The story of Rab is one of happenstance, a passion for climbing, and a drive to make gear that is so good, you’d rather repair it than replace it. In the early 1970s, Rab Carrington was stuck in Buenos Aires, waiting for his expedition equipment to arrive and needed a few bucks, so he had a friend teach him how to sew sleeping bags. When he returned to the UK, he began sewing his own designs and quickly gained a reputation for making no-frills gear that was burly enough to withstand the harshest conditions of the big mountain ranges of the world.

Today, the company continues Rab’s vision for creating robust and thoughtful gear for climbers and mountaineers, specializing in sleeping bags, apparel, gaiters, and gloves. Above all, Rab continues to try new fabrics, to drop product weights, and to find new materials that will get the job done without over-designing or adding unnecessary features. That’s what you get when climbers make gear for their favorite pursuits — mountain practicality in form.