Rab is a British manufacturer of clothing and equipment for climbing and mountaineering. The firm was founded in 1981 by Scottish climber Rab Carrington.

History

Rab Carrington and founding

Rab Carrington (born 1947 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

) devoted himself to rock climbing and mountaineering in the late 1960s and 1970s, taking on expeditions in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

and

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

.That's Me: Rab Carrington
The British Mountaineering Council. 4 March 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2012. In 1973, he took part in an expedition to

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

, Argentina, but when his group arrived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

they found that their climbing equipment had not been shipped from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

due to a dock strike. Unable to start the expedition without his equipment, Carrington instead stayed in Argentina for six months, and learned how to make sleeping bags himself. On his return, Carrington moved to Sheffield due to its proximity to the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, where moorla ...

, and in 1980, Carrington began hand-stitching and selling his own sleeping bags from the attic of his house.The History of Rab
Rab. Retrieved 10 May 2018. Demand for his sleeping bags grew, and the following year Carrington founded Rab and moved production to a factory in Sheffield. Drawing on his climbing experience, Carrington's clothes focused on lightweight, durable and high-quality products.

Recent history

Rab Carrington retired in 2007. The firm, along with competitor Lowe Alpine, were later both purchased by Equip Outdoor Technologies.

Clothing

Rab's down jackets, sleeping bags and expedition wear are designed with cold weather in mind, and employ European goose and duck down that is certified to the Responsible Down Standard. A fluorocarbon-free water repellence treatment is also applied to the down used in clothing and sleeping bags in order to reduce water saturation.Guide to Water Resistant Down
WebTogs. Retrieved 14 May 2018. Like nearly all outerwear manufacturers, Rab also uses synthetic insulation, both alone and in conjunction with down.

References

External links

* {{Climbing-nav Amber Valley British companies established in 1981 Climbing equipment companies Clothing companies established in 1981 Companies based in Derbyshire Mountaineering equipment manufacturers Outdoor clothing brands