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Described by Rab as ‘suitable for the most extreme mountain ascents’ it’s no surprise that the Latok Extreme GORE-TEX® Pro Jacket is a tough and fully featured hard shell but is it too much for the the British hills?
When Rab offered to send the the Latok Extreme GORE-TEX® Pro Jacket alongside the Latok Trousers for review over the winter I was extremely pleased but also had a few misgivings regarding the jacket. The jacket appeared to be a bit too much on the ‘fully featured’ side of what I would normally consider ideal, which we all know add weight and complexity – never a good thing for the fatigue addled mind of a winter climber or alpinist! I’ll deal with the jacket first and then the trousers but if you are the kind of reader who wants to skip to the end the short story is they are both brilliant, though you may want to step down a model with the jacket if all those features don’t seem essential (the Latok Alpine Jacket would fit the bill) and you may wish to size up with the trousers depending on what you choose to wear underneath.
Latok Extreme GORE-TEX® Pro Jacket (£480)
Being the range topping mountaineering hardshell from Rab this jacket has a lot to live up to. Constructed from 80D Recycled GORE-TEX Pro Most Breathable 3-Layer fabric the face fabric is 100% recycled. This fabric feels suitably burly but not stiff and is rated to an impressive 28000mm hydrostatic head. Given that the nominally accepted hydrostatic head for a ‘waterproof’ jacket for hill use is 10000mm and most would argue that 20000mm is more realistic it is safe to say that the fabric used here is more than up to the job. Breathability is the antagonistic feature to waterproofness that we all want in our shell jackets. Rab use the RET scale (Resistance to Evaporating Heat Transfer) to rate their clothing. The RET scale runs from 0 – 30 in bands 0-6, 6-13 etc. The lower the rating the more comfortable and breathable the fabric. The Latok Extreme GORE-TEX® Pro Jacket get a rating of <6 putting it in the most breathable/comfortable category possible. As you would expect Rab have used absolute top end materials which are also have an eco friendly element. This is only half the battle though – in order to get a great jacket you need to nail the design so that the qualities of the fabric can actually work, tailoring for mobility, fasteners that are water resistant and easy to operate etc. It is in this respect that the Latok Extreme really shines. Although as I have already mentioned the plethora of pockets and features is not really to my own personal taste I was pleasantly surprised by how un fussy the jacket actually was in use. All of the various elements are well thought out and the tailoring of the jacket is excellent, just the right amount of room for mid layers without excessive material to get in the way so you still feel ‘trim’ climbing and no restriction of movement or lifting of the hem.
The hood has three elasticated draw cords which adjust volume (located roughly at at the occipital bone), seal around the face (located at the jaw area) and snug around the collar (located at the nape of the neck). Th collar draw cord also cleverly draws in slack from the face seal so you don’t get flapping cords slapping you in the face in a hoolie. This all adds up to a brilliantly functional hood whether worn over a helmet or a beanie. The face draw cord also snugs a small placket against the lip of your helmet giving a better fit and helping the hood move with you as you turn your head. I had no issues with vision being obstructed and it protected me completely from lashing wind, sleet and snow.
The sleeves are cut with a sensible amount of articulation and seal with the generous tried and true velcro tabs. The cuffs lined on the inside and the cut is offset being longer on the outside to offer more protection. The sleeves also incorporate double ended ‘pit zips’ for ventilation, a feature that i have never been a fan of but I know many who swear by them. A brief word about the zippers in general on the Latok Extreme. You’ll notice two types of zip puller; a full on cord loop stiffened to accept a cold thumb or finger on the central zip and the two Napoleon pockets and a smaller cord pull on all other pockets as well as the pit zips. The bigger puller is used for those zips which are most likely to be needed ‘in action’ during a climb and work really well no matter how wet and cold your gloves get. Although an argument could be made for their universal use on the jacket it would probably be a bit much. If you like pockets the Latok Extreme has you covered! A total of six pockets, five of them zippered. Two fairly slim Napoleon pockets, the left one incorporating a tab for compass/GPS/phone, two hand warmer pockets that will (only just) take a folded OS map, a zippered inside security pocket and finally an inside mesh ‘stash’ pocket that can accommodate your lead gloves whilst belaying or maybe your belay mitts/gloves if not too bulky but I reckon the opening could do with being a little larger. So no matter what your activity you can fit pretty much all your on the go requirements form skins to Skittles in the pockets somewhere! The sheer number of pockets will add a little weight and the extra layers of fabric across the chest may reduce breathability a bit but if you are the type of user who needs the storage then the Latok Extreme has you covered and if you’re not then the Latok Alpine may be a better choice either way Rab have you (quite literally) covered.
