Rab Men's Mythic G Down Jacket Review

One very cold evening in Megève, we got invited to head up the mountain at night on a piste basher, drinking vin chaud. Everyone else was freezing. I was super cosy in the Mythic G and feeling pretty pleased with myself. Spending €550 on a jacket had seemed a bit painful at the time, but I was enjoying the decision that night.

I wore the black men's medium almost every day for about four months during the 2025/26 winter season. It was mainly my après-ski and everyday jacket, with some winter hiking thrown in. I wanted as much warmth as possible without carrying a heavy coat, and the Rab did that very well.

It was less successful when I started working hard. Walking uphill, I could go from toasty to boiling in about ten minutes. The fabric also feels so thin that I was constantly eyeing up branches, ski edges and rough chair backs. It survived the season without a tear, but I never quite stopped worrying about it.

Full verdict

I bought the Mythic G because I wanted the most warmth I could get for the least weight. I was also looking at the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer and Arc'teryx Cerium, but the Rab's 1000-fill down and heat-reflective TILT lining were what sold it to me.

For standing around outside in the cold, I loved it. It felt light on my shoulders, had enough room for the layers I wanted underneath and kept me properly warm. It was a very pleasant thing to put on after skiing or when heading out for the evening.

I was less convinced by it as something to wear throughout a hike. It holds a lot of heat, and on a steep climb I soon wanted it off. Having it in the pack to put on when I stopped made much more sense.

The fabric was the other sticking point. It came through the season well, but I spent a fair amount of time worrying about tearing a very expensive jacket on something stupid. A rough wooden chair back in a bar felt like an unnecessarily expensive gamble.

I'd give it 4.5 out of 5. I liked it enough to buy it again at what I paid, but I'd want to be making good use of the low weight to justify spending that much.

A season in Megève

This was mostly an off-piste jacket in the everyday sense: après-ski, walking around the village and hiking, rather than skiing down the mountain in it. I wore it almost every day for about four months.

That meant plenty of time standing around outside, carrying a rucksack and stuffing it away when I got too warm. It also had to fit comfortably beneath a waterproof when the weather turned.

I bought it myself for €550 on sale. That's a substantial amount to hand over for something that feels almost weightless, but I did get plenty of wear out of it. By the end of the season, I knew what I liked about it and when I was better off leaving it in the bag.

Warmth in the cold

The warmth was excellent. I was comfortable standing around in overnight lows of about -8°C, and it felt much cosier than its weight suggested it had any right to.

The piste-basher evening was probably its finest hour. Heading up the mountain at night with a vin chaud was great fun, but everyone around me was getting cold. I was warm enough to enjoy myself without wishing we'd hurry up and head back down.

Around the village, it was much the same. I liked being able to stand outside after skiing without needing a huge coat. Once zipped up with the hood on, it was a lovely warm place to be.

Rab uses 1000-fill-power goose down and a TILT lining designed to reflect body heat back towards you. Those were a big part of why I chose it. Wearing it while standing still, the whole thing felt snug and cosy, a bit like wrapping myself in a warm blanket.

Walking uphill

The trouble started when I got moving properly.

One evening we were walking back from a restaurant up a steep, icy hill. It was about -5°C, and I only had a merino base layer underneath. Outside the restaurant, I was toasty warm. Within ten minutes of climbing, I was boiling.

There was far more insulation than I wanted for that amount of effort. It didn't take a thick fleece underneath or particularly mild weather to make it happen, either.

There are no pit zips, and once I started sweating the inside could feel clammy against my skin. It was much more comfortable when I was dry and standing around than when I was trying to get up a hill.

For hiking, I'd carry it for stops and colder, slower stretches. I wouldn't leave it on for a sustained climb. I was very happy with how warm it kept me outside the restaurant; wearing it all the way up the hill afterwards was asking a bit much.

Fit and layering

At 6ft, I found medium a good fit. There was enough room through the torso for a mid-weight fleece without everything pulling tight when I reached forward or bent down.

The sleeves were a good length too, and the slightly dropped rear hem stayed down under my rucksack. I wasn't constantly pulling the back into place or feeling a gap open up when I moved.

I liked that it had room for layers without feeling baggy. It was comfortable to wear around town as well as with a pack on.

When the weather worsened, I put a Gore-Tex shell over it. The down compressed easily enough underneath that I didn't feel like the Michelin Man. I could still move comfortably, and the combination didn't become an awkward pile of clothing.

That was useful on the wetter days. I could keep the insulation I wanted and add protection over the top without having to wrestle everything into place.

Wind, snow and sleet

The outer fabric blocked wind well overall. In a biting gale, I did notice small cold spots along the stitched baffles, but most of the jacket stayed comfortably warm.

