 Underwear
There's lots of choice - we like Lowe Alpine Dry Flo, Polartec's PowerDry and merino wool - but any specialist base-layer will be 100 per-cent better than cotton. We've had good results with budget-priced kit from brands like Regatta and Berghaus's Technical Tees. So just do it.
How can Berghaus tech-Ts be considered in the same low regard as Regatta stuff!!?
Ludicrous!
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> How can Berghaus tech-Ts be considered in
> the same low regard as Regatta stuff!!?
We may scoff, but I read a lab survey a year or so ago that rated Regatta's wicking t-shirts as being pretty good compared to other wicking Ts from various brands. I own a couple of Berghaus Tech-Ts for use in warmer weather, and I don't think they're as good as other cheaper wicking Ts that I've owned.
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 I'm thinking of buying a Regatta wicking t-shirt as they are only £9.95. Are they any good or should I pay more than twice as much for a Lowe Alpine Dryflo?
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 Regatta should be insulted that Berghaus are being used as a yardstick for them. Berghaus' kit has been aimed at the lower end of the market for years and their customer services are useless.
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 well...you bought it
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 LOL
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 i'm relatively new to the outdoor scene but alway's led to believe berghaus stuff was well worth the extra pounds.some reply's seem rather negative towards berghaus ??????
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As tarted around by teenagers of a certain ilk these days - that says it all really.
Put it this way - it's not that great....but it's better than really budget brands.
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 I have four Berghaus t-shirts and as far as I'm concerned they're fine. I can't compare them to anything more fancy 'cos I won't pay more than 20 quid for a tee. They're all a lot more comfy than the old nylon adidas ones I used to wear (when the world was young).
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 > As tarted around by teenagers of a certain ilk these days - that says it all really
Not really. The fact that some chavs have decided that Berghaus is a brand to wear doesn't mean that it's no good (anyway, I suspect that phase passed about three years ago). Those muppets are buying it because they have attributed some peer group kudos to it, on an entirely arbitrary basis, just like wearing Burberry baseball caps or Hilfiger tops.
Berghaus is one of those manufacturers who cover a large spectrum of the market, from cheap to expensive. Whether this is a sensible approach, it is hard to tell. So you do get cheap Berghaus stuff, aimed at the 'high-end' Millets range, and more expensive, fully-featured stuff that may not be picked up by the big chains. Their Paclite jackets seem popular and well reviewed by all.
I'm happy with my Peter Storm CoolMax T-shirts (amongst the 11 base layers I own), which were £12.50 each. So you don't need to pay silly prices.
But hey, ho, if you want to be a gear snob and pay for a name rather than the function, that's up to you. (not aimed at Jeannie, BTW).
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oooh Captain - Chavs still are hooked on Berghaus, Craghoppers (really) and Burberry. They think that all those brands are top-notch. The days of Hilfiger, CK and Helly are gone. The fact that the less technical Berghaus jackets are so cheap is picked up on by them and they think they've got a top-end product. It really puts me off the stuff when I see the dross that is wearing it. Can't say I've ever been really struck by any of it, though.
A summer base top I have is by Adidas (shock, horror) and it's a technical fabric that cost me very little in an end of season sale. The WMRT base I bought from Guy is a Regatta one and it's fine but rather warm and high-necked so not for summer. Dry-flo, unless it's the Zone type, I don't like - the fabric is harsh.
My overall faves are Capilene though - not cos it's an upmarket brand, but bcause they perform and feel nice (I have sensitive skin). I always buy them at half-price; full price is too ex-y.
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 I've just bought a Berghaus X-Static top and find it very soft on my delicate skin ;)
Hopefully I'll have a better idea on its performance after the weekend.
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I'm no gear snob, I even own a Eurohike sleeping bag. I have serious reservations about Berghaus' build quality and customer services. Their "well you bought it" attitude to any complaint you make regarding their equipment is simply shite. They want to be at the high end of the outdoor market they should accept and react to criticisms levelled by their long suffering customers rather than blaming the customer for buying it in the first place. I will never buy anything from Berghaus again and will always encourage others to look elsewhere for gear that will meet their requirements from a make that will accept responsibility for any shortcomings the kit might have.
