History of Rab

Rab began in 1981 in the attic of a small terraced house in Sheffield, where climber Rab Carrington made the first sleeping bag to carry his name.

The story behind that first sleeping bag stretches back even further. Carrington had spent years climbing around the world, and an unexpected delay in Argentina helped him learn the practical skills that would eventually shape one of Britain's best-known mountain-equipment brands.

Who is Rab Carrington?

Rab Carrington is a British climber and mountaineer whose experience in the mountains directly shaped the company that would later carry his name.

Before becoming an equipment maker, Carrington spent much of the 1970s climbing. His journeys took him to major climbing areas including the Alps, Patagonia and the Himalayas, giving him first-hand experience of what worked — and what did not — when clothing and equipment were exposed to cold, wind and difficult mountain conditions.

That background is important because Rab did not begin as a clothing business created around a marketing idea. Its founder was a climber who began making equipment for people facing the same practical problems he knew himself.

1973: how being stranded in Argentina helped shape Rab

One of the most important episodes in the Rab story happened several years before the company existed.

In 1973, Carrington was travelling towards Patagonia when circumstances left him in Buenos Aires and in need of work. He turned to his friend Hector Vieytes, who taught him the skills involved in making high-quality sleeping bags.

What could easily have been an inconvenient interruption became an important part of Carrington's future.

He combined those manufacturing skills with the mountain knowledge he had already accumulated as a climber. Years later, when he began producing equipment in Sheffield, both would prove essential.

Why Sheffield mattered to the Rab story

Carrington eventually settled with his family in Sheffield, a city with particularly strong links to British climbing.

Its proximity to the Peak District and gritstone climbing areas helped create a large community of climbers, mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts. That meant Carrington was surrounded by exactly the kind of people who understood the value of well-designed mountain equipment.

The early Rab customer base was therefore not an abstract national market. It was friends, climbers and people within a local community who could judge the equipment from experience.

Word travelled through that community, and demand gradually pushed the operation beyond anything that could sensibly be described as a hobby.

1981: the first Rab sleeping bag

Rab officially traces its beginning to 1981.

That year, in the attic of a small terraced house in Sheffield, Carrington made the first sleeping bag to bear the Rab name.

It was hand-stitched and shaped by years of climbing experience rather than by a large design department. Carrington understood that mountain equipment needed to provide protection without unnecessary complication, and that every design decision ultimately had to make sense in use.

The first Rab product was therefore not a jacket, fleece or gilet.

It was a sleeping bag.

That is worth remembering because Rab's long association with down insulation and lightweight mountain warmth grew naturally from the company's earliest products.

How did Rab grow from an attic into a factory?

The early sleeping bags became popular among Carrington's friends and Sheffield's expanding climbing community.

That local reputation mattered. Climbers are often demanding customers because weaknesses in equipment become obvious very quickly once it is used outdoors.

As word spread, production increased. The attic that had served as the first Rab workshop could no longer meet demand, and the operation developed into a proper Sheffield manufacturing business supplying customers much further afield.

Despite the growth, the essential philosophy remained relatively uncomplicated: make equipment that was useful, durable and appropriate for the mountains rather than adding features merely because they looked impressive on a specification sheet.

How Rab built its reputation during the 1990s

By the 1990s, Rab had become firmly established within British climbing and mountaineering.

The company's sleeping-bag range expanded, including specialist models aimed at expedition and severe cold-weather use. At the same time, Rab increasingly developed technical clothing to complement its equipment.

The reputation was based less on fashion than on practical mountain credibility.

Rab products were designed for people who cared about warmth, weight, protection and freedom of movement — qualities that matter whether someone is climbing a technical route, walking through winter hills or stopping at an exposed mountain belay.

Pertex, down and the development of Rab clothing

As Rab expanded from sleeping bags into clothing, technical fabrics became increasingly important.

Lightweight shell materials such as Pertex allowed insulation to loft while providing useful wind protection without the weight associated with heavier traditional fabrics.

