Keela Sherpa Jacket – The Fill

Nothing wrong with the Sherpa’s stuffing at all. It’s 100g PrimaLoft Gold insulation synthetic that’s hydrophobic and retains a significant level of insulation even when it gets damp making it a great option for UK winter conditions.

The medium-warm 100gsm filling is used both in the body and the sleeves, but to be fair, the arms don’t feel restrictive in use. But in a nut-shell, it’s a market-leading, proven, damp-friendly filling.

Keela Sherpa Jacket – Performance

On paper the Sherpa looks like fantastic value for money, a medium-weight, PrimaLoft-filled jacket for £110, but bear in mind that if you want a hood, you’ll need to spend an additional £32 on the optional Sherpa add-on.

The reality though isn’t quite as rosy. The cut is a little on the boxy side, which isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but isn’t ideal. On top of that, we found the zip-off sleeves somewhat pointless and fiddly to use, though if you want a jacket that doubles as a 360g PrimaLoft-filled gilet we guess it makes sense.

Hoods You Lose

To be fair, as a basic, PrimaLoft jacket it does work quite well, handles damp UK conditions nicely and can be battened down using cuff, hem and collar adjusters. Where things go properly wrong is with the optional add-on hood.

It’s a £32, 130g appendage that doesn’t really integrate with the jacket at all. It’s more like an add-on bonnet than a proper hood, leaves a non-fastened area between collar and hood that’s an entry point for wind and has one point of attachment, via a press-stud at the rear, which means you can’t really let it dangle from the back without risking loss.

It’s also fiddly to use with winter gloves. Frankly, we wouldn’t bother with the hood. You’re better off with an insulated hat or mountain cap / balaclava combination. It’s just not very well thought out at all.