Down and Insulated Jackets

Keela Genesis Fleece Jacket | Review

When you want warmth and wet weather protection, the Keela Genesis might just be the ideal option to turn to.

This isn’t just a fleece, it’s a full-blown suit of armour that serves as a reliable shield from the elements. An that’s because this thing’s not just warm, it’s waterproof too. I’ve been using it extensively through some mad North Wales weather and it’s been a great thing to have with me.

The Top Line

The Keela Genesis is a fleece that’s warm enough for winter use and that has an internal waterproof membrane and fully taped seams. It’s also incredibly durable, with high tenacity panels on the shoulders and under the arms.

How I Tested The Keela Genesis

As we shoot our Outdoor 100 product guide in a mountainous location every April and nearly always get very wet and cold conditions, each time I’ll tend to single out one jacket that will help me to see out the week. This time we were in Eryri, it rained every day and it was totally baltic, and it was this fleece jacket that I wore almost the entire time.

Buy The Keela Genesis: £105 at KEELAOUTDOORS.COM

OM editor Will wearing the Keela Genesis Fleece in the mountains of Eryri.

I wore it while hauling a duffel bag up the Roman Steps in the Rhinogydd, and on the side of a mountain above Blaenau Ffestiniog as rain lashed down. I also used it as a waterproof cover for other kit that we needed to keep dry. Since the shoot, I’ve been wearing it for brisk morning dog walks and just casually too.

Performance

This is very warm and comfortable. It features an inner soft fleece, an outer fleece that has a bit more bulk to it, with the hydrophilic lining in between them also helping to lock in warmth and to fully block out the wind and rain. I’ve found it to be about as warm as a mid to heavy weight down or synthetic insulated jacket.

Will demonstrating the durable shoulder pads. Photos: Dave Macfarlane.

The wet weather performance is excellent. The outer fleece fabric has good water resistance and water beads off it nicely so this alone will see off light rainfall well. Once the heavy stuff arrives, that’s where the hydrophilic lining comes into action. This is actually also designed to pull moisture away from your skin and spread it across the fabric so it can evaporate more quickly, helping you stay dry and comfortable during activity. Does it work? I’d say so. I’ve not felt clammy when wearing the Genesis and it feels like just a typical thickly-layered fleece.

Fit

In very cold conditions, I’ve found I can wear this comfortably over a thin fleece. It actually pairs really nicely with my Keela Thermal Pro Top – something I’ve had for a few years now and have worn a heck of a lot.

On occasions, I’ve worn this over the top of a waterproof jacket – and that combination works really nicely, especially if you want the protection of a hood. If you want to wear a waterproof jacket over the top of this, you’ll need to have a pretty large and loose jacket as the Genesis is quite bulky.

I’m 5 foot 10, I have an average build and I tried this in a medium, my usual size, and it fitted me well. It’s a little on the baggy side, but in the right way.

Details

The Keela Genesis has a cinchable hem and a zipped front with a storm flap. There are two zipped handwarmer pockets that are very cosy and then there’s also a cord at the collar for locking in that extra bit of warmth. The cuffs, which are elasticated, are the only negative here for me as they’re just a touch on the tight side. I am finding they’re loosening up a bit with time though.

Is it Packable?

Even when bundled up, the Keela fleece does take up a bit of space in your backpack. It’s also on the heavy side at 906g. The thing is, this isn’t really a fleece for those days where it’ll spend a lot of time stowed in a pack. Instead, it’s for those days that are well and truly miserable – when you’re going to want a warm, waterproof and windproof layer all day long.

Durability

While this jacket feels durable and definitely built to last, you can also have the added reassurance that the internal liner can be repaired by Keela if something happens to it. Look inside it and you’ll see there’s a little zip that lets the ‘Keela Hospital’ repair team in Scotland get right into the guts of the jacket when a problem needs tackling.

Verdict

The Keela Genesis is a bombproof jacket that can make miserable days much easier to tolerate. I’d say it’s priced pretty fairly too – like much of the Scottish brand’s kit. You’ll find it in black and in green. I’ve seen both and I’d recommend the green as it has some nice leather and brass details that the black garment doesn’t have. Presumably, the green is designed to appeal to practitioners of bushcraft and field sports and the black is aimed at those in and around the armed forces.

And don’t forget that you’ll want a hat to pair this with on the worst of days. I found the Patagonia Synchilla works excellently with it – I imagine the very similar Pola cap from Keela will too.

Buy The Keela Genesis: £105 at KEELAOUTDOORS.COM