Gear Review: Rab Myriad Hardshell
For comfort in Myriad conditions, look no further than this hardshell from Rab.
[all-purpose workhorse]
Testers took the Myriad into temperate rainforests, across the UK’s moors, and even on the open ocean—but no matter how hard they tried, they never found conditions that this do-it-all shell couldn’t handle. Relatively light yet durable, fully featured, and very breathable, this shell transitioned from mist to pounding rain to sloppy snow without a snag. “I felt totally protected on an exposed beach during a miserable, sustained rain that had my companions huddled in their tents,” says one tester who practically lived in the Myriad on British Columbia’s soggy Haida Gwaii archipelago. And the three-layer Polartec NeoShell fabric, which is air-permeable enough to lower the jacket’s internal humidity, kept testers equally comfortable from the inside out. “I was bone-dry on top after four hours in the pouring rain, even with the zipper fully closed,” says one hot-natured tester.
The helmet-compatible hood also drew cheers for its bendable, stay-put brim and “custom-moldable” adjustments: Testers arched the brim to shield their faces from sea spray in coastal Wales, flattened it for better peripheral vision in straight-down drizzles, and fine-tuned the face-framing cords to completely seal out whipping ocean winds. Fit is generous enough for layering, but not baggy. Testers were split on the lack of pit zips: Some wished for a touch of extra venting, while others didn’t miss them. It’s pricey, but the Myriad’s all-season performance makes it a solid investment for year-round use. $375; 14 oz.; rab.uk.com