Shackleton Rothera Review
The Shackleton Rothera is most at home in frozen and windswept terrain, offering ferocious warmth and all day comfort, but it does come at a cost.
The Rothera Antarctic Research station is likely one of the harshest environments on the planet, so name your jacket after it and you better be sure that it can stand up to it. The Rothera down jacket from cold weather specialists Shackleton is packed with technologies to keep you comfortable in cold conditions but it does come at quite a price.
If you’re in the market for an insulating jacket, you’ll rapidly discover there’s a bewildering array of choice. From choosing between synthetic and down and deciphering whether you need a DWR coating or what fill power you need, it’s all a bit of a minefield. There’s a huge range in price too, the Rothera is at the top end but utilises more premium materials and design than more affordable alternatives.
Let’s get the rather large question of price out of the way first, the Rothera will relive you of £495 of your hard-earned cash. We won’t deny that it is a lot of money for a warm coat, cast your eye over other options and on the surface the Rothera seems bafflingly expensive. Dive a little deeper into the technology and intended use of Shackletons ‘ultimate down jacket’ and the price will become more palatable.
5/5
£495 | Buy from Shackleton
Positives
Exceptional warmth
Sculpted fit
Packs down small
Plenty of pockets
Highly breathable but warm
Feels ultra durable
Negatives
Likely too warm in anything but the harshest UK conditions
No denying it’s expensive
The Lowdown
RDS certified 850FP 90/10 Down fill
2.8 RET Breathablity rating
100% recycled shell and lining
C-zero DWR coating
Rated for -12c to +12c
Performance fit
The Rothera is packed with 850 fill RDS-certified goose down which Shackleton say will keep you toasty between -12c and 12c with suitable layering. An important figure that is often over looked here is the down to feather ratio; down is more insulative than feather so a higher proportion of down will keep you warmer. Many brands don’t disclose their ratio but the Rothera uses a 90/10 ratio which is among the highest available.
All that down is contained within a lightweight 100% recycled nylon ripstop fabric which we’ve been impressed with its durability; some down jackets have a very thin face fabric that we’ve winced as we brush pass bushes that it’ll snag and release a cloud of feathers. No such worries with the Rothera, it’s a substantial feeling material that doesn’t feel overly weighty but has brushed off a couple of meetings with jagged rocks when scrambling.
The face fabric is treated with a C-zero water repellent finish which makes it resistant to light rain and drizzle but anything more you’ll want to layer up with a shell. Sporting a breathability rating of 2.8 RET, the Rothera claims to be an extremely breathable jacket, allowing water vapour to escape whilst keeping warmth in.
In the past when layering up with a baselayer, down jacket and shell, we’ve experienced on multiple occasions that come the end of the day, our down jacket has become sodden with sweat and has almost no insulative properties. This is because the down is trapping moisture as well as warmth which leads to the down becoming saturated and clumping together because the down jacket is not breathable enough.
We’ve had no such issues with the Rothera, taking off our shell at the end of the day we’ve been greeted with a jacket that is dry with the down still lofted and providing insulation.
The fit of the Rothera is something that we’ve grown to love, at first we weren’t sure about the highly sculpted fit as it felt a bit restrictive compared to other jackets we’ve worn but out in the hills we appreciated the performance fit kept us warmer without having excess material flapping about in the wind. The sleeves are nicely tapered to produce a snug fit around the wrists, something that is aided by the soft and stretchy storm cuffs with thumb holes to ensure no icy air can shoot up the sleeves.
The cut across the shoulders is slightly more generous too, this reviewer is quite broad so having a bit more space here was very welcome, allowing great freedom to move about without excess material. The torso of the Rothera is heavily sculpted too, the tight baffles tapering down slightly towards the waist with a dropped tail and carefully shaped hem designed not to interfere with a harness used when pulling a pulk.
Shackleton have designed the Rothera to be the ultimate jacket and their pursuit of excellence doesn’t stop at materials. A pair of chest pockets are large enough to keep a phone or compass and the two fleece lined hip pockets offer refuge for frozen hands seeking protection from the elements. On the inside is another pocket which contains a stuff sack which the Rothera can be compressed into.
The hood is also highly sculpted offering a cocoon of warmth and adjustable via a pair of elastic draw strings. There’s no hard peak in the brim of the hood but that’s not a deal breaker for us, the drawstrings allow for a snug enough fit and you should be wearing a shell over the top if the rain is hard enough to warrant a peak.
Out in the mountains, Shackleton’s pursuit of performance is clear; the Rothera is one of the warmest jackets we’ve had the chance to test, keeping us toasty through a Scottish winter. Being a Scottish winter, there was equal amounts of rain and wind to go with those rare bluebird days so we mostly wore the Rothera as a mid-layer under a shell.
It performed admirably, keeping us warm without overheating and the shaped fit sat nicely under our shell meaning we still had a huge amount of flexibility even when layered up to the max.
We also wore the Rothera on less extreme adventures as an outer and found the slew of pockets to be handy for keeping track of a phone, car keys, lens caps and all the other things you seem to acquire in day-to-day life.
In our eyes, Shackleton have achieved their aim of creating the ultimate jacket. It’s durable, high performing and practical; yes, it’s expensive but we’d wager it’ll twice as long than something half the price. It’s also a jacket that isn’t for everyone; if you tend to stay away from the hills in winter, it will likely be too warm for mild spring and autumn adventures. The Rothera’s natural terrain is likely the frozen mountains of Scotland or further afield where temperatures can really plummet.