Overview

The Rab Nimbus is a mid-weight all-purpose synthetic insulated jacket that scored near the bottom of the pack in our ratings. It uses a new type of blown-in synthetic insulation (Cirrus by 3M) that makes it look and feel like a 600-fill down jacket. Unfortunately, the fit of our men’s medium was too restricting under the arms for us to thoroughly field test the jacket. Three people, who fit all 15 other men's medium jackets well, found it too tight to wear comfortably.

Though we don't have enough empirical evidence from field testing, we’re hesitant to recommend this jacket solely because of its insulation. We hypothesize the insulation's short fiber length will be very fragile compared to continuous filament synthetic insulations.Blown-in insulations are primarily intended for fashionable purposes.  We highly doubt this insulation will be durable over the long-term. That makes the jacket a poor value.

We have two complaints about the Nimbus’ design:

1. Compared to other lightweight jackets, we found the hood fit poorly, both with and without a helmet;
2. The Nimbus and Rab Xenon X share the same 20-denier fabric. It adds about 2 oz. (57 g) compared to lighter fabrics. We've found that most synthetic insulation wears out before the fabric when used for frequent-compression activities like backpacking and climbing. Tough fabrics like the Nimbus' are best for around town or for working outside.

Compared To

A comprehensive Synthetic Insulated Jacket State of the Market Report will be released on March 25, 2018. When that report is published, we’ll update this review with a comparison summary of this product with other notable products in the review.

Commentary

This jacket is an embarrassment to the Rab brand.

Related Content

This review is part of a comprehensive State of the Market survey of synthetic insulated jackets that has been ongoing for the past two years. Included in this survey:

• Arc'teryx Kappa Hoody Review
• Patagonia Nano Air Hoody Review
• Outdoor Research Uberlayer Review
• Rab Xenon X Review
• Montbell Thermawrap Guide Review
• Rab Nimbus Review
• Patagonia Nano Air Light Review
• LLBean Primaloft Packaway Review
• Arc'teryx Proton LT Review
• Black Diamond Heat Treat Hoody Review
• Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody Review
• Arc'teryx Nuclei FL Jacket Review
• Nunatak Skaha Apex Review
• Montane Spitfire Parka Review
• Arc'teryx Nuclei AR Parka Review
• Patagonia DAS Parka Review (TBA March 25)
• Synthetic Insulated Jackets State of the Market Report (TBA March 25)

Disclosure

The manufacturer provided a sample of this product to the author with no agreement, requirement, or obligation for media coverage of any kind.