Rab’s Mythic Alpine Light sounds like an ultralight, high-spec down jacket, partly due to the use of the Mythic term which is used in Rab’s ultralight sleeping bags.
And you wouldn’t be wrong in that assumption, as the Mythic Alpine Light is one of Rab’s highest performing insulated jackets. This jacket is designed for real use in the mountains and hills, for the most demanding gear junkies. It mixes highly compressible 900FP down, which is the best of the best when it comes to down insulation, with Primaloft Gold synthetic insulation. This offers the best of both worlds, with lofty down in the core of the jacket, and highly durable and breathable synthetic insulation on the sides, cuffs, shoulders, and base of the hood.
The result is an insulated jacket that offers class-leading warmth for weight, vital for ultralight hiking, wild camping, and other such adventures. An all-in weight of 252g rivals Arc’terx’s excellent Cerium LT jacket, and we think it’s just about as warm. And how warm is that? Well, this is the ideal insulated jacket for layering, or taking the chill off a spring morning. Don’t rely on it as your only warmth in the depths of winter though, as you’re likely to be disappointed. The Pertex Quantum face material of the Mythic Alpine Light successfully fends off the wind while allowing your body to breathe during intense activity, and we think it feels incredibly soft and silky to the touch too.
We were impressed by the features of the Mythic Alpine Light Jacket given its ultralight status. It maintains its practicality with two zipped hand pockets, a hem adjuster, and a stuff sack. This stuff sack measures 20 x 10cm with the Mythic Alpine Light jacket inside, so it's easy to see why this is the ideal jacket for multi-day backpacking trips where the jacket might be in your bag as much as it’s on your body.
The hood offers good coverage over the head and despite not being adjustable, moves with it allowing you to maintain peripheral vision when looking around. With the main zip fully closed and the hem adjuster drawn in, the Mythic Alpine Light jacket offers a pleasant microclimate on a cold day, with heat building up slowly and then being maintained reasonably well.
Ultralight usually comes with compromises, and the Mythic Alpine Light doesn’t escape the ultralight treatment unscathed, with a slightly shorter arm length than Rab’s other insulated jackets. This isn’t a deal breaker, and you will only notice if you have particularly long arms, but when you reach up you can definitely feel the cuffs riding up the wrists.
Otherwise, hem length and space inside the Mythic Alpine Light is perfectly generous, allowing for layering and freedom of movement while maintaining an athletic silhouette.
Overall, this is a cracking jacket built for demanding mountain users. It manages to pair practicality and performance with a class-leading weight and pack size. All this comes in at a lower price than the equivalent offerings from the likes of Arc’teryx and Mountain Hardwear, so we think it’s one of the best high-performing, ultralight insulated jackets for mountain adventures.
