The Rab Downpour Trail Light is designed to balance weather protection, comfort, and packability. Aiming to provide reliable waterproofing without weighing runners down, Rab positions the Downpour as the ultimate “do-it-all” waterproof running jacket for tough conditions.
Rab’s long-time collaboration with Pertex underlines the jacket’s technical focus, combining proven waterproof and breathable performance.
With a slim fit, adjustable hood, and compact storage system, it’s positioned as a versatile outer layer for runners who don’t want to compromise on protection or practicality when the weather turns.
Made for long days out, the Downpour has big claims to its name. Here’s what you need to know…
Pros
- Relatively lightweight and breathable
- Comfortable to run in
- Good field of vision with hood up
- Packs down small
Cons
- Only one pocket, which bounces when full
- Sleeves too long
- Peak of hood could be wider for more coverage
- Waterproofing struggles in intense downpours
| RRP: | £130 |
| Breathability: | 20,000g/m2/24hrs |
| Weight: | 172g/6oz (women’s size UK10) |
| Pockets: | 1 chest pocket |
| Waterproofing: | 20,000 HH |
| Construction: | 20D Pertex Shield 2.5-layer with fluorocarbon-free DWR (85gsm) |
| Women’s sizes: | UK 8-16 |
| Men’s sizes: | UK S-XXL |
Design and features
The Rab Downpour Trail Light Running Jacket is designed to be a lightweight and comfortable shell built to balance weather protection with comfort while running. Its construction centres on the 2.5-layer Pertex Shield fabric, offering waterproofing, wind resistance, and breathability, all while staying soft and flexible against the skin.
The slim, athletic cut aims to avoid flapping and drag, aided by an injection of stretch in the material for freedom of movement. The adjustable hood includes a stiffened peak, side elastication, and rear drawcord for a secure fit. It can also be rolled down and secured at the back when not in use.
There’s a high collar with chin guard to maximise coverage and an adjustable hem at the bottom to help to seal out drafts.
The cuffs are partly elasticated and longer at one side to provide greater coverage across the back of the hands. With a single chest pocket that doubles as a stuff sack, the jacket packs down neatly into a running pack.
Hood
Considering that Rab describes the Downpour as “packed with features to keep you running through horizontal rain”, I was a little disappointed with the hood. The hood’s wired peak covers the top of the forehead, with the ‘cap’ section too short to provide much coverage from rain (especially sideways rain) hitting the face and eyes while running. For this reason, I’d add a running cap for runs in especially heavy or multidirectional rain.
There’s a small amount of adjustment provided, with some loose elastication at the two sides of the head and a short drawcord at the rear for a more snug fit. The main highlight of the hood construction isn’t the coverage, but rather the great range of vision that it affords.
Side-to-side vision is at least 180 degrees, which is quite rare for a run jacket and really boosts situational awareness.
One of my recent rainy woodland testing runs consolidates this. Craning my neck as far to the right as possible, I was marvelling at the great field of view when I spotted a stag come to an abrupt halt and stare at me from a few metres away.
If it wasn’t for the wide range of vision, I’d never have spotted the stag and had the moment that became the highlight of my run.
Fit
Rab describes the jacket as built in a ‘slim fit’, which I’d say is pretty accurate. I’m a women’s UK8-10 and a 10 fits well, with room for a couple of thin running base layers underneath. The waterproof shell is relatively soft with some stretch, which translates to minimal rustling and high comfort when in motion.
The high zip under the chin has an extra overlay to prevent scratching against the chin, which worked really well. Meanwhile, the wide wind guard along the length of the zip prevented wind and light rain from entering at the front. For those who prefer a tighter fit, there’s some adjustment at the hem, too, via a single tether.
As other reviews have remarked, the arms are proportionally quite long for the size of the jacket. It’s not the end of the world, but they’re about two inches too long for my frame so I’d find myself rolling them up a few times to tuck them out of the way.
There’s part elastication at the cuffs, though they’re not very tight, nor have a means to seal them fully at the wrist to prevent water ingress.