Dry falling snow was no problem. Moisture beaded on the outside, and I was happy wearing it in those conditions. Cold, fairly dry Alpine weather was where I liked it most.

Wet sleet lower down was a different experience. The thin outer fabric saturated quite quickly, and I wanted my waterproof over it.

It dried quickly back in a heated drying room after those outings, provided the down hadn't become soaked through. That was welcome, though I wouldn't choose it as my exposed outer layer for a long spell of wet weather. I was much happier using it in dry cold or keeping it beneath the shell when things got soggy.

Hood and collar

The hood was excellent. It was warm, settled securely around my head and didn't get in the way of my view.

The partly elasticated opening helped it sit neatly, and the stiffened peak gave it some shape. I could get comfortable inside it without constantly having to fiddle around.

The fleece-lined chin guard was another detail I liked. Fully zipped up, the collar felt comfortable against my face and gave me somewhere warm to tuck down into.

Those were some of the nicest parts of wearing the jacket in the evening. With the hood on and the collar up, I was quite happy standing around outside while other people were becoming rather less enthusiastic about it.

Pockets and zips

The two hand pockets were warm and useful. Around the village or standing outside after skiing, I was pleased to have somewhere to put my hands.

With a rucksack on, their position was less convenient. The hip belt partly covered them, so getting in wasn't as straightforward as it was without the pack.

There's no chest pocket, and the whole jacket is fairly minimal. I was happy enough with that for everyday use, though I'd have preferred the hand pockets a little higher for hiking.

The zips could also be fiddly with thick ski gloves. Both the lightweight main zip and the concealed pocket zips needed a bit of dexterity. I could use them, but occasionally it took more concentration than operating a jacket zip ought to require.

I liked the low weight while carrying it. Trying to get hold of a little zip with big gloves on, I was less interested in the grams we'd saved.

Thin fabric and a season of wear

The fabric feels like tissue paper. I was very aware of sharp ski edges, thorny branches and rough wooden chairs, particularly given what I'd paid for it.

That was my biggest irritation. I loved how light it felt, but I didn't love feeling that I needed to keep checking what I was about to brush against or lean on.

The good news is that it survived. Almost daily wear and plenty of time beneath rucksack straps didn't leave it torn, and I didn't notice any unusual feather loss. It came out of the season in good condition.

So the fabric held up better than its feel had led me to expect. I was still careful with it, though. For pushing through scrub or doing something involving sharp equipment, I'd rather wear a tougher jacket and stop thinking about it.

Packed size and weight

Packed into its supplied stuff sack, the Mythic G was about the size of a one-litre Nalgene bottle. Finding room for it was easy, and the down puffed back up almost immediately when I took it out.

At a listed 277g in medium, it added very little to the load. I barely noticed carrying it, which made it much easier to take along even when I knew I'd get too warm wearing it on the walk.

That was how I liked using it on more energetic outings: carry it while moving, then pull it on when stopping. I could have plenty of warmth available without giving up much pack space.

Washing it

I washed it once at the end of the season with a specialist down wash. Drying was the longer part of the job, taking several hours on low heat with tennis balls to help break up the clumps.

It lofted back up well. I haven't noticed any loss of warmth or change in appearance, and it came back looking as puffy as before.

It took a bit of time to get fully dry, but the result was good. After a season of regular use and that wash, it still felt like the jacket I'd bought.

Our guide to washing a down jacket covers the process in more detail.

Price and value

€550 was a painful amount to spend, especially as that was the sale price. I wanted to get plenty of use from it, and wearing it almost every day helped justify the purchase.

I'd buy it again for the same sort of use. It kept me warm on cold evenings, fitted well and gave me a lot of insulation for very little weight or space in my pack.

If I mainly wanted a tough coat for going around town, I'd be less bothered about saving grams and much more bothered about the thin fabric. A heavier jacket would let me relax a bit around rough surfaces.

For lightweight backpacking and cold stops, the Mythic makes much more sense. That was what I liked most: carrying very little, then being properly cosy when I put it on.

It was excellent on the piste-basher night. I just learned to take it off before the steep walk home.

Specifications and test details

Overall score

4.5 out of 5. I loved the warmth, low weight and small packed size. The fit and hood were good too. The price hurt, the thin fabric kept me careful, and uphill walking soon had me wanting it off.

About the author

Adam Whistler

Outdoor Expert, Adventure Guide & Long-Distance Sailor.

Adam is a seasoned outdoor guide with more than 300 weeks of adventure sports guiding experience across six countries. He has sailed 10,000+ miles aboard a cruising catamaran he rebuilt from the hull up. His reviews focus on reliability, repairability and how equipment performs when space, weight and dependable function matter.

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Editorial disclosure: Adam bought this jacket himself for €550 on sale.