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Keela Munro Hard Shell

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Keela Munro Hard Shell Review

Trail Testers Recommended 100%

Dawn Smith - Ed

Keela Web Page

SRP £159.95 Men’s and Womens XS - XXXL

Keela Munro performs well at -20C

Last month we thought Summer had come early to North Wales. The days were hot and dry with little, or no wind. On one particular day I awoke to another beautiful sunny day, but there was a gentle breeze for a change, which made me check the weather forecast, which predicted a day hot and sunny as before but with a gentle breeze from the west, perfect for a spot of washing and cleaning. I dressed in a cotton tee shirt, convertible walking slacks and padded around barefoot. Taking advantage of the sunshine and light breeze, I put all my dirty waterproofs, layers and gloves into the washer for a much needed clean and re-proofing. No sooner had I pegged the third lot out on the line, but a friend arrived and asked me if I would like to join her for a walk in the hills. With most of my chores almost completed I had to make a quick decision whether to dig the potato plot, or go for a walk!

I just had time to make a flask of tea, collect some energy bars and as I was stuffing this lot in my day sack, I thought I would take a lightweight fleece jacket, just in case it got cooler on the tops. Problem was, everything was dripping wet out on the line. As I picked up my trekking poles, my eye fell upon the bright red and black Munro jacket, hanging at the end of the line of pegs, where I had left it several weeks before, after I returned from a three day skiing expedition.

Although the Munro is quite heavy by today’s standards at 1098 grams, it is a very well designed jacket, with some really neat features and when you are wearing it it feels very comfortable and not heavy at all. It has a scooped back and detachable snow skirt, which is a must for winter mountaineering and skiing. The attached rollaway hood with its wired peak has been well designed and can be worn with a helmet or goggles and enables you a good all round view. This rolls away behind the collar and is secured with a strap and press stud. The hood can be drawn close to the face, leaving just your eyes and nose exposed and the whole thing moves as you turn your head. Ventilation is well thought out too. The dual membrane wicks moisture from the skin through the first layer leaving you warm and dry and then sheds the moisture to the outside air through the second layer. This is further enhanced with big underarm pit zips which are easy to use when wearing gloves. For hill walking there is a large internal zipped pocket for an OS map and a zipped mobile phone pocket, which is well placed and easy to access when wearing a pack. There are fleece lined hand warmer pockets and two large zipped breast pockets. All the zipped openings are backed up by storm flaps and strong velcro, making it easy to keep the weather on the outside, even in hostile conditions.

As we stepped out of the door into a lovely warm sunny afternoon, I felt comfortable walking in my cotton tee shirt and lightweight convertible slacks and lightweight boots. With butterflies darting across our path, we made our way up the hill, through the Forestry Commission plantation and out onto the moors that overlook Llyn Tegid and the mountains of Snowdonia. Sitting on a big rock drinking our tea and munching an energy bar, I noticed the skies starting to darken and the wind starting to freshen from the south west. Time to go I thought and no sooner had we hefted our packs onto our backs and started down the track towards the shelter of the forest, the temperature dropped like a stone and the heavens opened.

My companion had sensibly packed her layers, waterproofs and gloves and was soon snug and warm, whereas I had been lulled into a false sense of security by the weather forecast, which turned out to be wrong and had stuck with my cotton tee shirt!

As the rain quickly turned to hail, I managed to get the jacket out of my pack and zipped up before I got too wet. I had gone from feeling warm and comfortable one minute to cold and chilly the next. As soon as I drew the wired hood up around my head and tightened the velcro adjusters on my wrists I started to feel the benefit of the Munro’s excellent dual membrane. Within minutes the sky was black, the wind howling and the green grass was covered in a grey blanket of icy hail. My hands soon became chilled to the point where they began to hurt with the cold. With soaking wet trousers I made it to the cover of the forest, as lightning bolts and thunder crashed above the Aran some five miles away.

Considering I was only wearing a cotton tee shirt next to my skin and without the benefit of a fleece, the jacket did a really good job of keeping me warm. I was equally impressed how dry my shirt stayed throughout the storm, without any of the cold and clammy feel that you get with cotton when wearing certain other types of waterproof jacket. Throughout my testing of the Munro I have been impressed time and again with this jacket and would have no hesitation recommending it to readers.

If I was looking for a new hard shell jacket at a very reasonable price, that was tough enough for a winter ascent, mountain ski touring, or year round hill walking, then the Munro Jacket from Keela, would be top of my list.

I have had the opportunity to evaluate this jacket in a variety of Winter and Spring weather conditions in the Welsh mountains. These range from days that were warm and sunny, to cold wet and windy, to the sub zero Arctic weather that we had earlier in the winter, when temperatures in this part of Snowdonia plummeted to -20C for weeks on end and I was able to go cross country skiing from my front door.

The Munro retails for just £159.95 and is packed with features, often found in jackets costing twice the price.

For a start Keela use an innovative dual protection breathable membrane, which ensures the wearer stays warm and dry on the inside, whilst keeping wind, rain and snow on the outside.

Here is a real world example of how effective that membrane can be at keeping you warm and dry when the weather turns nasty.