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Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Keela Rock Jacket > Curt Peterson > Initial Report
Keela Rock Jacket SDP
1)Tester Background and Contact Information Name: Curt Peterson Age: 34 Gender: Male Height: 6'3" (1.91 m) Weight: 270 (122 kg) Email address: curt<at>boopants<dot>com Location: North Bend, Washington, USA I live in
the Cascade foothills, just 20 miles (32 km) from the PCT via trails leading
right from my backyard. My outdoor time in Washington is spent dayhiking, backpacking, climbing,
and skiing everywhere from the Olympic coast to rainforests to Cascade
volcanoes to dry steppe. 2) Keela Rock Jacket SDP Specifications
3) Keela Rock Jacket SDP Initial Report Background Information The Pacific Northwest is probably home to more waterproof-breathable jackets than anywhere in the United States - and for good reason. It's wet and damp consistently for 9 months a year here, and a week straight of soggy weather can occur any time of the year. It's really not the total quantity of rain that falls here that makes it so damp, but how it falls. Instead of storms that last a few hours or even a couple days as in most parts of the country, Pacific Ocean moisture can move in and drop steady precipitation for weeks at a time. During one recent winter, Seattle had over 90 consecutive days with measurable precipitation! To make things even more interesting, it's relatively mild, with winter temperatures rarely dipping below 30F (0C)in the lowlands even in mid-winter. This is warm enough to steam up a jacket pretty quickly, making staying dry from the inside and the outside a constant challenge. This offers a perfect climate to test waterproof- breathable jackets. My personal experiences have left me doubting most claims of wet-weather comfort in a jacket. I simply have not found any fabric that can keep up with perspiration in wet conditions. For me, the solution has been to just get wet and be absolutely sure I have the gear and clothing to be dry and warm when I stop or wear jackets that vent wide open and try to slow down my activity level to a point that I don't generate as much heat and sweat. These are obviously two significant compromises. Apparently, Keela (which is based in a similar climate in the United Kingdom) has discovered these same challenges and claims to have created the solution. In a series of rather bold statements, they propose that all waterproof-breathable fabrics on the market don't work – particularly when they're in the wet conditions that they are designed for. They cite a number of studies and statistics to back up this claim, and make the case that their "System Dual Protection® is a revolutionary material concept as it has the ability to remove condensation from inside the garment keeping the wearer dry from outside and in." The "SDP" material breaks new ground by having the ability to pass moisture vapor and liquid moisture out of the fabric. If this is indeed true, it would be a significant technological breakthrough in my opinion, as liquid sweat inside of a jacket has no real way to escape since the fabrics only allow moisture vapor to pass. The Keela website has sections on the technology, titled: "Fabric Technology", "Dual Protection", "Fact or Fad", "Care of Garment", and "Innovation". It is in these areas of the site where they explain further how the "SDP" system works. There is a lot of interesting information in their claims – including the true point that the standard test for waterproof-breathable jacket moisture transfer rates is a dry test, offering little information on how they will perform in wet weather. Other interesting items include a citation from a study that claims all waterproof-breathable fabrics stop transmitting moisture after one hour in cold and wet conditions, a brief history of waterproof- breathable technologies, and highlights of a study that measure humidity inside wearers' jackets. Regardless of their product line, I found it all to be interesting reading for the fabric performance gearhead. Features The Keela website introduces the Rock Jacket as a "lightweight SDP jacket" with "high specification without the weight!" High specification surely fits this jacket, but the light weight is a bit debatable. Put simply, the Rock has a lot of stuff going on. A list of features includes: moldable stiff hood brim stiffener, 20 Velcro tabs for 10 closure points, a whopping 9 separate zippers, 7 drawcord toggles, and 2 snap closures. Fully utilized, these features create quite a challenge for precipitation to penetrate. From first impression, it's hard to imagine even horizontal rain getting into this jacket. All of this comes at a price, however, and the currency to be paid is weight. I haven't seen a waterproof-breathable jacket this heavy since the mid-90s. For the same weight, a backpacker could easily carry a windshirt, insulation layer, and waterproof-breathable shell. That backpacker would change layers according to conditions, but it could require frequent change, and it's likely this is the scenario Keela is trying to avoid in creating this all-in-one jacket. The feature set of the Rock Jacket is highlighted by the pockets. The Rock includes 2 typical handwarmer pockets and two adjacent chest pockets just a bit higher. The chest pockets begin literally right where the handwarmer pockets end - the zipper ends are nearly touching. There are also two armpit zippers. They are not the full elbow to ribcage zips that many waterproof-breathable jackets feature, but short zips on the wearer's sides that go from the armpit to about the bottom of the ribcage. Two of the neatest pockets are underneath the main zipper storm flaps at chest level. Both of these small zippers are full accessible without unzipping the main zipper, allowing access to stored items in nasty conditions without letting rain