This combination became particularly important in insulated jackets: lightweight outer fabrics on the outside, carefully distributed down or synthetic insulation inside, and construction intended to retain warmth while preserving mobility.

Modern Rab ranges continue this approach. Depending on the product, today's jackets may use materials such as Pertex Quantum or Pertex Quantum Pro alongside hydrophobic down or modern synthetic insulation.

What happened when Rab Carrington retired?

Rab entered a new chapter in 2003 when Carrington retired and ownership of the company passed to Equip Outdoor Technologies.

The founder's departure did not mean abandoning the practical mountain identity established during the company's early years.

Instead, the brand continued to develop its range and reach a broader international audience while remaining closely associated with climbing, mountaineering and technical outdoor clothing.

This period also allowed Rab to expand further into categories beyond its traditional sleeping bags, including insulation, waterproof clothing, fleece, packs and other mountain equipment.

Microlight, Kinetic and the development of modern Rab

During the 2010s, ranges such as Microlight and Kinetic became important parts of Rab's modern identity.

Microlight

The Microlight range represents a straightforward idea: use efficient insulation and lightweight fabrics to provide useful warmth without excessive bulk.

Modern Microlight Alpine jackets combine a lightweight Pertex Quantum outer with down insulation and a technical hooded design, making them useful as standalone insulation in suitable conditions or as part of a wider mountain layering system.

Kinetic

The Kinetic range illustrates a different challenge: combining protection from poor weather with the stretch and movement associated with softer mountain clothing.

Together, ranges such as these show how far Rab moved beyond its original sleeping bags without completely changing the priorities behind them.

What makes Rab equipment different?

Rab now makes equipment for a wide variety of users, from walkers and hikers to climbers, mountaineers, runners and people travelling into genuinely severe mountain environments.

That does not mean every Rab product is designed for the same conditions.

A lightweight fleece has a very different job from a winter belay jacket, and a packable down jacket is not a substitute for a waterproof shell in prolonged rain.

The common thread is more useful than a claim that every product is built for “extreme conditions”.

Why repair and product longevity matter to modern Rab

Technical outdoor clothing takes resources to manufacture, and replacing equipment unnecessarily creates its own environmental cost.

One notable part of modern Rab is therefore its focus on keeping equipment in use.

The company now operates services covering washing, repairs, spare parts and selected rental options. This gives customers ways to maintain and repair technical equipment rather than automatically replacing it when it becomes dirty, loses some performance or suffers repairable damage.

This also fits naturally with the philosophy associated with the brand's early years. Hardwearing mountain equipment is most useful when it can continue doing its job for a long time.

Rab at Allweathers today

Rab has grown far beyond the Sheffield attic, but many of the products customers recognise today still reflect the priorities established in the company's early years.

The current Rab range at Allweathers includes:

• down and synthetic insulated jackets;
• insulated gilets;
• technical fleece;
• waterproof jackets;
• gloves;
• hats and other cold-weather accessories;
• technical T-shirts and layers.

Within insulated clothing alone there is a significant difference between different Rab designs.

The Microlight Alpine focuses on versatile lightweight down insulation and packability. The Cirrus Alpine uses high-loft synthetic insulation for reliable warmth, while more protective designs such as the Electron Pro move further towards cold mountain and alpine use.

That variety is a good example of how the company has evolved. Rab no longer makes one solution for one kind of climber, but it still designs individual pieces around clearly defined outdoor jobs.

Why has Rab lasted?

Rab's history is compelling because it does not begin with a corporate branding exercise.

It begins with a climber learning a practical trade, then making equipment for people he knew in a city surrounded by climbing.

The business grew, ownership changed and the product range became much larger, but the central idea remains easy to recognise: create mountain equipment around what the user actually needs.

That does not require every Rab jacket to be expedition gear or every wearer to be a mountaineer.

It means understanding that good outdoor clothing has a specific job — keeping someone warm, helping them move, managing poor weather or providing a dependable layer when conditions change.

Frequently asked questions about Rab