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Berghaus is a well known brand which built its reputation (quite rightly) with its high-end mountain gear. Now that the outdoors is so much more popular (and technical) than it was even 10 years ago, people don't necessarily want or need £50 base layers or £250 jackets, so Berghaus and, to be fair, some other "top" brands have introduced their "cheaper" ranges. Unfortunately, the little Berghaus logo comes at a premium which quite a few "ordinary" people (I include myself in that category, BTW) are willing to pay just to feel like they're walking in the footsteps of some of the great mountaineers. I'm sure you guys noticed that Berghaus gear was all over "Touching the Void" and people take notice of such things.
Someone mentioned Peter Storm Coolmax wicking tops above... well, I bought a couple, out of curiosity, about 18 months ago and I think they're excellent value - I actually prefer them to the Berghaus Tech-Ts that I own. I agree that the (male) Regatta tops are a bit warm for summer, but I suspect that they're great for slightly cooler (but not cold) conditions which, lets face it, is what we have most of the year anyway. Some of my female walking companions tell me that the Regatta women's tops are very good, fold up to a very small size, and only cost a tenner, which I think is a bargain.
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 The Regatta base layers work well full stop, though the fabric doesn't have the soft handle of some more expensive tops.
The Berghaus Tech Tee came about because they realised people were reluctant to spend, say, 40 quid on an Xstatic Top, particularly if they were buying a shell jacket at the same time. They're not super cheapo, but they're not unreasonably priced and work pretty well too.
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 I must say I have used Berghaus kit since the 80s (as well as other brands) and it's allways been excellent. It used to be expensive but moving the production offshore has reduced costs and even improved quality. I know Jonny BC has a particular bee in his bonnet about Berghaus as whenever it is mentioned on here he relates his bad experience.I must say it flies in the face of everyone else I know who has used Berghaus kit. Actually, having serious reservations about build quality casts a doubt on most of the popular brands as they are all now made by contractors in the Far East who make for several different companies at once. As for Regatta - I have some of their base layers and they are very good too.
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 Andy,
i dont think it's just the build quality that John is miffed about it is the customer services (or lack of) that has got him with 'a bee in his bonnet' as you put it. My only experience of berghaus was a jacket that my brother brought about 10 years ago and the tape seams came apart after 6 months this put me off going anywhere near the stuff when I got back into the outdoors. And after hearing horror stories about lack of after sales care I think I made the right choice.
Bad service of any kind looses me as a future customer everytime.
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Well as the saying goes it takes a long time to build up a good reputation and brand and only one bad experience to ruin it - and if a customer is not satisfied with a product or manufacturer they will tell on average about 10 other people. Of course those satisfied rarely say anything unless specifically asked. I remain to be convinced that Berghaus after sales service is any worse than other manufacturers, and having worked in customer facing environments in the past I call tell you that the person who coined the phrase "the customer is always right" should be taken out and shot.
Incidentally, about 10 years ago wasn't there a big problem with the taped seams on Gore-tex garments falling apart that afflicted almost every manufacturer? Something to do with the glue used I believe and incorrect washing.
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<Incidentally, about 10 years ago wasn't there a big problem with the taped seams on Gore-tex garments falling apart that afflicted almost every manufacturer? Something to do with the glue used I believe and incorrect washing.>
possibly but I have got 6 sprayway goretex jackets and a dozen sprayway aquafoil jkts for group use which are 10 years old and are still holding up fine even after being abused by kids :)
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Berghaus did have a problem with taped seams coming untaped in the early 90s, so did several other brands at the time. Then again Lada weren't exactly well thought of then... Things move on, times change, most outdoors gear is now made in the Far East, sometimes in the same factories, sometimes not.
Fwiw, the only problem I've had with test Berghaus kit over the last four years were a broken buckle on the hood of an XCR climbing smock, and some stitching coming loose on a pre-production Xstatic top, but that was pre-production and my production version has been fine.
I can't comment on Berghaus customer service, but I do think it's a little unfair to judge an entire range of outdoor clothing and equipment on one incident in the past. It's the nature of life that people notice when things go wrong, but take precious little notice when they don't. Same with pretty much everything.
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