or snow into the main jacket at all. These would be logical places for things like maps, compasses, snacks, and other quick-grab items. With the main zipper (two-way), that makes 9 zippers total. All except the "hidden" stormflap zippers include Keela logo zipper pulls. The waterproofing doesn't end with zippers and stormflaps, however. The fabric itself is a multi-layer system designed to keep the wearer warm and dry. All seams on the outer shell as far as I can tell are taped. The interior is lined with a wicking mesh that is quite comfortable against the skin. Sandwiched between the outer layer and the mesh liner are two layers of waterproof-breathable membrane as I understand it. Without cutting open the jacket I can't tell for sure, but this is how I understand the "SDP" system works. The shell is listed as 100% nylon with a polyurethane coating, the lining as 100% polyester with a polyurethane coating, and the padding as 100% polyester. Padding? Yep - there's padding. While I'm not sure if it's intended for warmth or is part of the "SDP" system, there is definitely padding on the top of the shoulders. As far as I can tell, it is ONLY on the top of the shoulders, and is about a 4" (10cm) wide strip of synthetic insulation that runs from shoulder to shoulder behind the neck. While "100% polyester" could be a lot of things, it has the same silky and slippery feel of Primaloft insulation. The fit of the Keela Rock Jacket is what I would consider a pretty "true" XXL. It's not a snug athletic fit, and it's not loose and baggy. I'm pleasantly surprised by the length. I typically buy "tall" sizes when available, which is rare, but the regular Rock fits great in this regard. Even with my hands raised over my head the wrists stay covered. Waist and butt coverage are just right. The body and arm volume are very comfortable as long as I'm not doing a lot of work in front of me (like working trekking poles), when there is a slight resistance across my back. The overall volume seems fine, but I could use a little more room or a stretch fabric across the back for active use. This certainly isn't a shortcoming of the Rock, however, as I have this problem with a lot of clothing because my back is very broad. With the pit zippers and chest zippers open, I have no problems with fit. I'm really curious to see how the Rock performs. There is a lot of fabric between the wearer and the outside world. Even the pockets which typically offer some venting through mesh liners appear to have multiple layers of fabric. That's a lot for sweat and sweat vapor to get through. I doubt I'll have any trouble getting heated up in this jacket, and I'm very interested to see if it can move the moisture out of the jacket as claimed. 4) Test Plan Typical trips range from 1500 feet (460 meters) on valley trails to over 12,000 feet (3650 meters) on some volcano climbs. The bulk of testing will likely be on the lower end of that range. Temperatures will likely range from the mid teens F (-10 C) to the mid 50s F (13 C). I will definitely use it in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Cascades and the Seep Lakes Wildlife Refuge in the Central Washington Steppe. Other areas will be determined by winter snows and rains. I hope to use it on a backcountry ski touring trip near Mount Rainier. I will test the Keela Rock Jacket in various conditions and report on performance for: 1) Basic Information – The Keela Rock Jacket has been difficult to find information about thus far. How much does it weigh? How does it pack? What materials is it constructed from? A general overview of the jacket will continue to be something I will report on. 2) Fit – I will report on any fit issues that arise and comfort in general. 3) Features – The Keela website notes the following features: • Integral wired peak hood with volume adjustment • 4 Dual entry front pockets • Internal O/S Map pocket • Underam zip ventilation • Double stormflap with Velcro closure • Scooped drop back • Chin guard • Velcro adjustable cuffs • One handed draw puller movement How do they function? Are they all useful and easy to use? Do the vents stay open, for example? Are the pockets accessible when wearing a pack? Do zippers run smooth? 4) Hand – How does the jacket feel? Crunchy? Soft? Slippery? How does it handle washings? 5) Water Resistance – How does the Rock Jacket handle drizzle and light precipitation? Does water bead up on the surface or does it wet out? 6) Water Proofing – Obviously a vital feature of a waterproof- breathable jacket. Simply, does it keep precipitation from entering the jacket? 7) Water Accumulation / Drying Time – Does the jacket wet out significantly? Does it get heavy with accumulated water, and how long does it take to dry if it does get saturated? Can body heat dry it out? 8) Breathability - The "Holy Grail" of waterproof-breathable jackets in my opinion. How does it respond to mild activity, moderate activity, and vigorous activity? Can it truly move out liquid moisture as Keela claims? I certainly want to test the Rock Jacket against its claims of performance, but even if it doesn't meet these lofty claims, how does it compare to other waterproof- breathable technologies? Is it an improvement? More breathable? Less? 9) Active Use – How does the Rock Jacket perform in real-world use? Does it bind when lifting arms overhead? Can it easily be packed and unpacked? Is it comfortable? Clunky? Sleek? 10) Venting – How do the pit zippers and pockets work together (or not) to aid ventilation? Can it be completely opened up for significant airflow or do the vents add little real venting? Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Keela for the opportunity to test the Rock Jacket! Read more reviews of Keela gear Read more gear reviews by Curt Peterson Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Keela Rock Jacket > Curt Peterson > Initial Report | |||