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Rab Kinetic Jacket Review

Hard to find this jacket for sale online.....looking for a men's medium....

The hood on the Pulse has a stiffened brim. It might be a bit smaller than the one on the Kinetic.

My Pulse has held up really well over the last 11 months. Very impressive fabric. Rab generally are really outdoing themselves lately.

Thanks for the clarification on the hood Dave. I (shame on me) was going solely off the Rab descriptions.

This has quickly become my go-to shell for everything from backpacking to around town to motorcycle rides.

Hood looks way better then the one I have on my Helium.

Edited by caseygreene on 09/05/2012 11:19:40 MDT.

I take it that the jacket has no pit zippers. Do you use the pockets to aid ventilation? If so, do the pockets dip below the zipper opening enough to retain small items?

Thanks for the review.

My 2011 Kinetic has deep mesh lined pockets than run below a waist belt on a backpack. They vent really well and will allow you to trap items below the waist belt while keeping the above the belt portion unzipped. No pit zips. I hate hoods but Rab has converted me. Their hoods are amazing and do not obscure vision at all. Rab has become my go to brand for everything. It's a great jacket. I got mine on sale for $72 from Campsaver last year. 40% off I believe.

Hi Dale,
I own a kinetic (the 2012 PS+ version reviewed here) and can answer your questions:

I take it that the jacket has no pit zippers. -> Correct, no pit zips.

Do you use the pockets to aid ventilation? -> Yes. This was part of my reasoning for going with the Kinetic over the Pulse.

If so, do the pockets dip below the zipper opening enough to retain small items? -> The pockets extend about 4.5 inches below the end of the zipper track, and you don't need to have them open all the way if your goal is to aid ventilation. As the pockets are fairly deep, I don't think you'd have much reason to worry about items falling out in most situations.


Overall, I'm quite pleased with the jacket. Breathability is pretty decent and the jacket is a very functional minimalist design. Weight is a mere 231g for my unmodified men's medium. I agreed with Chris' assessment of the feel of the fabric on skin - it's pretty comfy for a WPB, not plastic-baggy at all. The hood is great.

One caveat: I find the cut in the shoulders is a little narrow compared to the shells I've tried from other manufacturers. I'd recommend interested buyers consider sizing up depending on the intended layering strategy - I have a 39" chest, broad shouldered, and layering a rab infinity down jacket underneath is a no go for me (although I do have room for a lighter weight insulated jacket such as my stoic hadron or rab xenon).

Edited by Dianoda on 09/05/2012 14:54:08 MDT.

I agree with Joseph, calling the fit "medium" is misleading if it is the same as the Pulse. My Pulse is quite narrow in the shoulders but seriously wide in the waist. I had to size up to an XL for my shoulders and chest, but I have nothing but flapping fabric below them. It's the only thing I don't love about the Pulse.

Also--where are the details and serious testing in this review? It feels more like a Backpacker blurb than a BPL review.

a little unclear why this was reviewed...

This was more of a "show and tell" than a full fledged, trail tested review. That's ok.

I would like to know how that tissue like 2.5 layer Plus handles shoulder strap rubbing and hipbelt wear over extended periods of time. Also, what sort of "foul" conditions is the Kinetic designed to contend with?

That's fair--I am fine with spotlight reviews (isn't that what BPL calls them?). However, Chris has had the time to test this on the trail. I know that Dave did a mini-review of the Pulse, but he hikes in different conditions than Chris, had less space to give to testing and review (as he was doing several jackets at the time), and BPL billed this as a full-fledged review. Spotlight reviews are fine and good, but this seems like a missed opportunity on a (at least potentially) popular product.

What the issue really comes down to--at least for me--is that there are three paragraphs in the review. Much of the information appears to be a repetition of Rab's own press release on the jacket.

Frankly, that is not up to BPL's editorial standards.

im 6'0 180, 34 waist...you think a large would be too tight/restrictive? want to wear this in summer and winter. thanks.

The waist will likely be fine. How broad are your shoulders? That's the bigger question and where the fit is the tightest.

If you order from Campsaver, their fit guarantee makes getting the right size about as easy as it possibly can be over the internet.

Looks like a great jacket. I have however been unable to buy one. I had a Kinetic Jacket ordered (for about a monty) from 123outdoors and finally today recieved an e-mail that the earliest that they could get one to me was August!

Does anybody have any suggestions for jackets of this weight and quality that are actually available??

I've Already looked at the Golite tumalo 2.5 layer jackets, but the largest size they come in is large. I am an XL normally, but prefeer XXL so I can have a layer underneath...