What is the Pulsar Jacket?
The Pulsar features one of the highest warmth to weight ratios of any down jacket we stock, making it perfect for alpinists and mountaineers who require tonnes of reliable warmth without the weight penalty. It achieves this by using a high quality insulation, a lightweight yet tough outer fabric and clever construction techniques that we'll go into below.
What is it made of?
Insulation: Providing the massive warmth in the Pulsar is 200g of high quality 800 fill power hydrophobic goose down. The achilles heel of down is that when it becomes saturated, it loses its ability to retain warmth and loft. Rab combat this by coating each individual cluster of down with a Nikwax treatment; this allows the down to retail more warmth and loft when wet than non-treated down. As if this wasn't enough, an R.D.S (responsible down standard) certification ensures the down is acquired in an ethical and humane way.
Outer fabric: Surrounding all of this technical insulation is an equally technical Pertex Quantum fabric with a durable water repellent coating. Despite its low weight, it offers an impressive amount of durability and will pack down to a fraction of its original size when you're not using the jacket.
What are the features?
To make it as light as it is Rab have had to bin a few features, however it's still got all the bells and whistles you'd expect from an alpine insulation piece. A fully insulated hood provides extra warmth when stationary, while concealed hood adjusters prevent you being whipped in the face when the hood isn't cinched up. Other features include a two-way front zip so you can layer it over a climbing harness or simply answer the call of nature, zipped hand pockets, an internal zipped security pocket, low-profile elasticated cuffs and lastly an included stuffsack.
How does it fit?
The Pulsar fits into Rab's 'slim' fit block, meaning it features a more tapered fit than some of Rab's other pieces and is designed to be worn with just a baselayer underneath (or at a push, a baselayer and a light fleece). If you'd like to be able to fit more layers underneath, we recommend going up a size. It's also slightly shorter than some of Rab's 'regular' fit pieces such as the Neutrino Pro.
Where does it fit in the layering system?
Due to its slim fit, the Pulsar works just as well as a midlayer under a shell as it does as an outer layer in less severe conditions.
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Pertex Quantum nylon ripstop outer fabric
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800FP R.D.S Certified European Goose Down
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Stitch-through construction
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Down filled hood
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Concealed hood adjusters
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Articulated sleeves
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Two way front zip
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Two hand pockets
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Internal zipped security pocket
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Elasticated cuffs
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Hem drawcord
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Included stuffsack
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Slim fit
How to wash your down products
Having spent years talking to people about down products, whether that’s a jacket, sleeping bag or even a pair of slippers, very few have had the confidence to go ahead and wash the product on their own, especially when they have just spent an arm and a leg on it. This small guide is here to explain that it’s not as daunting and utterly terrifying as it first appears.
Step one: Before you even get near that washing machine, wipe off any excess mud or dirt that may be lingering on the surface of the jacket, as this will clog up the washing machine, eventually rendering it useless.
We recommend the use of Nikwax Down Wash Direct for down products as it’s one hundred percent environmentally friendly and will wash and re-proof the garment without the use of bleach or any other nasty chemicals. What household washing agents can (and often do) is remove the water repellent coating on the fabric of the jacket, whilst also damaging the delicate array of feathers inside.
Step two: We’ll assume in this instance that you’ve been washing other products prior to your down jacket and have used a bleach based detergent. Therefore it’s a good idea to run the washing machine for half an hour or so without anything inside to rinse it clean before adding the Nikwax or putting the jacket in. Also, don’t forget to remove the detergent drawer to give it a wash inside, outside and behind, as detergent can clog up and still enter the washing machine if not cleaned out thoroughly. This ensures that any remnants of detergent are removed and that the Nikwax products will work effectively.
Step three: Set the washing machine to a cold wash (check the garments care label, most tend to be around 30°C) and as delicate as possible. Most washing machines have a “wool” cycle which is ideal.
Step four: If using Nikwax Down Wash Direct, place 100ml in either the tray or directly into the washing machine inside a small pot/ball. If you choose to use another washing product, place the appropriate amount in the machine in the same way.
Step five: Set the washing machine to run on a slow cycle, allowing plenty of time for the jacket to soak up the cleaning/re-proofing product. Most washing machines will have a pre-set time for different washing cycles.
When the cycle has finished be prepared for a shock, your precious bit of kit will come out looking like a soggy ball of material. But don’t worry, you haven’t ruined it, it’s just that all that fluffy down insulation has become water logged and has clumped together. The trick is to now get all that down nice and dry to reinstate its superb insulating properties. Simply hanging it up in a warm place will not work that well. It will take days to properly dry and you will have to constantly break up the clumps to get it thoroughly dry. The best way is to use a tumble dryer; either a domestic one for smaller items or a commercial drier for sleeping bags.
Step six: Pop the garment into the dryer and make sure to select a low heat; a high heat runs the risk of melting seams and fabrics within the garment. It sounds weird, but shove a few tennis balls into the drier with the garment; the tennis balls will bounce around and help to break up the clumps of down. Every 20 minutes, pull the jacket out of the dryer and lie the jacket down on a table. Run your hands over the jacket until you find a 'clump' or ball of down; tease apart this down clump and spread it evenly into the baffle. Once you're confident you've pulled apart every clump to the best of your ability, stick it back in for another 20 minutes. Keep repeating this until there are no more clumps left.
Step seven: When the cycle has finished and you are sure that you have got the garment as dry as possible, hang it up in a warm dry place, an airing cupboard is ideal, for 24 hours. This drives out the last of any dampness and allows the down to loft fully. Take it out and give it a good shake and, hey presto, it’ll be as good as new.