Let me know if the Summit is a thinner jacket than the Guide as I'm interested in the comparison, I thought it was a direct replacement - which was why I was surprised it hadn't got pit zips.
Agree it's warm as toast and a great sort of stroll through the countryside jacket, just personally speaking I'm a bit of a furnace when I'm hiking!
Had both jackets a couple of days now and yes the VR Summit is much thinner than the VR Guide, you can hardly tell you have it on.
I don't think it is fair to compare these jackets against each other really as they are so different. The Guide is a heavy duty full on soft-shell full of features, everything you could want but weighs over 700g which is nearly as much as my Paramo. Whereas the Summit is a minimalist jacket not many features and weighs under 350g, so very different jackets. They are both excellent jackets in their own right though.
To be fair to RAB, when i spoke to them they didn't say it was a replacement for the Guide, they just said it is the closest they currently do.
I have done a couple of local walks and i think the Guide is going to be too warm for me, so i am going to keep the Summit, it is growing on me all the time, the more i wear it the more i am liking it. I don't know how warm it is yet as the weather has been quite mild, but i will find out over the weekend when i will be going up in the hills and we are due plenty or rain and high winds so it will get a good test.
One thing that really impressed me about the Summit is just how waterproof it is. I gave it a shower test, yes i know that is a bit overkill for a jacket that isn't even supposed to be waterproof but i couldn't help myself, after all it only takes a couple of minutes. It preformed like a Gortex jacket it was that good, the water just bounced off it, when i had finished it was almost completely dry there was just a few specs of water on it that just shook off. There was no signs of wetting what so ever, not even at the seams, i was quite amazed. How long this will last though i don't know, obviously it is brand new and the DWR coating is working to its maximum potential, whether it will be like this in a few months time i don't know.
Also when i usually shower test a jacket they feel a bit clammy after a minute or so, which is totally understandable being in a humid warm shower. With the Summit i didn't get any of that clammy feeling it felt fresh and airy all the time.
So i am very impressed with the Summit at the moment, but i haven't tested it properly yet, but i will this weekend if all goes to plan.
This is my first foray into the soft-shell world and i am liking it up to now, i think this could be the answer to my over sweating problems, i am not expecting to eliminate the sweating but hopefully reduce it be a significant amount with this jacket designed to be super breathable.
Disclaimer- I am not trying to say this is a replacement for a Gortex jacket, just that the water beaded off it like a Gortex jacket. Obviously a Gortex jacket will be a lot more heavy duty than the Summit with its Pertex Quantum Air shell. I will always carry a hard shell in my backpack if there is a chance of heavy rain.