweight waterproof for quite some time, often having to settle for my heavier winter waterproof and getting way too hot.  

When it comes to outdoor jackets in general it can get a little tedious when looking at women’s options for various reasons, from the sizing to the often more limited options - but brands are getting better. I’m bottom-heavy curvy size 12-14 and so often I find jackets sit on my hips a little too tight and  not being quite long enough. With the Kangri I’m pleasantly surprised, and find the size 12 does fit snug on my hips, but not annoyingly tight. 

It’s a light jacket (with the size 10 coming in at 332g) but it feels robust which is important to me as I’m often scrambling, climbing and, I have to admit, snagging my stuff on rock quite often. So far, the structure has held and it doesn’t feel like I’m going to put a hole in it anytime soon.

This summer it’s been pretty difficult to find rain on my days out testing this, which has been lovely but also a bit of a challenge to test the waterproof-ness. Luckily I have been caught in some small showers and some heavy winds during some shoots. I’ve been kept snug, warm, and dry, and so I should have been as the Kangri is rated maximum for how waterproof and windproof it is. I think even on days where the threat of rain was non-existent, I’d pack the Kangri into my bag to throw on just to keep the wind off. 

It’s a small(ish) niggle but I found the sleeves a tiny bit too long (I’m 5’5 with an ape index of +1cm so it’s not that I have particularly short arms) which actually I didn’t consciously notice until my partner kept asking me why I was rolling up the sleeves. Perhaps I didn’t notice because I’d been borrowing my partner’s spare lightweight waterproof jacket all these years and had to roll up the sleeves on those so it had become a habit. One plus on the sleeves, though, is the velcro cuff straps, which would have been great if I wasn’t continually rolling them up. 

Interestingly they come pretty long on the model photos on the Rab website, which would make sense on a heavyweight jacket but on this lightweight option seems like a strange choice. Long(ish) armed people - this is the jacket for you!

Though the Kangri is primarily designed for hillwalking and trekking it was nice to be able to use it in climbing and biking, with the stiff, adjustable hood able to fit a helmet. It’s great that the main zip also unzips from the bottom, even if the two large side pockets aren’t necessarily harness compatible. As an outdoor filmmaker and photographer these huge pockets are brilliant, and are often home to extra lens caps, cloths, and whatever else I quickly need to stuff into them when running about with my camera. 

And now on to my favourite part - the pit zips! Despite the rating of medium breathability, I found the Kangri great for breathability. As somebody whose temperature skyrockets as soon as I get on an incline, the huge underarm vents on the Kangri are not just a perk, but necessary for me in a jacket, as I am constantly needing to adjust my ventilation as the gradient changes. 

At £270.00 RRP on Rab’s website the Kangri definitely is an expensive jacket but, for me, a waterproof is probably one of the most important pieces of kit I have and so I will tend to save up for them and keep them for years until they literally fall apart. I can’t quite be honest and tell you that this lasts years and years, because I haven’t had it for more than a few months, but so far it’s in pretty pristine condition despite being thrown down some mountain bike trails up some mountain crags. 

And on the note of buying kit and spending money - I tend to be a bit of an ebay kit buyer. So I always have internal questions and dilemmas when buying or receiving brand new kit. That element of sustainability is important to me so it is good to see that transparency from Rab in the label when it comes to the percentage of recycled materials in the jacket. So, although buying brand new is never going to be as sustainable as second-hand, brands working to use more and more recycled materials is a step in the right direction. 

Overall, I really rate this jacket for hillwalking, biking, and shoot days, and won’t be getting anything to replace it anytime soon.