Rab Latok Gore-Tex Paclite Plus Jacket Review 2023

Ultralight and super compressible. This new addition to the versatile Latok range means there’s no excuse to pack a hard shell.

PROS

• Super lightweight
• Compresses into small spaces
• Minimalist in style

CONS

• Not very robust

In our recent Introduction to Winter Mountaineering, we featured the excellent Rab Latok Mountain Gore-Tex Pro Jacket. This has proved an invaluable hardshell throughout the winter, but with more spring-like conditions on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about lighter packs and more benign conditions.

Enter the new Rab Latok Gore-Tex Paclite Plus Jacket. Sitting firmly in the three-season hardshell category and with a minimalist cut and features it’s sure to become a firm favourite in spring and summer adventures. Think baselayer, softshell, insulating gilet and then a hardshell for when the showers zoom in or the wind gets up. A pretty perfect laying system for a spring day with a reasonable forecast.

The jacket is made using Gore-Tex Paclite Plus 2.5L material, this offers more durability than standard Paclite and is more suited to Mountaineering and climbing as it has an abrasion-resistant coating on the inner surface. It also has good stretchability, offering excellent movement freedom for climbing moves. In practice it is super light, weighing at 257g (CHECK ON SCALES) and easy to wear. The breathability is good for Gore-Tex and on most days it was able to cope when I was wearing a fleece. It was a very effective windproof layer and I didn’t hesitate to deploy it on summits and ridges. You will need to note that the minimalist design doesn’t mean it skimps the features, the jacket comes complete with pit zips for improved ventilation options. The jacket relies on the Gore-Tex to disperse sweat and I found that with a little experimentation, I found that a mid-layer fleece worked best. A softshell had me overheating in no time. 

Perfect as an extra layer on cool, breezy days. I found it worked best with a midlayer fleece. Thorn Crag summit LDNP, Gimmer Crag can be seen on the right and Harrison Stickle in the distance.

In terms of waterproofing ability the Latok Paclite Plus worked well. The DWR beaded rain well and even in driving rain the jacket performed great. Any damp feelings were more to do with cooling sweat, in colder conditions I did find some condensation forming on the inside, but there are very few hardshell jackets out there that work perfectly. Indeed, in all my years reviewing hardshell jackets, I have never been ‘dry’ when hiking in rainy or snowy conditions. The jacket works perfectly well for the activities I have been using it for. It stays in my pack and is deployed when I see the weather begin to change. When it clears up it comes off and back into the pack. So definitely late Spring through to early Autumn, saving a full mountain hardshell for winter.

There is only one pocket on the Latok Paclite Plus, a large chest pocket. Plenty big enough to stash gloves, a small map, compass, phone or any other small items that you need to hand or temporarily stash for belaying. It’s not big enough to show a full 1:25000 OS  laminated map, but it is plenty big enough for the sort of map you might carry on a light and fast type of day. A BMC Mountain Map or a Harvey’s XT40 for instance. It will hold a smaller style climbing guide but these days I carry a photocopy or phone image of a route. It’s finished with a glove-friendly zip tag. So, a good idea and fits in with the minimalist style. I don’t feel I need two hand pockets as I’m only e petting to be using the jacket in an ‘emergency’ type situation.

The large chest pocket was plenty big enough to stash gloves, food and or a folded map/route description.

You would expect Rab to design a quality hood and the hood on the Latok Paclite Plus doesn’t disappoint. Easily adjusted using the cord toggles and a wired hood means it can be fitted quickly over a hat or cap and it stays in position. It is fully helmet compatible so will fit over most modern climbing helmets and offers unrestricted head movement, especially upwards. The hood works equally as well as the Latok Mountain Jacket I’ve been using through the winter.

The fully adjustable hood works well with caps, beanies, climbing and cycling helmets.

Finally, the jacket is finished with a fully YKK Aquaguard zip on the body, pocket and pit zips. Cuff adjustment with hook and loop fastening, the sleeves are extended to fit over gloves and dual-sided hem adjustment for a precise closure against the cold. There is also an embroidered Rab logo and reflective flashing, although I would have liked this larger and more prominently placed.

So, the Rab Latok Gore-Tex Paclite Plus Jacket is a great addition to the Latok family of waterproofs. It’s super light,  o pressed to fit into a tiny pack space. The minimal design does not skimp on useful features and you’ll find it a very handy three-season shell to add to your adventure kit list.

The Rab Latok Gore-Tex Paclite Plus comes in two colour options and sizes S – XXL.

The SRP is £250 and it can be bought directly from Rab UK and specialist retailers.