Berghaus has taken a bit of a roller coaster ride over the past decade. For years they've been one of THE leaders in technical and high altitude mountaineering, used by expeditions the world over. Their kit is generally very good. The problem has been that since the late 90s 'outdoor' kit has become a lot more trendy. It's no-longer soley in the domain of the rohan-clad smelly Helly wearer. Suddenly it seemed as if every man and his dog was wandering around the high streets in TNF/Berghaus and Lowe Alpine kit that had never seen a Scottish Winter.
Berghaus have got they're act together over the last 5/6 years. Their xtreme range is excellent. That said, there are a lot of other great makes out there. Buy a jacket from Mountain Equipment, Mountain Hardware, TNF, Arc'teryx, Lowe Alpine, RAB, Paramo to name but a few and you'll be very happy.
The problem with outdoor jackets is that the mantra "the more you pay the more you get" is pretty much correct. To get welded seams, Goretex XCR and Paclite, a decent hood, lightweight reversed zips, decent cut, no hem lift, high abrasion resistant panels and sub 700 grammes costs a lot of cash.
I've got an old ME Changabang jacket which I use for winter mountaineering and gerneral hill walking. It's a great jacket but it's certainly not as light or as tachnical as some of the shells you can get these days.
Berghaus have got they're act together over the last 5/6 years. Their xtreme range is excellent. That said, there are a lot of other great makes out there. Buy a jacket from Mountain Equipment, Mountain Hardware, TNF, Arc'teryx, Lowe Alpine, RAB, Paramo to name but a few and you'll be very happy.
The problem with outdoor jackets is that the mantra "the more you pay the more you get" is pretty much correct. To get welded seams, Goretex XCR and Paclite, a decent hood, lightweight reversed zips, decent cut, no hem lift, high abrasion resistant panels and sub 700 grammes costs a lot of cash.
This is pretty much correct. Arc'teryx make jackets that maybe 100 quid more than the competition but you can REALLY tell the difference. A £350 Alpha SV Jacket is in a different league to a £270 Lowe Alpine Ice Man Jacket for instance.Darko said:
I've got an old ME Changabang jacket which I use for winter mountaineering and gerneral hill walking. It's a great jacket but it's certainly not as light or as tachnical as some of the shells you can get these days.