Over the last two months I have had the pleasure of reviewing the Sherpa Lakpa Rita Hard-shell Jacket. The Lakpa Rita Jacket is named after the legendary Sherpa from Nepal who had climbed Everest on 17 occasions and was the first Sherpa to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents. This Jacket is built to withstand the worst weather conditions.

The Main fabric is an eVent® with a durable water repellent finish that comes with a 20,000mm mvtr waterproof and 30,000 breathable rating. This allows the Jacket to cope with torrential downpours of rain yet allows your body to breathe fully and not over heat. The Jacket has a helmet compatible hood with a single adjustment at the back, this allows you to tighten the hood when needed. The seams are perfectly placed away from the shoulder tops this helps you avoid chafing while carrying heavy backpacks. The Jacket has 4 pockets two on the chest that are big enough to store a mobile phone, Mp3 Player  or some food supplies and two large zipped hand pockets with plenty of room for gloves, Hat and Buff. They can also be opened up to allow for additional breathability.

I really like Lakpa Rita Jacket its extremely light weighing only 15 OZ. and packable allowing you to store it easily in your backpack. I have been caught in some very heavy wind and rain in the Lakpa Rita Jacket and it really has stood up to all of them. It is impressively waterproof yet managed to be very breathable at the same time. The pockets are the perfect size with plenty room for all the essentials. The hood is extremely large allowing climbers to wear their helmet inside the hood. The adjustment at the back allows you to tighten the hood even when wearing gloves but I would have preferred two extra tension cords at the front.

One thing that sets the Sherpa range of products apart from the others is their attention to detail, all pieces of clothing come finished with an endless knot the symbol in their words “represents the unity of thought and action, words and deeds, wisdom and compassion. We place it here to bring you good fortune”. I think this is a nice little touch.

This is a top quality jacket that would compete with the best in the market at a fraction of the cost, it truly is designed to last. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in hiking running, climbing and Alpine sports. The jacket comes in a variety of Colours and sizes from S-XXL