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Berghaus Paclite Smock
Tested
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Price:
£120.00
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Weight: 275 grammes (men's large) mesh
stuff sac: 23 grammes
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Features: Gore-Tex
Paclite Helium fabric, hood with volume adjuster and wired
visor, mesh chest pocket with accessory D-ring, smock design
with half-length zip with double storm flap, adjustable
cuffs (hook and eyelet), adjustable shock-corded
hem.
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Light, small packing, highly breathable
Loose stuff sac easily lost
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The Concept Dead simple really: very light, very small packing
and very breathable with no unnecessary frills. Part of the new Extrem Light collection, this is intended as a
fully waterproof top that can sit in your pack without you noticing
the weight, but do teh job when needed. It also uses the New Paclite fabric that's significantly
better than the old, spotty version and - we reckon - more breathable
than XCR too. More on that fabric's performance in the articles
linked to below, but it's one of the best we've ever used.
The Berghaus verison is called 'Helium' and is the result of
cooperation with a leading fabric manufacturer to bond an
ultra-lightweight but still strong face fabric to the Paclite
membrane. Somehow, although it's very light, it manages to do it
without feeling either fragile or overly 'crisp packety'. A good
trick if you can pull it off.
All up weight is just 275 grammes, claimed and measured and pack
size is around a half-pint glass size. All pretty impressive. Bear in
mind though that Paclite's not intended for heavy duty all round use
or extended backpacking with heavy packs, more for the sort of days
when your soft shell won't quite cope with what's coming down, or
you're not really expecting rain at all.
Last but not least, the first Berghaus Paclite Jacket weighed
around twice what this scores on the scales and cost around
£240. Remarkably, the retail for the Smock is only £120...
Features Like we said, it's simple, but not deprived. You get
a volume-adjustable wired hood, half-zip with double storm flap and
adjustable cuffs and drop hem.Cut is reasonably close and big boys
may need to look elsewhere. It's not restrictive though allowing free
movement.
In Action We're already gone on record to say how much we like
the new Paclite fabric, but in case you missed out, here's a recap:
it's a very breathable material with an inner protective layer that
seems to act as a buffering zone - you can rub a drop of water into
the liner and watch it soak in.
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Simple design suits simple
wearer...
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Most people will find breathability excellent for walking, though
we've found that high intensity activities like mountain biking or
running will overwhelm the fabric after around 25 minutes. Then again
the same is true of many windproofs and Lowe's excellent eVENT fabric
too. Gore says it's '40 per-cent more breathable' than normal
Gore-Tex, but we also think it's significantly better than XCR,
though not as tough and durable.
We can't fault the Paclite Smock for pack size and weight - it's
brilliant, though the stuff sac does weigh an extra 23 grammes -
that's slightly more than a fountain pen by the way. Nor when used as
intended is there anything much wrong with the minimalist design and
features.
The adjusters all work as advertised and the wired hood, though
not a full mountain item, is still adequate. If you want to wear it
over a helmet though, forget it and take a look at the Paclite Pro
jacket or the ME Firefly or Haglöfs LIM Ultimate.
The sleeves are mildly articulated for ease of use and the drop
tail comes in handy when mountain biking. Some users will miss a
map-sized pocket, but for occasional use, we felt it wasn't a major
omission.
If we had to quibble, we'd prefer the stuff sac to be built in,
though in fact you can simply use the mesh-lined chest pocket and
save a little weight. You'll probably have to once you've lost the
one supplied... Call us pessimistic, but the hills must be littered
with mesh stuff bags by now. Otherwise though, it's hard to fault.
If you're in the market for a very light, fully waterproof but highly
breathable top that packs down to next to nothing and is still
relatively affordable, this should be high on your list.
The design of the garment itself is frill-free and functional and
we've no complaints, though storage junkies might prefer a few more
pockets. The hood is fine for three-season use with a wired peak that
works well enough and the cut is good. The fabric feels tough for
such a light material, but bear in mind that it's not intended for
heavy duty climbing or backpacking use.
We're very impressed with New Paclite too. It will still succumb
eventually in the face of high intensity activities, but will keep
you comfortable for longer than most and for general walking use,
most people will find it a revelation. We reckon fast movers and
anyone who's switched to soft shell but still needs to use a
waterproof occasionally when it really buckets down should, erm, buy
one . Top kit.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
It's very light, it's very small, it's very breathable, it
won't like being rubbed hard on rough rock or worn with heavy
pack for day after day and it's waterproof too. If that's
what you're looking for in a waterproof, we can't really
think of a good reason not to buy one. Oh, except that it
doesn't have many pockets and the hood won't go over a
helmet. Top kit.
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