Ah, a pull-on rain jacket for the ultralight community, that were my thoughts when I saw the Rab Demand Pull-On back in the day. A whooping 76 g lighter than my Rab Momentum jacket, made from the same 3 Layer eVent material, reduced to what is really necessary, yeah, I'd like to try that out indeed.
The important part: 252 g in Size S. It is Black. I like it.
The cut is spot on for me, a bit longer in the back to cover me buttocks, a front zipper which can be opened far to allow ventilation, a good hood and one front pocket, which is big enough for me to fit in my puukko, a map, compass and a chocolate bar. Rab says that the pocket ain't waterproof, which is sort of true: Keeping your phone in there is not recommended as it can get a bit moist; that moistness is however coming from the inside when the eVent membrane transports your sweat out. Keep gadgets in a waterproof bag and it is fine.
Hood off.
Hood on.
Speaking of hoods, I don't know why Rab didn't put the Momentum visor on the Demand. The Demand is like the reduced Momentum, sure, but why would you make the visor smaller? If you put a visor on a hood, make it big so that it has a full function and not just half of it. There's companies out there who make far worse hoods and visors, and this one is still good, but heck, why make it smaller?
The eVent membrane still kicks ass. I wore the Demand Pull-On every day in Russia and had no problems with sweat building up on the inside, while keeping the rain out. Also on subsequent outings - night orienteering in the snow, walking in the wind and rain - it kept me dry, warm and ventilated.
Wide open. Taped seams.
So it is a pullover, saving weight by not having a full zipper. If you follow me for a while already then you know that I like pullovers, and the Demand is no exception. The long front zipper facilitates getting in and out and allows for additional ventilation if needed. It is easy going as well, which is nice - no fiddling around in the cold or rain with it.
Longer in the back, short in the front, much like that 80s haircut.
With the pullover being longer in the back you wear it over your pants, so that water run-off doesn't get in them. Cover your buttocks to sit down where it is wet, though it isn't that long that you could loung in comfort, but for a short quick sit-down on a edge or tree it works fine. To round things out, elastic hand cuffs and a hem with a good drawcord keep the heat in, wind and wetness out.
Elastic cuffs. Standard, I'd say.
Any other shortcomings, you ask? Well, as all oil-based garments, keep away from fire. Sparks burn through eVent like a hot knife goes through butter, so be careful when sitting around the fire or feeding your Bushbuddy. Room for improvements? Just make the visor the same size than on the Momentum and I am happy.
What about the competition? Yeah, the Montane Spektr is lighter and also from eVent. But will it be available in black? It also has a new kind of front closure mechanism, but from what I have heard from my trusty sources, the functionality isn't quite there yet, but until I have seen and tried it myself judgement on it is out. Then there is the
Haglöfs LIM OZO Pullover, which I also own, and it is even lighter.
Haglöfs is also ISO 14.001 certified and is active in sustainability matters, although
Rab is slowly & surely upping its sustainability game. I'll review it during next week, so stay tuned for intel on it.
To sum it up, a very nice Pullover, made of the highly breathable eVent material, with good features at an excellent price. It is the lightest full-feature 3 Layer eVent Smock currently on the market, and I can highly recommend it. If you want to lighten your load and are looking for a functional rain jacket, ähem, pullover, the Rab Demand Pull-On is what you might want to buy yourself for the holidays.
Buy it at these shops:
Rab Demand Pull-On at the Outdoor Warehouse
Rab Demand Pull-On at Bergfreunde.de
Rab Demand Pull-On
at Backcountry.com
Ah, a pull-on rain jacket for the ultralight community, that were my thoughts when I saw the Rab Demand Pull-On back in the day. A whooping 76 g lighter than my Rab Momentum jacket, made from the same 3 Layer eVent material, reduced to what is really necessary, yeah, I'd like to try that out indeed.
The important part: 252 g in Size S. It is Black. I like it.
The cut is spot on for me, a bit longer in the back to cover me buttocks, a front zipper which can be opened far to allow ventilation, a good hood and one front pocket, which is big enough for me to fit in my puukko, a map, compass and a chocolate bar. Rab says that the pocket ain't waterproof, which is sort of true: Keeping your phone in there is not recommended as it can get a bit moist; that moistness is however coming from the inside when the eVent membrane transports your sweat out. Keep gadgets in a waterproof bag and it is fine.
Hood off.
Hood on.
Speaking of hoods, I don't know why Rab didn't put the Momentum visor on the Demand. The Demand is like the reduced Momentum, sure, but why would you make the visor smaller? If you put a visor on a hood, make it big so that it has a full function and not just half of it. There's companies out there who make far worse hoods and visors, and this one is still good, but heck, why make it smaller?
The eVent membrane still kicks ass. I wore the Demand Pull-On every day in Russia and had no problems with sweat building up on the inside, while keeping the rain out. Also on subsequent outings - night orienteering in the snow, walking in the wind and rain - it kept me dry, warm and ventilated.
Wide open. Taped seams.
So it is a pullover, saving weight by not having a full zipper. If you follow me for a while already then you know that I like pullovers, and the Demand is no exception. The long front zipper facilitates getting in and out and allows for additional ventilation if needed. It is easy going as well, which is nice - no fiddling around in the cold or rain with it.
Longer in the back, short in the front, much like that 80s haircut.
With the pullover being longer in the back you wear it over your pants, so that water run-off doesn't get in them. Cover your buttocks to sit down where it is wet, though it isn't that long that you could loung in comfort, but for a short quick sit-down on a edge or tree it works fine. To round things out, elastic hand cuffs and a hem with a good drawcord keep the heat in, wind and wetness out.
