Rear adjuster cord grips the top of the head so the hood moves with your direction of gaze - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)

That got us thinking though, that we’re looking at every possible item from Rab so it would be good to narrow our search down even further and only look at Rab branded products within the Waterproof category. The cost of Rab WaterproofThe Firewall comes up in a regular fit, leaving plenty of room underneath for layering without being too baggy and oversized. Specifically, PU layers can now be micro-engineered to maximise breathability. And our experience of Shield+ is that it’s appreciably more breathable than the original Pertex Shield (no ‘+’) fabric and on a par with all but the very best rival materials. The downside to buying online is that you can’t actually get hold of the product to try it out first. There was a time when that meant second-best performance, but developments in fabric technology mean that’s no longer the case.

The stretch material combined with a spacious and non-constricting fit means the Firewall was an optimal choice for activities like ice climbing that require a lot of mobility in an upper-body garment.One fully vented pit zip sits underneath the arm, on each side, sealed with a YKK® AquaGuard zip. AquaGuard zips are taped to help prevent water seeping through the seams, offering maximum water repellency in more vulnerable sections of the piece. The pit zips are lengthy to provide maximum ventilation during intense activity - perfect for when you're working up a sweat in the mountains. The hood, which can be cinched right down to a very tailored fit, has a large wired peak that does an excellent job of keeping the rain out of your eyes,as a glasses wearer this is a huge win for me. Our experience of Shield+ is that it’s appreciably more breathable than the original Pertex Shield (no ‘+’) fabric and on a par with all but the very best rival materials’ A lightweight, versatile 3-layer Pertex® Shield hardshell. Waterproof and with a slight stretch, it has a helmet compatible, stowable hood, refined sleeve articulation and deep underarm vents, great for winter hillwalking and mountaineering.

The hood works well with interconnected front and rear adjuster cords giving and excellent fit on a bare head - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)

The fabric feels lovely and is pleasantly quiet in use too. No more sounding like a plastic bottle being blown down the street every time the wind gets up’ The material the product is made from is often a sign of the quality for Waterproof. Take a look at the product details over at Go Outdoors to get a feel for this. The Firewall is described as a regular fit (sized to allow layering underneath) and I found this to be a generous fit for my 40 inch chest at size medium. I could comfortably layer a base layer and a couple of mid weight synthetic layers underneath. There are however some methods that you can use to determine a product’s quality without needing to physically have it.