Long Term Report Keela Rock Jacket
Date: March 28, 2006
Tester: Rosaleen Sullivan
Age: 56 years
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 9’’ / 1.75 m
Weight: 180 lb / 82 kg
E-mail: rosaleen43 (at) msn (dot) com
Home: Eastern Massachusetts, USA
Tester Background/Style
I’ve been backpacking off and on for about 20 years. My normal gear
includes a hammock, down bag and jacket, hiking poles, and an alcohol or fuel
tablet stove, all gear being subject to revision for each trip. I also enjoy
making gear, and often nudge myself out of a design daydream on the trail.
Preferred trips last 3 days, but I have backpacked as much as 10 days straight.
While most of my journeys are within New England, I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon,
the length of the Smoky Mountains, and other trails far from home.
Manufacturer: Keela International Ltd.
URL: http://www.keela.co.uk/
Year of Manufacture: 2005
MSRP: not listed
Product Specifications:
Product Information from the website
Product Name: ROCK JACKET SDP
Size Range:
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
Color choices: Light Grey/Dark Grey,
Platinum/Black, Bluestone/Grey
Fabric: Innovative Lite Ripstop
Lining: ADS laminate
NEW FOR SPRING 2005 Lightweight SDP jacket.
High specification without the weight!
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
Product Description (For more details, see my Initial
Report)
The Keela Rock Jacket that I am testing is a men’s size large platinum and
black version. The jacket features a wire brimmed hood, with three
adjustment options, four on-seam zippered pockets inside the storm flaps.
There is a double row of elastic shock cord along the bottom hem. There
are two more zippered outside pockets, protected by storm flaps, and an
underarm vent on each side. All flaps have hook and loop closures, and
the chin flap and jacket bottom are secured by metal snaps. Another
feature of this jacket is a smooth-to-the-touch mesh lining. The
manufacturer claims that a bellows effect of the free-hanging lining working
with the vented jacket should allow perspiration vapors to escape, keeping the
wearer comfortable through a range of activities. As I understand their
literature, the Dual Protection System refers to the jacket’s ability to
protect the wearer dry from the inside while providing non-bulky insulation.
The outer layer is made of polyurethane coated ripstop nylon and the inner mesh
is polyester. Care instructions: hand wash with pure soap, drip dry, and
cool iron.
Experiences using the Keela Rock Jacket
I have worn this jacket almost daily since receiving it four months
ago. It has worked for in-town wear, day hikes, and backpacking
trips. I used it hiking and camping in Pennsylvania last November and on
short hiking and packing trips on local (Eastern Massachusetts) trails, as
explained in my earlier reports. Additionally, I used the Keela Rock
during my week-long February school vacation, which included backpacking along
the Appalachian Trail in south central Pennsylvania. As a backpacker who
used public transportation to help reach a trailhead, I was very pleased with
the large zipper pockets. I was able to secure loose items and my wallet
in the jacket pockets, feeling comfortable that they would still be there after
clearing the airport scanners. I was able to keep my hat, gloves, wallet,
snacks, and other personal items handy yet safe.
During the 4 days that I spent hiking in February, I
encountered very windy conditions, as well as periods of rain and snow.
(These were not part of the long-range forecasts.) According to local
weather reports, the temperatures fell to about 18 F (~ -8 C), perhaps lower
during the night on the mountain tops. I hiked wearing a fleece jacket or
long-sleeved polyester thermal shirt under my Keela Rock Jacket. I found
that I was able to vent or remove layers to stay comfortable, not allowing
myself to work up enough of a sweat to get my clothing more than damp. I
felt I couldn’t get very wet clothing dry easily, whereas a slight dampness
usually “burned off” before I completely cooled down once I stopped in camp.
I have to admit to a desire to stay huddled in my bag when the early
mornings proved to be significantly colder than I had expected, hoping to hold
out until Spring ushered in some warmth. Alas, time limits dictated that
I crawl from my warm nest, and face painfully cold hands while attending to
camp chores. Happily, my core was warm enough in camp, and my hands were,
too, after about 15 minutes of hiking.
