Rab Vital Hoody - Women's Review

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.

Performance Comparison

Wind Resistance

The Vital is adorned with a lot of features that make it on 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.

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.

Weight and Packability

While previous versions of the Vital packed into their own pocket, this newest iteration instead comes with a small drawstring bag it fits inside. A reflective loop lets you easily clip it to your harness or the outside of your backpack. 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 having to stuff it into a separate sack (instead of its own pocket).

But if you're going to have a separate bag to stuff your jacket into, this one is pretty great. It's small and compact but has a wide opening that makes it easy to cram the whole jacket inside and cinch closed the top. Both the carabiner loop and the logo on the bottom of the bag are reflective, helping you to more easily find it when things cool down at night.

Versatility

The Vital features a longer than average torso, which provides coverage for activities requiring a more full 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.

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 environmentally (more) 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!

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 for 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.