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There are so many good down jackets available that it can be difficult homing in on the one for you, not surprisingly your first thoughts should be about how you want to use the jacket, a decent warm jacket is an essential piece of backpacking or trekking kit even in the summer if you are travelling high in the mountains and in this scenario you want something that is lightweight and has a high warmth to weight ratio.

The Mythic series of products from  RAB are designed with this in mind, they offer very high warmth to weight ratios so that whether it’s a sleeping bag or, as in this case a jacket, you can be confident that you are keeping your weight to a minimum.

The Mythic Ultra jacket weighs 501 grams (Medium size) and contains 225 grams of 900+ Fill Power down. Straight away it’s difficult to find a jacket close to this weight that contains this weight of down so it’s going to be a warmer jacket than its peers at this weight on this factor alone. Factor in the sheer quality of the down and the Mythic Ultra takes another step forward in the warmth to weight category.

RAB has also incorporated their TILT reflective technology into the  Mythic Ultra Jacket which adds further warmth and then finally they have used an offset baffle construction in the torso which minimises heat leakage through the seams.

The technology in this jacket is cutting edge, all the factors described above working together produce a jacket at the forefront of performance.

Where It Fits

If you’re looking for a jacket for trekking or backpacking you will also give consideration to when and where you are going, a trek on the John Muir Trail in California in Summer will not require as warm a jacket as the Pyrenees in late Autumn and it’s important to understand where the Mythic Ultra fits on this spectrum. It’s a warm jacket at the colder conditions end of the spectrum, for this review I was backpacking in the North of England in February, evening temperatures were just a few degrees and the Mythic Ultra was a perfect companion. 

I usually carry a thin to moderate synthetic warm layer for daytime use and the combination of the Mythic Ultra and my synthetic layer meant I had flexibility depending on the temperatures and was toasty all night.

If I had been heading to California in Summer I think the Mythic Ultra would be overkill, although don’t underestimate how cold it can get in the high mountains even there. I did once.

Features

RAB know how to make a down jacket! The  Mythic Ultra has all the things you need and nothing that you don’t. The cuffs are minimalist elasticated and the hem has a drawcord with a cordlock. I really like the hood and neck area, both work together to give really good coverage. There’s a small wired peak in the hood which stops the top edge of the hood dropping to eye level.

The inner face of the chin closure is lined with microfleece which keeps your chin warm and mops up any moisture build up around your mouth.

Two handwarmer pockets and one chest pockets complete the visible feature set but it’s worth also noting that the down is hydrophobic, making it more resilient in damp conditions which could be important during the seasons it is more suited to. The outer fabric also has a Durable Water Repellent coating (DWR) enhancing its performance further in the damp.

In Use

I used the Mythic Ultra as my ‘warm layer about camp’ jacket on a February backpacking trip to the Lakes. It wasn’t as cold as it could have been but evening temperatures were about 3 degrees and the jacket was plenty warm enough over a double baselayer. It’s slightly longer than some jackets making it even more cosy while sitting under a tarp.

Mark Richardson
Mark was the founder of Ultralight Outdoor Gear back in 2006 and has completed long distance backpacking routes in some of the remotest parts of the world. His favourite hikes have been Torres del Paine (full circuit), the John Muir trail and the Markha Valley trail (Ladakh, India). Although semi-retired Mark has not lost any enthusiasm for minimalist backpacking and is tackling Scotland’s Munros choosing multi-day backpacking routes over the more usual guide book excursions. Read more from Mark Richardson