With four months of heavy use, I am finally seeing wear on
some jacket parts. I’m not a big fan of liberal use of Velcro, and this
jacket has what I consider to be a lot of it. There are strips of hook
and loop closures on the storm flaps, wrists, pocket flaps, and hood storage
pockets. Except for the hood storage pocket, these areas also have zippers,
so at least one type of closure could be considered redundant. I found
the Velcro to be a personal irritant by way of it grabbing other clothing,
objects, and even other parts of the jacket. I attribute the snags in the
mesh lining to contact with this Velcro. The topstitching has worn away
from part of the inner forearm of the right jacket sleeve. (I’m
right-handed.) I think that this is also from brushing against Velcro as
I reach under the jacket to access pockets, etc. The zipper tape bottom
edge also is fraying. I suspect that it is from excessive manipulations
in trying to close the jacket front. I will address the zipper issue
later in the report. Other than these, the jacket looks new. I have
washed it in a top-loading automatic washer, using Atsko
Sport-Wash. (This was an item that I tested for
BackpackGearTest.org). It cleaned up beautifully. I washed it with
all of the zippers closed as part of a full load, so I feel the inside may not
have been as well washed as if it were open or turned inside out for part of
the cycle. The outside surface dirt and odors were removed, but it took a
few more days after washing for the campfire smoke odors to finish
dissipating. When I had a chance to re-wash the jacket, I stopped,
because I realized that the remaining odor was gone.
The two-way zipper has been difficult to align and close
from the first day to now. I find that I only close the jacket if it is
very cold or stormy because of this difficulty. It does seem to help if
my pockets are nearly empty and if I raise the front edges enough that I can
look directly at the bottom of the zipper and make sure I hold the parts
together “just right.” I worked on my “technique” after some second
graders at my school and some “comical gentlemen” in a restaurant offered to
help the “little girl” with her jacket zipper.
Things Looked for or Tested
-Did the jacket keep me comfortable over a
range of conditions and activities? (Yes.)
-Did
insulation layers fit under the jacket comfortably and still allow ventilation?
(Again, yes, although I might look
and feel like a walking marshmallow while
wearing 2 layers of heavy fleece under the Rock.)
-Ease
and comfort of the hood adjustment over different layers? (No problems noted. Adjustments, when
desirable, were simple.)
-Accessibility
of various pocket contents while jacket is worn, with/without gloves or mittens
or wearing pack?
(This was sometimes awkward if wearing
gloves.)
-Effectiveness
and ease of use of pit zips? (Excellent.)
-Range of motion while wearing
jacket/over layers? (Excellent.)
-Effectiveness of storm flaps? (No wind leaks when jacket was fully closed.)
-Comfort
of “chin guard?” (Excellent.)
-Did
the jacket shed wind, rain, and snow? (Yes!)
-Any signs of wear over the test period? (Yes, sleeve topstitching along inner right arm, snags in the
mesh liner
and the zipper tape bottom)
-Any
problems with fasteners or stiffeners? (Velcro
snags evidence on mesh inner lining, and zipper tape wear,
as mentioned above.)
-Any
problems with cleaning, if required? (Jacket
cleaned up well when washed with Atsko
Sport-Wash, but
some smoke odor lingered on the inside for
a few days.)
Likes
The Keela Rock Jacket appears to be a well-constructed, nearly “bomb-proof”
jacket with good ventilation and some insulation abilities as well as the
ability to protect the wearer from rain and snow.
Dislikes
For my preferences, most of the Velcro and some snaps were redundant and
added unnecessary weight. I did not cut my hands on the hook part of the
Velcro while reaching into pockets as I have with some other jackets, but as
often as not, I found most of the Velcro to be an unnecessary annoyance.
For someone who wants “all the bells and whistles,” this could be a great
jacket. For me, this is a great jacket that I would like to “put on a
diet.” As soon as the test is over, I will start eliminating or cutting
down the Velcro and remove one of the inner bottom hem draw cords. I am
seriously tempted to remove the lower zipper fastener from the two-way zipper
system. In principle, the ability to vent from the bottom of the jacket
is great, but I only used it when I thought to test that feature. It is
so difficult to manipulate the zipper closure that I only bother when it is
very cold or very windy. It has to be lined up “just so” for the zipper
to close.
Conclusions
The Keela Rock Jacket is a sturdily constructed full-featured jacket that I
found useful for traveling, backpacking, and daily winter wear. It can
provide some insulation without extra layers, as well as fit over fleece or
other light jackets for use in cold temperatures. The front ventilation
zips help control heat buildup under the jacket. For my own purposes, I
would give up some of the extras to cut weight, concerning myself less with the
durability for longer warm-weather trips. I will probably continue to use
this jacket in cool to cold weather, switching to a lighter one for the summer.
Thanks to you for reading my report, and to Keela and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this item.
Rosaleen Sullivan
