Tested: Rab Alpha Flux Jacket

I was lucky enough to get to test the Rab Alpha Flux Jacket. I was given it in November, probably a bit late in the year to get the full benefit, especially in the frozen North of Aberdeenshire. Anyway the first time I used it was on a mountain bike run on a fairly cool day and I loved it. The first thing I noticed when putting it on was the length. It has a slightly longer cut than a lot of modern garments which gives that little extra insulation where you might need it while hill walking or biking, it was nice to ride without having the jacket rising up my back. It has a lovely soft face fabric that sheds water well and the whole garment dries in an instant if you get caught in a short but heavy downpour.

I was promised that the Alpha Flux would keep me warm but without overheating while exerting myself. I was intrigued to see if this was actually going to be the case, but in the end it did exactly as it said on the tin, while cycling up some pretty steep hills I was certainly warm , but not too warm and just as I thought I might start to get on the warm side of comfortable, a downhill or flat section would appear at the right time, and as I sped up, some of the cool air permeated the jacket and I found that on my 25 mile undulating mountain bike ride on a fairly chilly day I manged to maintain a very nice temperature.

The next time I used it was on a very cold, windy day walking along the North sea coast North of Aberdeen. The bitter wind was whipping off the North Sea and to be fair this is probably not the conditions that the jacket was designed for. Because I was not exerting my self quite as much as I was on the bike I did feel a tad chilly as the bitter wind could get through the fabric but as I say it is not designed for this type of weather, probably the Alpha Direct Jacket is more suited, however I put on a thin windproof top and immediately it was perfect, just enough insulation to keep me warm without overheating and I felt just right for the rest of the walk.

I have used the jacket again on a walk up my local hill, I had my old dog with me so was keeping a reasonably sedate pace, but it was a cold calm day and I still felt very comfortable, although I did put a windproof top on at the summit. I also used the hood on this walk as it got chillier, I found this to be a really nice fit and you hardly new that you had it on, a nice snug fit and moves well with you and doesn’t flap around at all.

All in all I find this to be a fantastic addition to my outdoor kit and will definitely be buying the Alpha Direct jacket to wear in the hills this Winter either for walking or ski touring, but in the mean time I am looking forward to getting more use from the Alpha Flux jacket all year round.