The Story of Rab
Our story
Since 1981
Our story began in 1981 in the attic of a small, terraced house in Sheffield where Rab Carrington made the first sleeping bag to bear his name. Hand-stitched and devised with his own ingenious eye, his designs were crafted with years of mountain experience, and soon there was popular demand both from friends and the growing local climbing community.
The foundations of the brand can be traced back to 1973, when Rab Carrington was left stranded in Buenos Aires, Argentina while en route to an expedition in Patagonia. In need of money, Rab turned to his friend Hector Vieytes, who taught him the skills that would come to redefine the future of technical sleeping bags
After moving to Sheffield with his family, Rab began to put into practice the skills he learned in Argentina by crafting down sleeping bags from his own home. Demand for his sleeping bags quickly increased and he soon outgrew his attic and moved production to a local factory in Sheffield.
It was in this factory that Rab built a reputation for making no-nonsense, honest, hardwearing gear. The 1990s also saw the launch of Rab’s expedition range of sleeping bags, starting with the Premier Sleeping Bag.
Moving into the 21st century, Rab continued to pioneer cutting-edge products, using some of the lightest weight materials available and combining them with revolutionary new technologies. In 2003, Rab retired and handed over ownership of the company to Equip Outdoor Technologies Ltd.
During the 2010s Rab continued to move from strength to strength, with increased popularity both in the UK and beyond and the introduction of iconic ranges such as the Microlight and Kinetic. From far-flung summits to the hills of the Peak District, Rab products could be found all over the world.
The current decade brought with it fresh challenges to navigate, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the developing climate crisis. Recognising that working together with our community is crucial to overcoming these challenges, we continue our journey to reduce the impact of our business and drive industry-wide change.
"Nothing fancy or over-engineered – just honest, hard-working pieces that you’d rather repair than replace. By climbers for climbers."
Today, we are ceaseless in our commitment to Rab’s exacting standards, ingenuity, and pioneering spirit. We make rugged, high-performance clothing and equipment that give you absolute protection, comfort and freedom in the mountains. We use cutting-edge materials as well as time-tested ones such as premium quality European down. Nothing fancy or over-engineered – just honest, hard-working kit that you’d rather repair than replace.
As mountain people ourselves, we’re passionate about the natural environment and see the effects of climate change when we’re enjoying the outdoors. That’s why we’re on a journey to reduce the impact of our business, make it fairer for everyone, and preserve our mountain playground for future generations.
We work with the whole of our community to find a better way. Together, our journey continues.
More than forty years since our founding, we continue to find inspiration in the untamed spirit of the mountains we explore, the friendships we forge on the peak, and our enduring mission: to grow our community of mountain people and equip them for adventure.
We are committed to putting people at the heart of what we do. From our partners and athletes to our staff and everyone who has used and loved our gear, we are a global community that goes beyond mountains and crags, and it’s up to us to make sure it’s inclusive, diverse, and growing.
