Rab Electron Pro Review

The warm, feature-filled Rab Electron Pro provides an excellent option for cold weather belaying, wintertime skiing, and spending time around town during the chilliest of months. The jacket is a bit heavy for light and fast alpine missions or for just throwing on during the summer months but for chilly times in the mountains when you need all the warmth that you can get, the Electron Pro is perfect.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Rab did an excellent job creating the toasty Electron Pro and this was one of the warmest jackets that we tested. The 800-fill European goose down produces warmth that's easily retained in the jacket. Rab uses zoned midi and micro baffle stitch-through construction to eliminate cold spots and increase core warmth. In high movement areas, Rab put narrower baffles to help preserve the down and keep you warmer. Across the front of the jacket, Rab used larger baffles to trap the heat better. The long jacket falls well onto the hips and kept our belayers comfortable during cold belays.

This jacket certainly kept our testers warm during chilly temps but it felt heavy and too hot for fast and light alpine missions. For winter excursions when our testers needed to battle cold temps, the Electron Pro was the best choice.

Weight

With a size medium weighing in at 17.3 ounces, this jacket was the second heaviest in our test group. Part of the weight comes from the amount of down used. The high quality of the down kept the jacket feeling lightweight though and made it an excellent belay coat. Being so heavy, the jacket is a better option as a standalone piece than as a layering option or for taking out while ski touring. Our testers didn't mind stuffing it in their packs for shorter approaches as the jacket provides a lot of warmth for the weight.

For hiking and backpacking, the Electron Pro wasn't our favorite option as it is fairly heavy and a bit bulky. The jacket fails to clip onto the harness very well and didn't compress the smallest for putting in a pack. For trips to Ouray ice climbing, this jacket shines as it's one of the warmest options out there.

Water Resistance

The Electron Pro does well in terms of water resistance. The European goose down has a Nikwax hydrophobic finish and the windproof and water-resistant Pertex® Quantum Pro ripstop nylon outer has a durable water-repellent (DWR) finish. These attributes translate to the jacket being able to handle light bits of precipitation and even stints of heavier weather.

As with all down jackets, the Electron Pro gets a little soaked during heavy amounts of rain. The down can retain too much water during serious afternoon thunderstorms so if there's a forecast for more than sprinkles then it's best to bring a hard shell jacket.

Comfort

This jacket felt comfortable and cozy to our testers. The long-waisted hem and high pockets felt a bit hard to adjust to initially but the slightly tapered cut and athletic fit made up for the first bits of awkwardness. Our testers were able to move well in the jacket and liked how the jacket extended on the arms for overhead movement. The hood turned when our testers needed to crane their necks upward while belaying.

Our testers liked wearing the jacket as it easily fits a light layer underneath. The slightly tapered waist made it feel less bulky than normal down jackets. However, the weight of the jacket made wearing it under other layers, even a hardshell jacket a bit cumbersome.

Compressibility

While the 800 fill-down works well to compress the jacket fairly small, the Electron didn't shrink down as well as many of the other jackets that we tested. It felt a bit too bulky for backpacking missions where every bit of space matters.

The jacket comes with a separate stuff sack, which was nice as sometimes bulkier jackets, like the Electron, can be hard to stuff into their own pockets. It also acts as a solid-sized pillow while backpacking. This piece is made more for cold weather where stuffing down extremely small is less of a necessity.

Features

The Electron Pro comes with a solid series of features. The jacket's two hand warmer pockets have long zippers located high on the jacket. This makes them more accessible while wearing a harness but feel awkward initially. The long waist fits well under a harness and the dual zippers mean it's easy to unzip the bottom of the jacket to make room for a belay device. The ample-sized YKK zippers are easy to use with large gloves.

The helmet-compatible hood has drawcord adjustment on the fleece-lined chin guard as well as a Velcro adjustment on the back. The Velcro helped move the hood slightly but wasn't the best. A stiff brim in the hood helped keep precipitation out of our testers' faces and was a welcome addition.

The stretch panels put into the baffles of the cuff help the jacket stay on the wrists and allowed for a more comfortable feel on the forearms.

The single internal zip chest pocket was a nice touch but our testers would have preferred having two drop pockets.

Should You Buy the Rab Electron Pro?

The high-quality Electron Pro is built for cold weather mountain adventures with its basic, useful features that are great for any skier or a backpacker who wants some warmth without minding the additional weight.

What Other Down Jackets Should You Consider?