Powder Review: Rab Khroma Latok Jacket and Khroma Kinetic Bib

Cy Whitling
·9 min read

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In a Nutshell

Rab’s Khroma kit delivers a nice mix of understated styling, useful features, and great performance, that make it a great do-it-all option.

  • Size Tested: XL

  • Materials: Zoned 80D and 40D GORE-TEX Pro

  • Stated Waterproofing/Breathability: 28/28k

  • Pockets: Left side chest pocket, hand pockets,arm pass pocket, internal phone pocket, internal mesh drop pocket

  • Vents: Two armpit vents

  • Weight: 644 g

The Rab Khroma Latok Jacket is available now.

  • Size Tested: Large

  • Materials: 20D Proflex™ Stretch Woven Nylon

  • Stated Waterproofing/Breathability: 20/25k

  • Pockets: Chest transceiver pocket, two thigh pockets

  • Vents: Full length outside thigh vents

  • Weight: 642 g

The Rab Khroma Kinetic Bib is available now.

Intro

Rab is one of those brands that I don’t see out on the slopes as much as I’d expect in North America. I think there are two reasons for that. One, they’re based in the UK, and a lot of folks seem to carry a preconception of Rab only being a hardcore climbing/mountaineering brand. Two, their gear isn’t flashily branded, so honestly, you could see a lot of Rab gear out in the world and never even notice it since they’ve got generally dialed, muted colorways, without any in-your-face logos.

All that to say, Rab makes high-quality outerwear, for a variety of pursuits, including skiing, and I was excited to put their Khroma kit to the test last winter. It quickly became a favored option for foul weather backcountry days, but also performed well inbounds.

Khroma Latok Jacket

Khroma bills the Latok jacket as being designed for what I like to call “freeride touring.” It’s not skimo; there’s no need for body-hugging cuts and incredibly breathable fabrics, but there’s an eye toward efficiency and breathability nonetheless. It uses two different weights of fabric through the body, with more reinforced shoulders and sleeves, and a lighter chest and back. That should lead to better durability in the often torn and abraded zones, and better breathability and packability everywhere else.

Fit

At 6’1”, 200 lbs I fall right on the Large/XL break for a lot of jackets, and skied in the XL Khroma Latok. It fits true to size, I was initially worried that it would be a slimmer-fitting, more “euro” cut, but that was not the case at all. Instead, it’s got a nice silhouette, with plenty of room for layering underneath. If I was looking for something a little sleeker, I think I would still have been comfortable in the Large, but no matter how many days I spend earning my turns and skiing directional skis, I can’t shake my pubescent preference for bigger jackets, and the Latok fits that desire nicely.

Pockets and Features

The Khroma Latok has a nice tidy pocket layout. The left side chest pocket is cavernous–there’s tons of room for a phone or goggles. I found myself skiing quite a bit with a small mirrorless camera in there as well. It’s a very handy pocket. The zippered hand pockets are similarly large, with plenty of space for even wide climbing skins. The inner chest pocket is nicely sized for modern phones, and I always appreciate an RFID pass pocket, even on a touring jacket.

All of the pockets use large zipper pulls. These are some of the easiest to grab zippers, even with gloves on that I used all last year.

Part of the reason I found myself getting along so well with the Khroma Latok jacket is that all of its features are nicely considered. The powder skirt is removable, so I removed it. I'm not a fan of powder skirts, and I’d way rather zip them out instead of cutting them out. The integrated wrist gaiters are thin enough that they disappear inside my glove cuffs, and long enough that I never felt like they were yanking my thumbs. The hood has a shapable wire brim, and is easy to cinch down over your helmet.

All in all, the Khroma Latok jacket has all the features I look for in a touring jacket, and they’re all well executed.

Weatherproofing and Comfort

This is a fairly burly backcountry jacket. It puts the “hard” in hardshell, without too much extra bulk or weight. That means it works really well on days where the weather is less than ideal. I understand why brands make lightweight, more breathable jackets for backcountry skiing, but it's nice to see an unabashed hardshell in the mix as well. When the weather gets truly gross, I really appreciate having a really waterproof jacket. The Khroma Latok jacket is nicely weatherproofed for those tours when the metaphorical shit hits the fan.

