Rab History

Rab Carrington learnt how to make sleeping bags in Patagonia over 30 years ago. He spent much of the 1970s on ground breaking expeditions around the world. From winter climbing in Scotland and the Alps, to expeditions in the Himalaya, he gained the best possible insight into understanding what climbers needed from their kit. In 1981 he set up Rab at home in Sheffield, UK and started making his range of specialist down sleeping bags and jackets.

By first deciding how gear should be used and then designing for that use, Rab introduced a fresh dimension to high performance mountaineering gear and was able to offer products better than any other available at the time. In the mid 1980s he became the first manufacturer in the world to use Pertex® in the production of sleeping bags and down jackets.

Rab Carrington’s legacy continues with the team at Rab now, a group of people dedicated to making performance products for the most extreme conditions in the world.