A lightweight, packable version of the classic Kangri Jacket, this offering from Rab might not be quite as robust as the original, but it's no less impressive, hitting the mark where it matters on weight and fit, and without compromising on quality. It's ideal for all-round, non-technical use, and comes in at a competitive price.

Weight

Our men's size XL jacket weighs 405g (Rab report a weight of 378g for the size M), which puts the Kangri GTX Paclite Plus in the light-midweight category, and which is quite an achievement given just how durable it feels.

Despite the 'PACLITE' branding, this jacket better serves as a hybrid between a paper-thin lightweight jacket, and a daily driver. To consign this jacket to the bottom of your pack for those rare unexpected showers would be to undersell just how usable it is. Yes, it is relatively lightweight, but that's not the big selling point of this waterproof.

Fit

The fit comes in both men's and women's. Mine comes out on the generous side in sizing, and I've heard similar reports of the women's jacket. This is ideal, however, for a shell that you're likely to want to have a layer or two underneath.

For example, when wearing my Rab Cirrus Alpine Insulated jacket, also an XL, the fit is slightly closer. Similarly, a Rab midlayer in an XL will fit closer still. Essentially what I'm trying to say is that Rab have done a good job of accounting for where a given item is likely to come in your layering system, meaning you can order multiple items in the same size without the top layer becoming too tightly stuffed - so if you have another item of Rab clothing that fits well, then go with whatever size that is!

At a lanky 193cm in height, with a similarly lanky wingspan, I'm always pleased when a sleeve actually fits me, and the Kangri Paclite fits my arms well, cinching at the wrist with adjustable hook and loop cuffs, and leaving enough additional material along the arm to allow for good articulation without lifting the jacket at the hem.

Cuffs are just as roomy as the rest of the jacket, allowing for comfortable layering, as well as enough space at the wrist to easily wrap around a pair of thick mitts.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the hem itself fits well, coming to well below the bum at the back and beyond the top of the trousers as the front, so nowhere for drafts or sideways rain to find its way in between your jacket and your trousers. That said, it doesn't go so far as to inhibit the movement of the upper legs, so - again - good work Rab on the tailoring.

Hood

While it doesn't fit a helmet - it's not that sort of shell - the hood is fully adjustable, with drawcords at the rear for crown adjustment, as well as at the front for further adjustment around the face, allowing you to effectively shelter your face and neck from wind and rain. Whilst these drawcords are all easily tightened with gloves on, loosening them definitely requires more dexterity. The front drawcord-release toggles are hidden inside the seam, which is great for tidiness and comfort, and the drawcords have a slight stiffness and elasticity that allows them to resist being easily blown around in winds.

The stiffened peak keeps water out effectively, whilst giving much needed structure to the hood to allow it to keep its shape in blustery weather.

The upper portion of the storm flap is fleece-lined and wraps around and over the top of the zip, meaning that the zip doesn't rub against your chin or face when you have zip up to the top. 

Fabric

The 2.5 layer Gore-Tex Paclite Plus is designed to hit the sweet spot between thinness and lightness, waterproofness and durability, windproofness and breathability, and the Kangri excels in all of these areas, albeit more so in some than others.

In terms of whether the fabric keeps the weather out - arguably the key thing that matters when reviewing a waterproof - the answer is a resounding and unequivocal 'yes'. I was incredibly lazy with this jacket, and left it more than a year before re-proofing, but even then the reason that I re-proofed it was because I needed to wash the jacket, not because its surface water resistance had failed. As a water and windproof shell, this jacket delivers exactly as it should.

Just as I'd agree with Rab's '5/5' waterproof rating, I'd also say that their '3/5' breathability rating is spot on. On a cold day, you're likely to find no issues with breathability, and even on a warm day you'll probably be fine as long as you're not working up too much of a sweat. It's when your output goes up, and you get a sweat going, that the slight breathability issues become noticeable. This is the disadvantage of Paclite fabric, which is less breathable than some Gore-Tex products. Pit zips go some way to solving this problem, and, for me, occasional breathability issues are a small price to pay for excellent water resistance.

When it comes to durability, the Paclite version of the Kangri uses 40D fabric. Whilst this is undeniably less durable than the 70D you get with the non paclite version, I'd argue that 40D is more than enough for most endeavours, whilst also helping keep the jacket packable, and shaving off some weight - almost 150g in this case.

In my experience, the durability of the Kangri PACLITE has been commendable. After more than a year of wearing it on a frequent basis, with packs, when climbing, and in all sorts of unexpected bush-whacking scenarios, it has no tears and no noticeable wear from pack straps.

Features

In terms of functionality, the Kangri Paclite GTX does everything you need it to do, and does it well.

The pockets - one on each side - are large and usable, positioned well to avoid being blocked by rucksack straps. The pit zips open and close in both directions, don't snag, and allow air in effectively without sagging open. The zipper-pulls on the pit zips are also shaped slightly differently to one another, meaning you can identify which one you need to pull without contorting yourself into an awkward position - not a huge gamechanger, but a thoughtful touch.

The hem is elasticated, with drawcords on both sides to allow you to tighten the jacket at the waist without it twisting awkwardly as jackets sometimes do if the drawcord is only on one side. The hem drawcords are easily used with one hand, and are easy to adjust even with gloves or mitts on.

All of the zips on the Kangri Paclite GTX are YKK Aquaguard zips, designed to provide increased water resistance. In practice, these claims ring true, with the zips keeping water out effectively.

Ethics and environment

Thanks to Rab's Material Facts, it's easy to work out just how sustainable a Rab product is, which is to the brand's credit.

At a total of 31% recycled content, this jacket comes in at the upper end of Rab's recycled scale, with only four of the thirteen Gore-Tex jackets that Rab offer featuring a higher percentage of recycled content.

The Kangri GTX Paclite isn't exactly an eco flagship, however, as there are PFAS in all components except for the zips. Rab say that they have 'eliminated the most harmful longer-chain PFAS chemicals (C8)' from all of their clothing, but currently continue to use 'smaller-chain PFAS (C6) that are less harmful to the environment' in jackets which 'demand the highest standards in performance and durability, and where alternative options evaluated have yet to meet the performance criteria'. The industry as a whole is working to phase out these 'forever chemicals' but they're not there yet.