Rab Women's Valiance Jacket Warm Waterproof Durable Winter Protection Jacket Down Filled

Product Information

The shell material and inner lining in the new series are both made of 100% recycled nylon, and the face fabric is also finished with a PFC-free water repellent treatment. This ensures added resistance to moisture without the need to resort to environmentally harmful chemical compounds. Our testers found that it offered excellent warmth for weight, thanks to its high-quality 700FP down fill. It works well as a standalone outer layer in cold, dry conditions, with a fit that will accommodate layers underneath. Having said that, it’s not so bulky that you couldn’t also wear it underneath a shell if required too. I only recently discovered that Rab, the upmarket outdoor clothing design house, are based just up the road from us in Alfreton, Derbyshire. We are based in Birmingham. For some reason I had always imagined Rab to be a Scottish company, owing to their founder Rab Carrington being a proud Scot. I felt a little deflated – Derbyshire just doesn’t seem as glamorous as ‘the Highlands of Scotland’ to my impressionable mind. Their gear is still rather good though!

RDS: This means Responsible Down Sourcing. It’s a certification that down has been procured through methods that prioritise the welfare of the animals and the environment.

Material Facts

The inner depths of the Valiance is where things get interesting. Rab have used a bonded narrow box-wall design for the Valiance, filled with 800 fill-power goose down insulation. These are just about the best down feathers that Rab supply (in terms of volume or ‘loft’), and they are from ethically reared geese. What was once the Arc’teryx Cerium LT is now the Cerium Hoody. There are a couple of updates, with new colour ways, different ingredient fabrics and perhaps most notably a new liner that’s derived from natural materials (castor bean oil). Similarly, the 700-fill power down is guaranteed to be 100% traceable and ethically produced. In fact, the Fjällräven Down Promise is recognised as one of the best in the outdoor industry.

A warm, waterproof shell designed to withstand the cold unpredictable months of the year. Rab says:There’s a clever baffle construction too including stitched-through baffles on the arms where more articulation and dynamic movement is required and box wall baffles on the body where maximum loft and warmth is wanted. It’s clever stuff and it works excellently. What’s more, the box wall baffles are all offset, further reducing the chance of any cold spots. The Valiance has been given synthetic filled cuffs and hood which may seem strange but there's a good reason behind it. When it rains the hood is the first thing to get wet and eventually the water might seep through to the down, preventing it from doing it's job, taking longer to dry and ultimately leaving you cold. Same with the cuffs, as your grabbing your rope, bags etc, your wet gloves might seep water into the down in the cuffs. But by replacing the fill in both the hood and cuffs with synthetic insulation, it will carry on keeping you warm, even when wet. This may seem like over kill to some, but we see why this might be a sought after feature in tough winter conditions. The cuffs are similarly excellent, using a hook and loop (i.e. Velcro) system to allow adjustment to a user-preference tightness. Main Insulation: 700FP Recycled Down with Nikwax Fluorocarbon-Free Hydrophobic Finish (205g/7.2oz Size M)