New Berghaus Clothing Scoop!

We dropped in on Berghaus the other day to take a look at their new kit which'll be in the shops at the end of this summer. We've already told you about the new range of Extrem packs, which should be in the shops this month, May, but we thought you'd like a quick preview of their updated clothing range as well, so here are a few highlights.

Stretchy Shells... The old Accelerator Jacket, the one that uses Gore's Stretch XCR is getting a revision and is going to be called Accelerator 2. The main differences are two big chest pockets, for easy mountain use with a harness, plus the hood has been revised to accommodate a climbing helmet. Stretch XCR panels help fit and price is going to be £225. Meanwhile the matching Accelerator Pant gets the boot and is discontinued, but to make up for that, there's a new Stretch Big Wall Pant (£180) which incorporates Stretch XCR panels in strategic areas like seat and knee for improved mobility. It also comes with removable braces, a drop seat for convenience(s) plus full-length zips with narrow, Velcro-fastened storm flaps. Good news for the gurlz is that there's also a women's specific version (see pic) of the Accelerator. It's called the Vitesse - wasn't that some old Triumph? - and like its bro combines 3-ply XCR with Stretch XCR, helmet hood and two big front pockets. Pastel colours give the women's specific cut game away and the price is the same as the bloke's version at £225. There are also Vitesse Pants (£150) again for the lasses and closer to last year's Accelerator Pant in design, though no braces. Perhaps they're relying on the good old curvy hips to keep the waistband in place... Nice to see some unashamedly technical women's specific clothing mind.

Windstopper Soft Shell Or Windstopper windproof / water resistant shell, or whatever you want to call it. The bottom line is that Berghaus want a slice of the 'soft shell' market and their chosen weapon is Gore's Windstopper Soft Shell fabric. The top end version is the £150 Guide jacket. It's a neat-looking, full length top with a rollaway windproof hood, pit-zips and chest pockets plus WS Trango reinforcements in high wear areas like the shoulders. Sleeves are articulated, cuffs and hem are adjustable. Should be a contender. Weight is 744 grammes mind. "Ideal for high octane activities", it says here. If that sounds a bit pricey, they've also got the £100 Tempest which uses a different variant of the Windstopper fabric called Royal Race and a more stripped down design (and weight at 550 grammes). No pit-zips, no reinforcement. No hood, just two zipped handwarmer pockets, so it's more of a mountain walker's jacket. Gurlz get their own option, the Cyclone, and you could team either with the close-fitting Guide Pants (£100) in the same fabric as the Guide jacket and with side vents and a zip fly.

Technical Fleece Fleece has been a bit beaten up by soft shell recently, but that hasn't stopped Berghaus from knocking together the Sangar jacket. It uses Polartec 200-weight Thermal Pro fleece, but those darker areas are a tougher Powershield fabric placed at hips and shoulders to minimise wear from rucksac use. The fabric also has a DWR coating so it should shed light rain and dry quickly and Berghaus is touting it as 'a fleece alternative to the Guide jacket'. We reckon it'll be ideal for still condition, cold weather use and, at £80, it's cheaper than either of the soft shell options.

New XCR Walking Jacket Berghaus was the first company to produce a more traditionally styled walking jacket using Gore's more breathable XCR fabric. The High Trails was effective, but quite conservatively styled, a sort of Rover amongth walking jackets. For later this year, they've taken an MG approach to the design with a new, shorter, snazzier version called the High Trek. Still using two-ply XCR and still aimed squarely at walkers rather than climbers and wannabes, it's £20 cheaper than the revised High Trails 2 and, dare we say it, looks rather lovely. The mad orange version in the pics sadly isn't going to make it into production (can we have one please Berghaus, please, er... sorry) but it looks like being a practical and good-looking jacket that should attract a younger buyer. Features include a roll-away hood, two zipped handwarmer pockets, adjustable cuffs and hem, two zipped internal pockets and a reach across zipped cargo pocket. Also available as the Women's High Trek, doubtless in nicer colours.

Aquafoil Pro Stuff Aquafoil Pro is the company's own waterproof, breathable shell fabric aimed at a more affordable price level than Gore-Tex. It's a two-layer laminate with, say Berghaus, 85 per cent of the breathability of an equivalent 2-layer Gore-Tex fabric. There are five new jackets in Aquafoil Pro, but the one we like the look of is the Scree. It's aimed at mountaineers and walker, but there's also a zip-out snow skirt that should make it a good choice for skiers as well. For £130 you're getting neat styling, wired fold down hood, venting chest pockets, pit-zips and that all important map pocket, so beloved of magazine testers everywhere. Looks like a good all round mountain jacket, particularly if your wallet cringes at the sight of fully-specified Gore-Tex. The rest of the Aquafoil Pro range is a little more conservative.

New Baselayers! Seems Berghaus did some research in the Lakes and found that 75 per cent of walkers - not day trippers mind, but walkers - were still wearing non-wicking cotton tees under their expensive breathable jackets. Their response is a neat new range which they're calling Tech T. It's designed to look and feel more like cotton and has been tested and recommended by Gore for use with Gore-Tex fabrics. Pricing is designed to be affordable, so a straight, long-sleeved zip-neck comes in at £22 with a short-sleeved tee at £18. Berghaus say that performance isn't as good as their high spec Powerdry Xstatic Top, but then it's half the price. They look neat, come in nice colours and have a softer feel than the previous, rather shiny-feeling ACL base layers. The fabric is a 100 per cent microfibre polyester denier gradient fabric, which uses the phystic structure of the yarn to move moisture away from the skin. Looks like good value.

That's all for now, this kit won't be in the shops until late August / September, so don't go annoying retailers by asking for it now. For the current Berghaus range see the Berghaus web site. Thanks to Chris and Caroline for putting up with my temperamental borrowed camera without crying or losing their tempers... Oh, and for the stotties too...