Rab Firewall Guide Jacket Review: Tested in the Cairngorms

Price: £300 Best suited for: Mountaineering, climbing and wet, windy days on the hill all year round Location: Cairn Gorm, Cairngorms, Scotland Weather: A typical Scottish autumn day, with strong winds, rain and cold at the summit Tested by: Team Tiso Men's Rab Firewall Guide Jacket

The Rab Firewall Guide jacket is a 3-layer Pertex® Shield waterproof built for mountaineering and climbing in tough conditions.

We were lucky enough to be given access to test this new piece of kit on a 3-day training trip to Glenmore Lodge in Aviemore. 

We put the jacket through its paces via a hike up Cairn Gorm in strong winds and rain, with some dry tooling on day three. Here are the pros and cons at a glance:

The pros? 

• 40D, 3-layer Pertex® Shield with a 20,000mm hydrostatic head kept us dry in wind-driven rain.

• Helmet-compatible hood and four harness- and pack-compatible pockets, built for climbing.

• Softer, quieter fabric than a typical stiff hardshell.

• Articulated sleeves give full freedom of movement for reaching up and swinging ice tools.

The cons?

• At 583g, it's heavier and bulkier than a lightweight rain shell.

• More technical than you need for casual summer walks.

• Limited colourways.

Read on to find out how the Rab Firewall Guide Jacket held up on Cairn Gorm, how it fits with a helmet and harness, and whether it's the right Firewall jacket for you.

What is the Rab Firewall Guide Jacket?

The Firewall Guide is the most technical jacket in Rab's Firewall range. The Guide adds a helmet-compatible hood, harness and pack compatible pockets, pit zips and a RECCO® reflector, which puts it firmly in climbing and alpine territory. Rab designed it for guides and dedicated alpinists who need day-in, day-out durability on committing routes.

You'll find it alongside the rest of the range in our Rab waterproof jackets collection.

Features & Fit of the Rab Firewall Guide Jacket

Our group wore sizes Small to XL across a mix of heights and builds, each with their own layering underneath. The regular cut is designed to fit over a midlayer for cold belays, so size for your warmest layer rather than a t-shirt. 

It has a spacious, regular fit and runs true to size with plenty of room for fleeces and midlayers without it feeling restrictive. It's cut to sit around the upper hips for a good balance of coverage and movement.

The sleeves are generous and on the longer side, and the cuffs close with Velcro for a more secure fit. They are articulated too, so reaching overhead or swinging an ice tool doesn't pull the jacket up at the waist.

The collar sits comfortably over your mouth, with a soft, velvety lining on the inside. If you would rather have more breathability, it's easy to fold down so your chin sits above the collar.

It really came into its own on day three. With helmets and harnesses on, the hood went over our helmets perfectly and the jacket sat nicely with a harness, helped by chest pockets that stay clear of the waist belt.

Preparation, Packability, Waterproofing Features and Adjustments

At 583g it's not the lightest shell you'll carry, but that's fair for a jacket this well equipped. It doesn't pack into its own pocket, but it rolls up nicely and slips easily into your bag.

The hood is the highlight. It's designed to be worn over a helmet all day, adjusts single-handed at three points, and the stiffened peak helps keep rain out of your eyes. All four external pockets sit clear of a harness and pack straps, the pit zips let you cool off on the climb, and the glove-friendly cuffs are easy to adjust with cold hands. The 2-way front zip has a lower snap fastener, so you can open it from the bottom for a belay loop without the jacket flapping open.

A nice detail is one you'll hopefully never need: the RECCO® reflector on the arm. It needs no batteries and helps rescue teams find you in an avalanche or if you're lost. 

Nothing about it felt fiddly. The zips, pockets and adjusters all did their job without any fuss, which is exactly what you want when the weather turns.

Stress Testing the Firewall Guide Jacket in the Cairngorms

Cairn Gorm doesn't tend to have gentle weather. At 1,245m it's the sixth-highest mountain in the British Isles, and its summit weather station recorded the UK's official high-level wind speed record, a 173mph gust on 20 March 1986. Our route was an extended ~17.8km loop from the Cairngorm Mountain car park, taking in the surrounding plateau and neighbouring peaks before returning to the car park, with 872m of total ascent and just under four hours of moving time.

We didn't get anything like record winds, but as we climbed, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and the rain set in, so the Rab Firewall Guide jackets came out of our packs.

As a result, nobody in the group got wet through, and with the hood cinched and the chin guard zipped up, the cold summit wind stayed outside. 

Firewall Guide vs Firewall Mountain vs Firewall Light: Which Should You Buy?

All three are 3-layer Pertex® Shield waterproofs with the same 20,000mm rating. The main difference is how much weight, toughness and features you need.

• Go for the Firewall Guide if you're climbing or scrambling in tough mountain weather, especially with a helmet and harness. 

• Go for the Firewall Mountain if you hill walk all year and want a tough shell with pit zips, without the climbing extras.

• Go for the Firewall Light if weight and pack size matter most and you mostly walk on paths from spring to autumn.

You can compare the full range in our men's Rab and women's Rab collections.

Aftercare and Washing

A clean waterproof works better. Dirt and sweat stop the outer fabric beading water, which can leave it feeling damp even when it isn't leaking. Rab suggests a wash after each trip, or whenever water stops beading on the surface.

Wash it at 30°C on a gentle cycle with a technical cleaner, add a wash-in proofer, then tumble dry on low for 20 to 30 minutes if the label allows. You'll find what you need in our cleaning and repair and waterproofers collections.

Tiso’s Closing Thoughts on the Rab Firewall Guide Jacket

Rating: 9/10

If you're heading into the mountains in any season when the weather's likely to turn, the Rab Firewall Guide jacket is a fantastic choice. It was incredibly waterproof on Cairn Gorm, the hood and harness fit were spot on for dry tooling.

Shop the Firewall range in our Rab collection with free UK delivery on orders over £50, or pop into your nearest Tiso store. Need a warm layer underneath? Read our Rab Cirrus Alpine review, or kit out the rest of your day with Rab backpacks and Rab equipment.

Keen to hear more about Tiso news, blogs and kit reviews? Make Tiso your preferred source on Google.