That does of course mean that this isn’t the softest, most breathable jacket I’ve spent time in. It’s somewhat loud and crinkly, and during high output efforts I needed to open the pit vents or take the jacket off completely. For my style of backcountry skiing though, that worked out nicely. It packs down reasonably small in my pack on the climb, and then actually feels like a real jacket, not an insubstantial sweater on the way down.

Rab Khroma Kinetic Bib

Rab bills the Khroma Kinetic Bib as “the softest hardshell” and that’s a nice way to put it. They’re made of a soft, light, breathable material that’s very comfortable, but still provides hardshell protection.

Fit

I wear a Large in pretty much every pair of ski pants I’ve used in the last decade, and the Large Khroma Kinetic Bibs fit me nicely. Similar to the jacket, they have a nice “freeride touring” fit. They’re long and generously cut enough that I never felt any binding or unnecessary tightness while making kick turns, but there’s no extra bagginess either. And they do a great job of avoiding the dreaded saggy crotch and butt that so many bibs end up with. They are however, a little tight across the upper hips, and the stretchy back panel may feel a little restrictive depending on your bust/belly ratio. With a medium chest and a bit of extra flab around my gut, they fit me nicely.

Pockets and Features

If, by some misfortune, you were to read everything I’ve ever written about ski pants, you’d know that I consider bib pocket layout to be one of the most important and under-considered things in skiing. I love skiing in bibs for many reasons, and I think that extra material over your chest creates a bunch of possibilities for great pockets. But too many brands squander that potential.

Rab puts a nicely sized pocket high on the chest of the Khroma Kinetic Bib, but it’s a beacon pocket. I am on a one-man-crusade against chest beacon pockets. They put your transceiver in a terrible place for electrical interference. Your phone and radio are right there, just asking to mess with the most important piece of gear you carry. I really wish the bib had a reinforced beacon pocket on one of its thighs, instead of up here on the chest.

The rest of the Khroma Kinetic’s pockets are great though. The thigh pockets are well sized and placed so that gear in them doesn't rub against my thighs while skinning. The zippered rear pocket is a nice touch, it’s perfect for a wallet or extra facemask.

There’s a traditional fly that’s easy to use, and the right side thigh vent goes all the way up, and closes with a button if nature dictates it’s time for #2 in the woods. The cuffs are made of a reinforced material that shrugs off impacts from ski edges nicely, and the internal cuffs are sized nicely to fit over a variety of touring boots. Finally, the straps are easily adjustable, and can be fully unclipped as well. I did experience a little bit of the dreaded “bib/bra strap sliding off the shoulder” with these initially, but cinched them up and they’ve been great since.

Weatherproofing and Comfort

These are definitely a “soft” hardshell. They don’t have the same “bring your worst Mother Nature!” attitude as the Khroma Latok Jacket. Instead, they breathe a lot better, and are quieter and move with my body better. That makes them a nice complement. I’ve done a bunch of experimenting with hardshell jackets and softshell pants, and have found for most of my backcountry skiing, a burlier jacket combined with lighter pants works really well. So it’s cool to see that designed into this kit.

They’re comfortable and vent well on the up, and then shrug off moisture and wind on the way down. No, they wouldn’t be my top choice for inbounds skiing on the worst-conditioned days, but anything short of that and I’m happy in the Khroma Kinetic Bib.

Where does the Khroma kit shine?

I’m happy taking the Khroma kit out on 80ish% of my touring days. Most of my days in the backcountry I’m trying to move efficiently and ski good snow. I don’t need a super light, super slim backcountry kit–I like jumping off stuff and trying tricks too much for that. But the Khroma kit has a nice balance of fit, breathability, and weatherproofing that works really well for most touring in the Tetons. And it’s burly enough to be a great choice for days spent with a mix of inbounds and backcountry skiing.

Where does the Khroma make some compromises?

That said, for those other 20ish% of days, where I’m pretty confident in the weather forecast, and am waking up early for a big, silly objective, the Khroma kit is absolutely adequate, but not ideal. For really high output days, where I’m trying to keep up with fitter skiers, it’s a bit overkill, and I’d probably opt for something lighter and more breathable. Luckily, Rab makes plenty of other kits that fit the bill for that nicely.

Who is the perfect skier for the Rab Khroma kit?

If you’re looking for an outerwear kit that’s happy earning its turns, even when the weather is crappy, the Rab Khroma Latok Jacket and Kinetic Bib will fit the bill nicely. And they’re happy to rip some laps off the chairlift too.