If I’m honest I was prepared to be a little irritated by the ‘fully featured’ aspect of the Latok Extreme expecting the features and imagined bulk to get in the way. The reality was that I didn’t notice the excess of pockets – in fact when I was out hiking in the Cairngorms I actually came to appreciate them as I could stash more on the go food etc. Likewise climbing they didn’t interfere but then I only tended to use the Napoleon pockets. One thing I did find with the pockets on the chest is that as they are layered over each other if you do use them all then their individual capacity is a little reduced as items tend to bulge into the pocket above or below. As I’ve already mentioned the tailoring/cut of the jacket made it great to climb in, no excess billowing material to obscure the view of your feet but enough room for layers and complete freedom of movement. In terms of weather proofing the Latok Extreme is top flight, you will not find a more capable Goretex jacket and although I’ve only been using it for six months now its durability is fantastic. I’ve scrapped it across granite and stuffed it unceremoniously into a sac full of a winter climbing rack (with the odd stray ‘Bulldog’) and it it shows no damage – just a bit of grime.
Latok GORE-TEX® Pro pants (£340)
Over trousers are not a typically ‘sexy’ item of kit. For many of us they are a last resort when heading out climbing – although in Scotland they perhaps make a far more frequent appearance than we’d like! It’s probably best not to think of the Latok GORE-TEX Pro pants as ‘over trousers’ per se as they are designed to be worn much more as your ‘pants’ or trousers for a day’s climbing rather than being stashed in the sac and deployed when things start to get too damp. You can certainly use them in an over trousers role but that’s not their forte and Rab have better options in terms of weight and compactness if that’s what you are after. In fact Rab state:
“Robust, durable, and designed to wear all day…Move freely with enhanced articulation, pull-on easily over layers or bulky footwear”
I used to be firmly in the ‘last resort’ over trousers brigade, often leaving it far too late to put them on and using just the most basic version. My last GORE-TEX over trousers were a pair of ‘sample’ Lowe Alpine jobs from around 2003! However the experience in recent years of climbing in often more ‘damp’ conditions and improvements in fabric technology and design has prompted a change of heart. Or maybe I’m just getting old!
The Latok GORE-TEX Pro pants are again constructed from GORE-TEX Pro (as the name suggests) with the same excellent levels of breathability and waterproofness as the jacket using an identical 154gsm 80D recycled face fabric. You get two zipped hand pockets, a zipped fly, a tricot lined waistband with belt loops and brace attachments (no braces though), twin side velcro waist adjusters and 7/8 double ended side zips. The hem features a studded adjustment for different boots, eyelets to attache an under boot cord and there are toughened crampon ‘kick’ patches which extend almost to the knee.
As I’ve already mentioned these are much more a wear all day pant than a stash in your sac affair. The tailoring is akin to that of a high end soft shell; no extraneous fabric, relatively close fitting but loose enough given the non-stretchy nature of the GORE-TEX Pro. Articulated knees and thoughtful tailoring in general help with mobility but I would urge you to consider how you will use them and the layers they will need to go over. I opted for a small (my usual size 30″ waist) and they are a great fit over a base layer or something like Rab’s own Powerstretch tights. However I did pop them on over a heavier pair of soft shell trousers and things were a little restricted – if I was intending to use them over a winter weight soft shell pant (or base layer + soft-shell) I’d size up. The use of 7/8 side zips also means that these are very clearly aimed at climbers and mountaineers, skimo fans or anyone wanting a pant to don whilst still clipped in will need to look elsewhere. It is easy enough to pull these on when wearing crampons but I’d advise sitting down to do so, any unfortunate slip or stumble might prove expensive! The dual ended side zips also make it easy to regulate your temperature by zipping from the waist down and giving your partner a little peek-a-boo at your base layer (a sexy black Brynje mesh number always adds a little zest to a Scottish winter day out) and help cool your thighs on those steep approaches. Talking of ventilation it’s often nice to use braces as you don’t have to cinch the waist up and can achieve a bit of a ‘chimney’ effect. The Latok GORE-TEX Pro pants have brace attachment points but you have to buy the braces separately at £30 from Rab. I can understand these being an optional extra as not everyone is a braces fan but it does bump the price up even more on what is already a premium piece of kit. The hand warmer pockets are a bit of a mystery to me personally, I never store anything in them. Rab are not alone in this but I can never see the point on over trousers, I’d much rather have a thigh pocket to stash a topo etc. in fact many of Rab’s ski orientated trousers have a much more practical pocket arrangement to my mind
Much like the jacket these are a superb pair of waterproof pants with a feature set dialled in to the needs of the winter climber. Make sure you consider your intended usage before deciding on a size though, ideally try them on or be prepared to size up if planning on wearing over a winter soft-shell pant.
Overall these are a superb set of shell garments and my experience with Rab is that nail the ‘keeping the wet out’ aspect of shell garments better than anyone, perhaps it’s our lovely climate that helps!
Pros
- As waterproof as it gets.
- Decent breathability
- Durable
- Well tailored
- Great, functional feature set
Cons
- Price – but more than competitive with similar jackets
- Perhaps too fully featured for most of us
- Trousers need careful sizing depending on layers.
SRP
- Latok Extreme GORE-TEX® Pro Jacket £480
- Latok GORE-TEX® Pro pants £340)
Disclaimer – CGR reviewers are never paid to provide a review and the website does not take advertising. We are a bunch of keen climbers and travellers that accept sample products and offer an honest and independent review of the item. The reviewer will often keep the sample after reviewing it for both hygiene reasons and more often they’re in no fit state to return!
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