Waterproof Jackets

Teren Cloudland Shell | Review

From Kickstarter to clag: We've been testing the Teren Cloudland Shell in proper British weather. Here's our verdict.

This is an impressive jacket – up there as one of the best I’ve tested over the past couple of years. There are, however, a couple of things that just make it fall short of being totally excellent.

If you haven’t heard of Teren, it’s a U.S. brand that initially got off the ground via Kickstarter in 2021. Formed by a group of friends with expertise in design and mechanical engineering, they initially developed a pair of lightweight travel pants that got round their own frustrations with the existing options on the market. The product proved to be a huge success, picking up multiple awards from major gear reviewers over in the States.

This jacket, the Cloudland Shell, was one of their next products and they’ve now built a modest collection of clothing designed to cross over between outdoor, travel and day-to-day wear.

Teren Cloudland Shell: The Top Line

The Teren Cloudland Shell is a durable waterproof jacket that’ll do what you need it to do when out on the trail – but without the aggressively outdoorsy look to it. The waterproofing and breathability are top notch, but it’s lacking in some features we tend to want to have when on the trail.

Pros:

Very durable and protective
Loads of pockets
Built to last feel
Versatile enough to cross over between city and proper outdoor use.

Cons:

Lacking cuff adjustment
The plastic hood toggle is inbuilt and could therefore be hard or impossible to replace if accidentally damaged.
Made from a discontinued membrane that contains PFAS.

Price: £384
Weight: 635g
Our Rating: 4.5/5

Buy the Teren Cloudland Shell: £384 at Terendesigns.com

How We Tested It

This has become a go-to jacket for me, so I’ve been using it a lot. Notable trips have included a few days hiking in some wet Lake District weather and also a trip to the western side of Eryri (Snowdonia) where I had to face up to the full brunt of Storm Amy over the course of a few days of hillwalking. More casually, I’ve been pulling it on for daily dog walks on the Wiltshire Downs and I’ve used it for wet trips to the city too.

Protection Levels

This is very protective. In fact, I’ve found it to be similar to a Gore-tex Pro jacket in terms of its feel and levels of durability and protection. In light rain, I do tend to favour wearing my Páramo Velez Smock but in moderate to heavy stuff, this is a jacket I’ve found myself reaching for.

It uses an eVent waterproof membrane. From my experience, eVent products have always offered solid protection paired with impressive breathability – marginally better, I’d say, than Gore-Tex.

Pictured during our tests in the Lake District. Photos: Dave Macfarlane

The membrane itself is made from ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) – the same material that traditional Gore-Tex used for decades before its recent shift to ePE (expanded polyethylene).

That does mean the jacket contains PFAS chemicals, which isn’t ideal from a sustainability standpoint. If that matters to you, you can at least be reassured that Teren have pledged to phase out intentionally added PFAS in future products.

And if performance is your priority, well, this is kind of a last-of-a-generation jacket that, from my opinion, is going to perform better than the new crop of PFAS-free products which do seem to lack long-term water resistance and, subsequently, breathability levels.

Details

Keeping on the subject of protection levels, the three way adjustment to the hood adds a good amount of stormproofing there – and I found it moves nicely with your head. Some might be disappointed that it doesn’t have a wired or stiffened peak. To me, this hasn’t been too much of a problem as I always wear a cap with a waterproof jacket these days and, in some very torrential weather, the hood has done the job for me.

What I have been disappointed in is the lack of cuff adjustment. This to me is just totally essential to have and on some of the cold and/or very wet and windy days that I’ve worn this, their absence has been a little frustrating. What’s more, the cuffs are also on the narrow side so, when I’m wearing chunky gloves, I’ve found it difficult to pull the jacket on without having to take the gloves off.

Fortunately there is adjustment at the hem so you can lock in warmth down there.

There are underarm zips – something I always look for in a waterproof shell. These are split into two different zips under each arm, which I’ve not seen before. Underarm zips do tend to snag where the fabric creases and perhaps the intention is to remove this issue, which it actually does.

The Cloudland Shell has 5 pockets in total. At first glance, you wouldn’t expect this at all as they’re all very neatly concealed. There are two on the chest and two handwarmers, all of which have protective storm plackets and water resistant zips. And then there’s an internal mesh pocket for dumping gloves. Sadly, I’ve found none of the external pockets to be big enough for an OS map unless it’s folded in half. They’re all the perfect size for a smartphone or satellite receiver however.

Fit

I’m 5 foot 10, I have a fairly regular build and I tried this in a size medium. I’m a little on the edge between medium and large these days but found the medium to be perfect for me. In fact, I really like the cut as it manages to hit that rare goldilocks zone of having a neat, trim look but with enough space underneath for comfortable layering. It pairs really nicely with my Patagonia Synchilla Fleece or my midweight quilted synthetic jacket. The cut, I found, is also quite long – not massively so, but it comes down enough to cover a fair bit of your backside and your trousers pockets. I’m not a fan of short cut hems as I find they allow water to creep into my insulation underneath, so I like the extra coverage the Cloudland provides.

What It’s Best Suited To

I’ve found this to be a good jacket for three-season hillwalks in the UK, offering the right kind of levels of protection I’d want for any very wet and miserable days. At 635g, it’ll probably be a touch too heavy and bulky for many long-distance hikers, that being said, it’s the kind of jacket that would be handy for any backpacking trips through areas with notoriously bad weather – through places like Scandinavia or Scotland, for instance.

OM editor Will is 5 foot 10 and wearing a size M here.

Its fabric, zips and hood do bring the levels of durability and protection that I’d want from a jacket for winter hikes and even mountaineering – and its layering-friendly volume helps there too – but the lack of cuff adjustment does hold it back from being perfectly suited to that kind of stuff.

Verdict

Overall, while this has quite a smart and casual look that makes it the kind of jacket that wouldn’t look out of place on a commute to the office, it has a fabric, construction and many design details that make it right at home as a proper outdoors jacket too. I also really liked the fit – it’s up there as one of the nicest cuts I’ve come across.

For those who prefer traditional hardwearing shells over newer, softer options with weaker DWRs, the Terren Cloudland Shell will likely appeal – provided the inclusion of PFAS isn’t a dealbreaker.

Buy the Teren Cloudland Shell: £384 at Terendesigns.com