Keela Munro women’s ski jacket review: an impressive multitasker

A great quiver-of-one winter jacket for the mountains, the Keela Munro is as happy hiking as it is carving up the pistes

Keela Munro
(Image: © Keela)

Advnture Verdict

A mountain hiker’s jacket that can double up as a snowproof but breathable ski jacket with no bother, Keela’s popular Munro is ideal if you like to shake up the ways you get outdoors in the winter months.

Pros

  • +

    Waterproof and windproof

  • +

    Breathable

Cons

  • -

    Heavy

  • -

    Not as warm as some others

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Keela Munro: first impressions

The Keela Munro is the workhorse of our best women’s ski jackets round-up – this multi-use jacket means business, and it’s no surprise it’s used by Mountain Rescue teams. 

It works as a hiking jacket in spring and fall but is also ready to tackle cold conditions, so it’s ideal if you ski a few times a year but also regularly get out in the mountains on hiking and mountaineering adventures. 

When you do meet snow, the jacket has an effective snow skirt, fleece-lined pockets and a packable hood. This design is also breathable enough to move fast in thanks to technology designed to reduce internal condensation and well-placed pit zips that keep you cool on sunny mountain days, or if you work up a sweat.

Specifications

RRP: $265 (US) / £200 (UK)
• Waterproofing: Waterproof laminate
• Insulation: N/A
• Sizes: S / M / L / XL / XXL
• Colors: Red & Black / Moss / Black
• Compatibility: For forays into the mountains – hiking, mountaineering and skiing

Keela Munro: on the slopes

We found the Munro to be one of the most breathable jackets we tested. We liked popping the hood away for skiing, and would probably only use the hood for hiking, where its wired peak is handy for keeping rain at bay. 

This jacket is on the bulky and heavy side at 1kg, but besides a lack of packability that doesn’t matter much – it isn’t insulated, but we found it worked well worn over a warm down jacket for winter sports. Sizing is generous, so there’s plenty of room to pop a fleece or an insulated mid layer underneath if the temperatures do drop. 

Yes, this is probably a hardy jacket first and a ski jacket second, but we really do think it makes a great choice for ski guides, seasonnaires and anyone who wants a winter-appropriate jacket they can rely on any time they head for the mountains.

Sian Lewis

An award-winning travel and outdoors journalist, presenter and blogger, Sian regularly writes for The Independent, Evening Standard, BBC Countryfile, Coast, Outdoor Enthusiast and Sunday Times Travel. Life as a hiking, camping, wild-swimming adventure-writer has taken her around the world, exploring Bolivian jungles, kayaking in Greenland, diving with turtles in Australia, climbing mountains in Africa and, in Thailand, learning the hard way that peeing on a jellyfish sting doesn’t help. Her blog, thegirloutdoors.co.uk, champions accessible adventures.