Mountain Hardwear Kepler Jacket

I got my Kepler to replace an old Dragon. Since the Kepler is ostensibly the replacement for the the Dragon, I thought I might share my impressions on the Kepler in comparison to the old jacket.
The Kepler seems to be a hard shell with a soft touch. On the MHW website, you can find this jacket in the shell section, described as a softshell. While that seems confusing (in no small part due to the fact that the site has a separate section for softshells where the Kepler is NOT located), it makes a lot of sense once you get your hands on it. It definitely has a soft feel both on the inside and on the face fabric, but the Dry.Q Elite membrane itself is rather stiff and a bit crinkly. The jacket overall is a lot softer than any hard shell, but it definitely is a shell. It's a lot more shell-like than the outgoing Dragon, as the face fabric feels more solid but the interior is actually softer against bare skin.
The fit is basically what I expected based on my experience with the Dragon and other MHW alpine jackets. The length in the back is long enough for bike riding. One thing that keeps coming up in reviews is the arm width/length. I definitely could have gone for narrower arm holes (where sleeves meet chest) because the jacket does lift up quite a bit when I lift my arms, but otherwise, the arms are perfect. I'm a pretty big-armed guy and the sleeves are plenty wide and long. I think when people talk about the lack of proper arm length, they mean when using the thumb loops. The butter jersey cuffs are recessed pretty far behind the wrist, so the thumb loops seem like an afterthought. The arms feel way too short when I use the thumb loops. When I forgo the loops and use the butter jersey cuffs as cuffs, the arms feel fine (and my wrists are ridiculously comfortable). Overall, I would say the fit and feel of the Kepler is an improvement over the Dragon.
It's waterproof. There is no doubt about that. My old Dragon was clearly not waterproof. It didn't even have a watertight main zipper. It did take a pretty serious rain to wet out the Dragon, but the Kepler is waterproof in all rains. The 40,000 mm waterproof rating means you could put a 130(!) foot column of water on the shoulder and not a drop would get through.
The Kepler is also significantly more breathable than the outgoing Dragon, which used Windstopper instead of a waterproof membrane. The Dragon, while more breathable than any waterproof-breathable I had tested up until now, still developed the microclimate problem common in shells. There wasn't any airflow so my body heat and sweat made the inside of my Dragon much like a tropical jungle. This happened to an even greater extent in my various waterproof-breathables. But in the Kepler (I suppose due to the air permeability of Dry.Q Elite) no microclimate develops. I took it on a serious bike ride on a foggy rainy day, and the only place I felt moist was under my backpack. My head was dry, my chest was dry, and my armpits(!) were dry. This crazy breathability and the lack of a microclimate means two things: 1) Overheating and the fatigue that comes with it are non-existent. You really can go harder longer in Dry.Q Elite. 2) Body heat and sweat escape so quickly that you might want an extra layer compared to a Gore Tex shell. It completely blocks the wind, but that plastic bag effect you probably are used to in waterproof-breathables just isn't there.
Overall, the Kepler is an outstanding piece that delivers on all its promises. There's not much to complain about, and it's all minor stuff. It's definitely a massive step forward from the Dragon and the status quo.

200 lb, 34" waist, 45" chest, 35" arms. Got an XXL in this to make sure I had room to layer under it. I tried the large and it was way to tight and the sleeves ended well before my wrist. XL would have probably been just fine, but I sized up to get a few layers under it. This jacket was one of the few that MH makes with the Dry Q that actually fits a ski helmet nicely. No idea why there even more expensive snow jackets cant fit a helmet, but this one does and is cheaper! Big pluses - waterproof, very breathable (almost too much, you can feel a slight breeze through the jacket, so I were a light windbreaker under to compensate) sturdy material (heavier than I would have liked, but it feels like it can take on anything) sturdy zippers, well placed pockets. And the green is bright! I am very excited to test this jacket it out this snowboard/splitboard season.

First shortcoming are the cuffs. I am 5'10, 160lbs and I bought the medium size. If I put my thumbs through the holes in the cuffs they cut into my hand like crazy. The sleeves seem long enough so it appears that they did not design the cuffs correctly. I have a Northface and Spyder jackets with cuffs that were done right. Not a big deal even for skiing since this is a warm weather shell. It fits a bit snug but there is room to add layers. I usually wear two layers with a mid layer fleece and it is roomy enough and comfortable. The fabric is not as stretchy as in some soft shells but it does not feel restrictive even in aggressive skiing. There is one inner pocket. The hand pockets are large and the chest one accommodates a cell phone plus some small things. I am happy with the product overall.

I'm giving it four stars because the fabric is savvy and this things totally feels bombproof. Serious zippers. Serious fabric.
Unfortunately, compared to other MH jackets (I most recently purchased the Cutaway), this is kinda snug. I know they say softshell, but it's definitely different, with much less stretch and moveability. It's also cut kinda close in the armpits and sleeves. I'm no giant, (5'7, 140, got the medium like my Cutaway), but this thing seriously pulls at my armpits and elbows when I move around. The sleeves are also shorter than the other comparable softshells I've tried (MH, Stoic, EMS, Arcteryx). And there's crinkle. I definitely feel crinkle. Not awful, but this is definitely more firm-shell than soft.

Bought this for use in London's cold and rainy climate. Has suited me for almost any condition so far. Completely waterproof and am planning on skiing in this jacket in the Swiss alps with some layers underneath. I could not be happier with my purchase. It's breathable, lightweight and can add a layer if you size up like I did. I am 5'10" 165lbs and bought a large. There is a ton of flexibility to move if skiing or climbing... Great value for a quality product. I would reccomend this jacket to anyone looking to be active in cold weather. The lining is rather thin, but seems to work in almost any condition however.

This shell is awesome, and the bright yellow has so much steeze! So far for me its been completely waterproof and super breathable. It's got that classic Mountain Hardware quality as well with watertight zippers and a very custom fitted hood which can fit over a helmet. Another nice feature is the wrist cuffs with thumb holes to keep out the snow and the burly pit zips. Such a great storm day jacket, would recommend to anyone!

I picked this up at a local gear shop who was doing a sort of garage sale. I just picked it up on a whim because I needed a rain jacket very bad. It was definitely the best decision I made. It has held up great even in torrential downpours. The DryQ is incredibly lightweight and oh so breathable. I'm 5'10 and 155lbs and the medium works great. Fits plenty of layers underneath as well.