Western Rise Meta Shell Jacket Review: Highly Packable yet Flattering

I want to talk about one of the new packable jackets from one of my favorite brands, Western Rise. It’s the Meta Shell Jacket, and it’s a good-looking rain shell that packs up into itself.

Sounds like every other compressible jacket you’ve read about this year, right?

Not so much. What I like about this shell jacket is that it’s not goofy or “doofy,” like some of the rain jackets I own that are from famous outdoors brands. It’s a trim style that’s waterproof, and ready for when I’m itching to get outdoors and hike, travel or walk around one of my favorite cities.

In this review, find out about the quality, style and packability, as I’ll list those out with a bunch of the photos we took of me wearing the Meta Shell.

Meta Shell: Summary

• It’s made to replace your (maybe goofy) rain jacket or windbreaker.
• The fabric is breathable on the inside, and waterproof on the outside. Technically, Western Rise lists that it is “water resistant” in addition to “waterproof.”
• It’s versatile: from acting as a windbreaker to a rain jacket, I also find that it’s a solid everyday jacket that looks put-together and classic, with no excess in the design.

Pros and Cons

Let’s get right into the pros and cons of this Western Rise jacket before the big feature highlights from my experience.

Pros

• It is machine-washable! This is huge for us, and it’s how we like all our travel layers to be.
• The packability is top-notch: this jacket packs into a sling bag and you’d never know it just by looking at it on me.
• I like the versatility of the windbreaker-rain jacket-everyday jacket category. In spring and fall, I tend to wear a light jacket every day, so this can be the one.

Cons

• Not everyone “likes” the sling bag look (well, you also don’t have to carry it as a sling bag—you can pack it into a daypack or backpack).
• It’s a hefty investment for a rain jacket, compared to other brands that price packable jackets under $200.

How does it pack into itself?

Let’s cut right to the chase: this is a packable jacket that packs right into itself and becomes a sling bag that you can even wear around your body.

This is a very cool feature of a very travel-forward jacket. For instance, I can pack up this jacket if I start out hiking and it’s cool, but as I hike up the mountain and break a sweat, I want to ditch the jacket. Bam: I can pack up the Meta Shell in a few blinks of an eye and get it into its little pouch. Then, it becomes a little crossbody bum bag.

I have to hand it to Western Rise on designing this jacket: for so many products I’ve tried, the ones that “pack into themselves” are really difficult to do so. Whether it’s the fact that the packing itself into the bag is confusing, or requires folding, or whether it’s the fact that it never quite zippers shut when the product is folded inward, most brands do it wrong.

The Meta Shell can be stuffed into its bag format and it still has space. This is a key thing to know if you’re considering the bag.

It’s far from a pain: it’s actually fun. I enjoy packing this jacket into its mini bag. And the strap is a bonus: many other packable jackets pack into a sleeve that has a little loop or a ring at the end of it, for attaching to a backpack (and I have never done this with them).

Other best features of the Meta Shell

Here’s what I think stands out.

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The custom fabric

I read into this, because I was intrigued. Western Rise’s “Meta” fabric is a three-layer material. It’s built to protect against the elements and provide versatile performance.

So, what is so great about it? The outer layer is a matte polyester knit, the middle layer is a stretch moisture-wicking polyester and the interior is a stretchy polyurethane membrane to provide insulation.

Also, it’s vegan (awesome!) and Bluesign-Approved (this means it was made according to strict environmental standards). It’s reasons like this that keep me getting my apparel from Western Rise, to align with our sustainable travel.

The fit

As you can see in these photos, this jacket fits me true to size, based on the Western Rise suggested sizing. I’m wearing a Small, in Black.

I think my only critique is that it runs a little long (even though I sized down). I’m 5’9” with an athletic build, and I think if the entire jacket were 1-2 inches shorter, it would be more flattering on my torso.

My fit tip: If you run long and lean, or if you have a proportionally lengthier toros relative to your legs, you should have no problem with length. If you run boxier, I’d note that you may find too much length at the bottom.

Overall quality

This jacket has impressive quality, and I wouldn’t expect much less from the Western Rise brand, after trying products through the years like the AT Pant, Evolution Pant, Evolution Shorts and merino wool products.

The jacket feels heavy and strong, as soon as you take it out of the packaging. I don’t doubt that it will withstand things like brushing against foliage during hiking, and being packed up time and time again into the sling bag.

Western Rise tends to engineer their adventure apparel products to a tee, and that’s what I’m finding in the Meta Shell for my uses.

Good for travel

The travel clothes I own tend to be multi-use, and the Meta Shell falls right into that claim. I barely own anything that serves only one purpose, so that I can minimize when I go away for a trip.

Why the Meta Shell checks out for travel: it serves temperatures between 50ish to 75 degrees (depending on things like wind, humidity and altitude). It’s good for a dry-but-windy climate, or a wet-but-warm(ish) environment. It is especially ideal for a hike you may head out to when you’re on vacation, because you can pack it up when you break a sweat, and you don’t have to tie it around your waist—pack it into the sling.

Another travel scenario in which I find myself is when Becca and I will head out from our hotel in the morning and it’s cool, but my mid-day, it’s warm and sunny. The Metal Shell will compress into my day bag, and I can unpack it again when the sun goes down and it’s a little chillier out.

Room for improvement

The jacket is not perfect, after all. Here are a few criticisms I’d give to the designers.

Feeling the straps on the back of the jacket

When I’m wearing this sitting on the back of a chair, I feel the straps that make up the sling bag. It’s a little less than ideal. If I’m walking around, I barely feel them, so it’s just when my back is against something.

Drawcord at the back of the hood

This is a feature I don’t love. When I have the hood up, it sticks out like an antennae out of the back of my head.

Should you get it?

The Meta Shelll is the coolest jacket that I’ve tried out this year, and it is a winning travel jacket.

As for packable jackets, I’ll say it again: I think it’s almost revolutionary that it packs into its packed form and becomes something wearable. I haven’t seen this from other brands, and they’re missing out.

I’ve tried a lot of Western Rise men’s products for travel, as you may have seen at my Western Rise brand page. I’ve experienced high quality, thoughtful functional features and solid design with Western Rise. Overall, the company uses impressive technical fabrics that stand the tests of all my trips and protect me from the elements.

Is this the jacket of the year? Probably. You’ll find out when you get yours, I think.

Try the Western Rise Meta Shell

Where to get it

Getting your Meta Shell on the Western Rise website gets you secure shipping, free returns and Western Rise’s lifetime guarantee. I wouldn’t suggest getting this jacket anywhere else, like from third-party retailers, because you may miss out on the warranty.