Waterproofing and breathability
The 2.5-layer Pertex Shield is a technical fabric designed to be durably waterproof, windproof, lightweight, and highly breathable, while remaining soft and packable. A tall order, Pertex explains this is achieved through combining a single outer layer with an inner waterproof membrane, then protective inner coating.
My only worry with the softness of the material is that it feels potentially less of a hardy waterproof membrane for complete downpours than other hardshell run layers. I would expect the jacket’s 20,000HH rating to equate to a high level of waterproofing, but found that the coat soon went from beading water to starting to wet into the fabric.
During extensive testing in ‘downpour’ conditions – as the name invites – I found that water quickly entered the coat through the sleeves and at the top of the zip, where a seal is lacking. You can see from my testing pictures that after 10 minutes of intense downpour, the waterproofing started to suffer in certain areas like at the sleeves, stomach, and along seams, while the back managed to remain fairly watertight.
Breathability may be the culprit here. With a moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) of 20,000g/m² per 24hrs, the Downpour jacket is incredibly breathable. This is invaluable in a running jacket and significantly improves comfort, meaning you can wear it in a wider range of temperatures.
It also means you sidestep the crisp packet syndrome which even some lightweight hiking jackets seem to instantly revert to, leaving you sweaty and miserable within a few minutes.
Features
The Downpour has one single pocket located on the left-hand side of the chest. It doubles up as a storage pouch to stuff the jacket into when not in use, which proves really handy when packing. When packed away, the jacket is about the size of my hand, measuring 16cm by 11cm. The “impressively lightweight” layer comes in at 172g/6oz (women’s size UK10) and is helpfully very quick to dry after a rain shower.
The pocket is a good size – big enough to fit a large smartphone, keys, and a payment card, or the like. However, attempting to run with a phone in the pocket was a no-go for me.
The jacket’s structure doesn’t support a tight or secure enough fit across the chest for the contents to stay in place when in motion, so it’s pretty uncomfortable to run with anything heavy inside. A single key or card works well though.
Colourways available for women are either the plum (on test), dark blue, or grey/black dual tone. Men can choose from a black, royal blue, or grey/black dual tone. There are also some discreet stamps of reflective detailing to finish off the ensemble.
Sustainability
Rab is refreshingly transparent when it comes to the sustainability of their products, providing a breakdown they call ‘Material Facts’ of all the materials that go into a piece of gear and what percentage of that is recycled.
The Downpour is made from 20% recycled materials and is completely free of fluorocarbons (PFAS), though not produced using renewable energy. While the Downpour isn’t the most sustainable layer out there, such transparency from Rab instils confidence in their products.
Price and competition
The Rab Downpour comes in at £130, which is starting to creep towards the lower end of the standard price range for a good-quality waterproof run jacket. It’s comfortable, fits well, and wards off the passing shower with ease.
If price isn’t an object though and you’re after maximum waterproofing, the Compressport Thunderstorm (£300) boasts an impressive 25,000 HH rating with huge breathability to boot.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you’ve got less than £100 to spend then the Harrier Exmoor jacket (£94.99) impressed with its durability, thoughtful run features, and pocket capacity.
Verdict
All in, the Rab Downpour Trail Light is a brilliant little jacket for throwing on during rainy or windy weather. There’s a decent amount of weather protection while maintaining good breathability, which is a really difficult balance to strike in a waterproof run layer.
It’s relatively lightweight and packs down super small for throwing into your run pack between showers.
Quick-drying and at a middling price point (£130), there’s a lot to praise in the Downpour, but also a few niggles that let the side down.
The lack of thoughtful run features like a chest clip for running unzipped, additional pockets, or a wider-brimmed hood for sideways rain is a bit of a shame since the groundwork has already been laid. While waterproofing for intense and extended downpours leaves a bit to be desired.
About the author
Kate Milsom is one of our top contributors here at LFTO, having worked for us full-time for a few years and still testing plenty of trail running gear. Kate has run her fair share of marathons and ultras, but her favourite style of trail running is pure exploration.
When she's not fartleking around the fields of France, she's developing her career as a specialist sports journalist, having worked with industry-leading titles including 220Triathlon, Cycling Plus, Road.cc and Cyclist.