The fabric is soft and nifty, and the jacket is clearly quality. The fit is confusing. I used the official Rab sizing tool + the table and both said I should get a medium. I'm 5'9" and 155 lbs and I can't fit more than a long-sleeved shirt under this jacket. A thin fleece baselayer drags and pulls. The hood is similarly confusing. It tugs at my head unpleasantly and is too small to fit a warm hat under, so this limits the use as a shell over layers.
It's clearly a lovingly made garment, but it really doesn't fit me well and I'm concerned that the large will have an opposite problem, so I'll probably wind up returning it.

Bought the jacket on the basis of online reviews and I was very happy with this jacket initially when wearing it around town- it's breathable, comfy, cool looking and waterproof. I then wore it as my outer layer whilst snowboarding and on my return discovered that there were micro tears on the fabric surface. I returned it to RAB via the retailer and the retailer contacted me to say that the tears were probably a consequence of carrying the snowboard under my arm which would have sliced the delicate fabric. Accordingly no replacement or refund was therefore possible and furthermore the damage was not repairable. I've never had any similar issue with any other jacket in 18 years of snowboarding (but I've never used this type of softshell). So I'd say this may be a good jacket for activities where there is unlikely to be any abrasion but do NOT buy it for snowboarding.

According to the normal Rab size chart, I should be a medium (38S blazer, 33-inch sleeves), but the medium was too small. However, the sizing tool on the Rab website for Kinetic Plus said I should use the large size. The large fit me, just like the tool said. Definitely check the size out at the Rab website and save yourself some trouble.

With the large, the sleeves are a tad long, and the velcro on the sleeves definitely mitigates this. The overall length is longer than my OR Helium II, so it is a bit more practical for standing around and is still good for hiking (because most of the extra length is in the back), but it is probably too long to use as a running shell unless you're tall. I was able to test out the jacket in a humid rain, and I'm not sure if it is that much more breathable than other high-end rain jackets under those conditions. However, it feels slightly warmer yet less clammy because of the softshell-like interior. The wind resistance is excellent, but it might be too warm to replace your windshell in the summer months (I haven't had it long enough to use it in the summer).

I wear glasses, so I really appreciate the hood. Under the brim, there is a stretchy material that fits kind of like the top part of a balaclava. This stretchy part helps keep the brim in place right over my glasses, so I don't have to wipe them off so much. Because the hood is so close fitting, though, it might add to the warmth, which might hurt the jacket's use in the summer, but again, this is just speculation.

One last thing: the maple color is less purple and more burgandy-like than the pictures show. The color is actually really nice, and I haven't felt out of place wearing it out on non-rainy days (which I've done a lot). It's a shame to call it a rain jacket--it is much more comfortable than that.

I was pretty psyched the first time I wore the Kinetic Plus in a thunderstorm. I was deep in Rocky Mountain National Park and stayed dry for 4 hours in torrential thunderstorms hiking back to the car. Honestly, after feeling how comfortable this material was it surprised me to see it perform as well as Rab describes it's waterproofing. My favorite part of this jacket is the hood. It fits perfectly with or without a helmet (and most importantly for me, it fits well with a man-bun.) Another cool aspect of the hood is the small fabric that extends below the brim and keeps your forehead dry and the hood from blowing off in the wind. I normally wear a Medium rain jacket and this Medium feels great for me (5'9" 143lbs) The one thing I wish this jacket had is a waterproof zipper. The jacket definitely stays dry but after a long day will begin to leak through the top of the zipper a bit.

Fit. Color (Steel), Comfort. All perfect.
I pulled the tags off during a rainy day in Montreal, and haven't regretted it a bit. It's the most comfortable softshell I own, and it's waterproof. Fit is Rab-like, slim.
5 Stars