Intriguing mix of hydrophobic down and PrimaLoft promises damp-friendly insulation.
It seems like an awfully long time since we first encountered Berghaus's new Mount Asgard Hybrid Jacket with its innovative water-resistant down partial fill at an audience with the crack MtnHaus design team last March. And it is...
This One's Hydrophobic...
But – cue drum roll – we finally have a finished production version of the Hybrid Jacket in our possession. It is, in fact, the second of the breed we've seen, but unfortunately the first one, a pre-production sample we've had for almost a year, had normal rather than water-resistant down, rendering it all a bit hypothetical.
Anyway, the gist of it is this. Berghaus has down that's effectively water resistant. Unlike normal down, the new hydrophobic down repels water for longer than normal down, which simply collapses into a porridge-like mush and also, after normal drying, still retains a claimed 80% of its pre-dunking performance, unlike normal down which goes down to a pitiful 30% level, unless you tumble it with tennis balls, hamsters or such like.
Half Down, Half Biscuit...
With the Hybrid, Berghaus has combined the hydrophobic 700 fill-power down, which is concentrated in micro-baffled cosiness around the core of the trunk – it's the lighter red in the pics – with synthetic PrimaLoft One fill in sleeves, hood, tail and other areas likely to get wet worn under a shell. The outer fabric is a lightweight, soft-handle, Pertex by the way, so completely windproof.
The idea is that the down gives better warmth to weight insulation where it matters, but the synthetic bit increases the knock-about factor of the garment. To be honest, we reckon it would have made more sense to use down throughout and maybe just waterproof shells areas at the hood – maybe PrimaLoft there as well – cuffs and tail, but that's pre-judging things a bit, so we'll shut up now.
Sleek Like Leo...
In terms of cut, the production Hybrid is identical to our proto, which means that like the rest of the Mount Asgard kit, it's cut slim, sleek and Houlding-like for technical use. And it really is slim. Not ridiculous, but clearly targeted at the more athletic build.
There are big, twin, hand-warmer pockets and a zipped mesh internal one, plus elasticated cuffs and an adjustable hem with drop-tail. And because the jacket's been designed for hanging around in cold, dank, damp places, there's a hood too, fully filled with PrimaLoft, with a peak and two-way adjustability.
It fits really nicely with a beanie underneath, snugs down so your lower face and nose are covered and moves with your head too. And if you're climbing, it'll swallow a helmet as well.
Weight is around 395 grammes too. And it's warm. Not full-weight down jacket warm, but comparable to most medium-level synthetic-fill insulation tops with a decent weight saving.
Getting It Wet...
What you're really wondering though, is how the much vaunted hydrophobic down works in the real world and the answer is... you'll have to wait a day or two for us to give it a thrashing and a soaking. Interestingly, the prototype jacket which will still have, gives us a bit of a control garment – identical, but without the correct spec down.
Right now, the weather seems about right – cool, wet, windy and just above zero a lot of the time, so watch this space for an update soon. Retail is £190, but you can find it for less if you look around.
More information at www.berghaus.com.
