OF THE ONE-PIECE DOWN SUITS GOING WE LIKE THE RAB 8000 FOR IT’S OBVIOUS EXPEDITION PEDIGREE. SIMPLE, LIGHT, FULLY VENTING & GIMMICK-FREE, THIS IS A SUIT THAT HAS SURVIVED THE SHIFT TO COMMERCIALLY-ORIENTED SUITS FROM THE DAYS WHEN TECHNICAL 8000m CLIMBING WAS MORE COMMON.
THE THINGS WE PRIZE ABOUT THE RAB 8000 IS THAT MORE THAN ANY SUIT IT OPENS UP, SOMETHING VITAL IF YOU’RE NOT GOING WITH A TWO-PIECE. THIS SUIT WASN’T MADE TO STAND IN QUEUE ON A FIXED LINE OUT OF CAMP, IT WAS MADE TO BE WORN ACROSS A WIDE SPECTRUM OF CONDITIONS, LEGS, PITS & FRONT RIGHT UNDER TO THE BACK, YOU CAN SHED HEAT THE BEST OF ALL SUITS AVAILABLE EASILY AND WITHOUT NEEDING TO REMOVE OTHER GEAR. THIS ALSO MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN SLEEPING IN IT, DUMPING YOUR BODY HEAT INTO YOUR BAGS INSULATION AS YOU EAT AND REST.
WE LIKE THE HIGH CHEST POCKETS THAT ARE ALSO HAND POCKETS. WE LIKE THE VERTICAL CHEST POCKET. THE INSIDE STASH POCKETS SOME FIND TOO VOLUMINOUS BUT WE THINK OK. WE LIKE THE WIDE NECK BAFFLE, BUT THE FACE FLAP WE COULD DO WITHOUT. THE VERTICAL THROUGH ZIP WE THINK WORKS WELL, BEING NOT AS PARTISAN ABOUT THE MATTER AS SOME ARE SINCE WE REMOVED THE REAR LEG RIDERS FROM OUR HARNESS. THE SUSPENDERS – LIKE ALL THEIR ILK – ARE A NECESSARY WEAKNESS OF THE ONE-PIECE CONCEPT.
THE QUESTION WE GET IS DOES THIS HIGHLY VENTING SUIT THEN MEAN YOU CAN LEAVE BEHIND A SEPARATE DOWN JACKET TO SAVE THE WEIGHT? AND THE ANSWER IS ‘NOT REALLY’. YES, IT’S PROBABLY VENTING ENOUGH TO WEAR AROUND THE MID-ALTITUDES WHERE JUST A JACKET WOULD NORMALLY BE ENOUGH, BUT FOR ALPINE-STYLE CLIMBING IT WON’T WORK TO THROW ON FOR BELAYS AND SHORT STOPS, SOMETHING A STAND-ALONE JACKET GETS 75% OF IT’S USE FOR.
OVERALL LIKE THE RAB 8000 BECAUSE IT DOES WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO PROPERLY & WITHOUT EXTRANEOUS BITS & PIECES. IF ONE-PIECE SUITS ARE YOUR THING, K2 NORTH SIDE TRIPS HAVE ENOUGH DIFFERENT DEMANDS TO MAKE SOME SUITS LESS FUNCTIONAL THAN OTHERS, BUT THE RAB 8000 COMES CLOSEST TO GETTING IT RIGHT.
