The Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket is an active cut waterproof shell jacket intended for hiking in rainy weather. It sits on the premium end of Adidas Terrex range thanks to the 3L Gore-Tex Active fabric, with a UK RRP of £350.
The jacket joins alongside the Adidas Terrex Swift R3 Gore-Tex hiking shoe to form the Adidas SS21 Hike collection, launched March 2021. While it's not cheap, it is one of the very best waterproof jackets we've tested. Read on for our full Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket review.
Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket review: design
The Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket immediately grabs the eye, due to the fact that our test sample is very fluoro yellow (acid yellow according to Adidas). The ultra-bright fabric will come in pretty useful when the nights close in, but it does come in black if you're after for a less high-viz look. The women's version comes in pale grey (Adidas calls it 'Halo Blue') with fluoro yellow detailing, or black.
Materials-wise, we’re talking a 3L Gore-Tex Active shell, which immediately punts it into a premium category, equipped with two hand pockets, one chest pocket and two semi-underarm vents. This is a proper shell jacket, so it's completely unlined – something that helps breathability and lets you layer up for the conditions, making this a year-round jacket.
There’s something old-school about the cut, which is pretty generous – helpful when attempting to don the jacket in a sudden cloudburst – and the front pockets are designed to form a bulge over a lower skirt at the front. It’s a loose fit, so don’t be tempted to size up unless you’re really going for a baggy look.
Moving up, there’s a high collar that's is a godsend in windy conditions, and a cavernous hood, three-way adjustable and plenty big enough for a helmet. The cuffs are unusually large and cumbersome to begin with, until you try to adjust them on the move, when they’re just the job.
Adidas has gone to town on the reflective details. The rear three stripe logo and cuffs are reflective, with extra bars over the front pockets and the front logo too. The reflector overlay isn’t plain silver, more a blued steel shade that looks interesting in normal light, and fires a fascinating rainbow effect when reflecting. Certainly visible, certainly different, pretty immense. All round the jacket there’s lots of good attention to detail, with little zip garages and reinforced stiffer storm flaps over the pocket zips, a beard guard and storm flap built into the main zip to name but a few. These details really add up to create a premium feel, which is a good thing at this price point.
Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket review: performance and comfort
The Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket is genuinely a weather shelter, thanks to that 3L Gore-Tex Active shell fabric, which completely ignores the worst of the weather, both wind and rain bouncing off as if they didn’t exist. Gore-Tex Active is as breathable as waterproof shell material gets, but it will inevitably steam up in particularly humid or energetic conditions. The pit zips do help stave off dampness in these conditions, but not entirely.
The hood is massive and easily clamped down onto whatever you’re wearing underneath, and the cuffs are easily synched tight but have elastic sections to ease removing it afterwards. The hidden hood adjusters are a nice touch, and the high collar is excellent, really ramping up the protection factor. The hood does have a stiffened section at the front which does provide some wind protection and a bit of structure, but not as much as some mountain-style designs.
Those front pockets are downright weird, till you’re wearing a rucksack or harness and have stuff in them, at which point it becomes clear what the designers were aiming at, and you feel slightly grateful for the unorthodox approach. Another unorthodox move is the pit zips, positioned at an angle such that they may well work as pit zips, but also allow easy access to any pockets below. The zips throughout are vislon waterproof zips, and the rubber tabs are easy to grab in all conditions, although our test model had a particularly recalcitrant main zip, requiring annoyingly careful ‘starting’ each time.
Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket review: verdict
There’s lots to like about the Adidas Terrex Myshelter Active Waterproof Jacket – there’s plenty of neat touches and careful design notes to justify the premium tag, and the high-viz colour scheme will be great for running and cycling in town when the nights draw in – while the less bright alternatives will suit those who don't want to attract quite so much attention. The reflectors are pretty unique and add a touch of playfulness to a jacket that’s otherwise all business. Overall though, practicality is the major theme here, which you’ll appreciate out there in the weather, and the build quality should stand the test of time. In short, you won’t regret buying one.
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