Elastic cuffs. Standard, I'd say.
Any other shortcomings, you ask? Well, as all oil-based garments, keep away from fire. Sparks burn through eVent like a hot knife goes through butter, so be careful when sitting around the fire or feeding your Bushbuddy. Room for improvements? Just make the visor the same size than on the Momentum and I am happy.
What about the competition? Yeah, the Montane Spektr is lighter and also from eVent. But will it be available in black? It also has a new kind of front closure mechanism, but from what I have heard from my trusty sources, the functionality isn't quite there yet, but until I have seen and tried it myself judgement on it is out. Then there is the
Haglöfs LIM OZO Pullover, which I also own, and it is even lighter.
Haglöfs is also ISO 14.001 certified and is active in sustainability matters, although
Rab is slowly & surely upping its sustainability game. I'll review it during next week, so stay tuned for intel on it.
To sum it up, a very nice Pullover, made of the highly breathable eVent material, with good features at an excellent price. It is the lightest full-feature 3 Layer eVent Smock currently on the market, and I can highly recommend it. If you want to lighten your load and are looking for a functional rain jacket, ähem, pullover, the Rab Demand Pull-On is what you might want to buy yourself for the holidays.
Buy it at these shops:
Rab Demand Pull-On at the Outdoor Warehouse
Rab Demand Pull-On at Bergfreunde.de
Rab Demand Pull-Onat Backcountry.com
Rab Demand Pull-On Review
It's an awesome looking jacket and just what the UL world has been waiting for. I'm not sure the Montane Spktr will be it's main competition but the new OMM Cypher smock will. 240g and eVent with a tasty looking hood. Let battle commence!
ReplyDeleteI have been using one of these for a few months now and it has been excellent for those wet summer days. Very breathable and comfy to wear in all day downpours. So light that you do not know that you are carrying it when in the pack.
ReplyDeleteAnd it come in black!
I have tried the RAB pull-on and I really like it. Not so sure about it's abilities to deal with heavier packs!? (I mean UL-heavy, but if you go for a week or more with food it still adds up) Is that a silkbody pilot top You are wearing? what do you think about that?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I wore a 17 kg pack with the Demand, no problems. The material is tough stuff. It is indeed a Silkbody Pilot Top, and thought on it shall be shared in the future (its really nice ;)!
ReplyDeleteJoe, thanks for bringing that one up, haven't seen it yet. It looks nice, I reckon Peter would take the yellow one, while I would go for the black Cypher!
James, glad your findings match mine! I didn't pay attention, though, and got a burn hole in mine... Black ftw!
Looks very nice - a bit like my Marmot Super Mica (240g) but in super-duper eVent.
ReplyDeleteI liked the look of the OMM Cypher, which comes in both smock and jacket. I don't need a new jacket but that does not mean I cannot dream...
ReplyDeleteNice review. What is the insulating layer over the silk top?
ReplyDeleteThanks harttj. The insulation is the Finisterre Bise Mk II (link goes to Mk III, except the inside pocket practically the same). Review forthcoming as well soon-ish.
ReplyDeleteMark, do I hear sarcasm there ;) ?!
Maz, most of us don't need more jackets. Dreaming is good.
This time of the Year my Paramo top is king. But come the warmer days of spring I could happily get one of those in black of course. Very light and very nice.
ReplyDeleteMartin, I might need to check out those Paramo garments. Any favourite? Before you get the Rab, wait for the OZO Review next Wednesday ;)
ReplyDeleteOther possible contenders: A bit heavier (314g) but with a full zip - Westcomb Specter LT http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=2285 Good feeling material. Tougher than your might expect for the weight.
ReplyDeleteMarmot Nano Paclite, but at 227 g even lighter. Quite like mine, although the hood is a tad tight over a lid. http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=1971
3Rd Element as it is usable as a vest and the sleeves zip of function gives you a pit zip function. Saying that the top reviewed here with the RAB Alpine soft shell top would not most likely weight any more than the Paramo top and have a lot of options.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Cypher in black: a pitty the pocket zip is orange. Same goes for the eVent logo.
ReplyDeleteA great jacket. I have several Rab products, down, smock and eVent jackets, and use them all year round in the mountains in Norway. The only thing is to find the balance between down and eVent in the winter-season. The damp is often frozen inside the event when the down gets too warm. Such is the reality when you move from the fjords to the upper mountains. You just have to have several jackets....:-)
ReplyDeleteHi Hendrik, where did you buy your Silkbody? Annoyingly whenever one googles for anything US shops always turn out at the top and there is no definition of "any sites from europe" to restrict the search to.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a review of the Silkbody Pilot coming up?
Tor, I got it directly from New Zealand - there seem to be some online vendors in Germany, that might be your best bet. Review coming up now in December/ January =)
ReplyDeleteAndas event verkligen bättre än goretex? Är det någon märkbar skillnad?
ReplyDeleteI find Paclite as breathable as eVent and find no notable difference between the two.
ReplyDeleteI find Paclite as breathable as eVent and find no notable difference between the two.
ReplyDeleteTor, I got it directly from New Zealand - there seem to be some online vendors in Germany, that might be your best bet. Review coming up now in December/ January =)
ReplyDeleteHi Hendrik, where did you buy your Silkbody? Annoyingly whenever one googles for anything US shops always turn out at the top and there is no definition of "any sites from europe" to restrict the search to.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a review of the Silkbody Pilot coming up?