Berghaus Solipsist Jacket - First
Look
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Price:
£300
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Weight: 676 grammes
(large)
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Features: Gore-Tex
XCR waterproof shell jacket with features developed for big
wall climbing. Gasket Cuff couble cuff system with drain
holes, helmet-compatible mountain hood with stiffened and
wired peak, twin Ghost Weld bonded pockets, Gripper Tab zip
pulls, micro-tape seams for reduced bulk, articulated
sleeves, Thermomoulded reinforcement on shouders and elbows,
reflective logos, internal fleece-lined collar, with
adjustment, hidden hood adjusters.
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What's It For? The Solipsist is part of the Big Wall range
developed by Berghaus in cooperation with their sponsored climbers,
like Leo Houlding, to cope with the very specific demands of big wall
climbing.
That means multi-day routes on towering vertical faces with bivvy
kit pulled behind in large haul bags and nights spent sleeping on
portaledges - think window-cleaning platforms. It's a demanding
environment where there's no escape from bad weather and clothing
takes a lot of punishment from being dragged across the rock and
assaulted by ropes...
As the number of big wall climbers in the UK could probably be
counted on the legs of just a few centipedes, it doesn't take a
genius to work out that most of the big wall range will be used for
more conventional mountaineering. Berghaus would argue that the
features which work on a big wall will also be handy elsewhere.
But it is more than just a range of clothing. The range is a bit
of a flagship for Berghaus to demonstrate that they can make focussed
technical kit - it's a bit like a car manufacturer who launches a
top-end sports car to show off their technical abilities.
The Techy Bits There are a an awful lot of features on the
Solipsist designed to make you go, ooh, that's clever. Take the
Double Gasket cuffs which have an internal cuff designed to fit
inside your glove to creat a water-resistant seal, even when your
hands are above your head when climbing.
Or the internal fleece-lined and adjustable collar, which you can
cinch up to seal your neck opening. Or the massive helmet hood with
its multiple adjusters and sittened and wired peak. Then there's the
thermomoulded reinforcement on the elbows and shoulders -below -
which looks a bit like plastic snot, mahoosive, easy to use
zip-pulls, reflective bits and so on. Even the care label is a neat
variation on a climbing topo.
The main fabric is Gore-Tex XCR with a very tough-feeling face,
main zip is a water-resistant one backed by a storm flap. Like we
said, lots of features.
How It Works Ideally we'd have headed off to a big wall to put
the Solispsist through its paces, but unfortunately we had to make do
with the Peak and Snowdonia and, to be honest, we felt a tad
overdressed in the jacket particularly with its beacon orange
colourway. Great for being spotted against a sea of rock, less
discreet in the middle of Kinder.
So what can we tell you? For starters, it won't be getting a rave
review in Trail as the pockets won't take an OS map. Then there's the
fabric which may be tough as old boots, but is also cardboardy and
noisy with a stiff, restrictive feel that will either annoy the hell
out of your or possibly make you feel protected and secure.
Then there's the cuffs. A nice idea on paper where the inner cuff
sits under the glove, a stretch outer sleeve sits over it and water
runs out of a pair of drain holes keeping you dry even when you hands
are above you head. A neat idea, that could have been better
executed.
Here's why - the outer cuff is a thick, stretch fabric though it
has minimal give where doubled at the hem. But it's also gusseted
with a water-resistant zip to allow volume adjustment. That means
that where the zip is, you have a thick water-resistant zip lying on
top of a double thickness pleat of fabric. Why is the zip water
resistant? There's no reason for it, what's behind it is completely
waterproof, it just adds bulk. Add in a pair of gloves and the inner
cuff and you have serious bulk with or without gloves.
Plus if you're not wearing gloves the outer cuff can't be cinched
down and unless your wrists are thick enough to seal the inner cuff,
which our's aren't, there's no way of sealing that opening. You could
argue that in the rain , on a big wall, you'd always be wearing
waterproof gloves, but we're not entirely convinced.
Then there's the integral collar which should allow you to seal
the neck. A nice idea, but the drawcord adjuster runs around the top
of the collar rather than halfway making for an uncomfortable, uneven
seal.
The hood is a big, seriously protective device that works decently
with or without a helmet, so that's a plus and overall we can't fault
the build-quality or rubustness of the jacket, it feels like it'll
cope with anything and it coped fine with normal British winter
conditions. We did find it stlightly restrictive looking up wearing a
BD Half Dome, but that will vary with helmet size and neck / head
dimensions. We found the various adjusters easy to use with gloved
hands as well.
Fit is technical by Berghaus standards and we found arm mobility
good with no rising up when reaching up or forward for holds.
One last thing, there's a small reinforced patch that loks like
Keprotec - kevlar fabric - on the inside point of each elbow, we're a
little concerned that with use it might actually abrade the face
fabric of the jacket by rubbing on the side of the body when walking.
We can't fault the build quality or the materials of the
Solipsist, it feels like it's built to last and we suspect you'd be
hard pressed to find a more durable jacket. It may also, be excellent
in its intended environment, on big walls.
Unfortunately
it's also stiff and noisy and while the cuffs seem like a good idea,
they really do need refining. As it stands they're annoyingly bulky
and seemed overlong too. The internal collar needs looking at too,
though the hood itself, though an unusual design works very well.
At 676 grammes, the jacket's not that heavy, but there are plenty
of very good technical shells out there weighing quite a lot less. Of
course the pay-off should be better durability.
We can't really say how good the Solipsist is for big wall use,
but for more general mountain wear, it's almost as it its cleverness
is its achilles heel. It's a shame as with more refinement, the cuffs
and internal collar could be a real boon, but as it stands, they're
actually irritating and need revising.
We're not knocking Berghaus' vision, it's clear that the Solipsist
has been engineered to cope with a tough environment, and that's as
it should be, it's just that the solutions they've come up with are a
bit on the clunky side.
For general mountaineering use, we reckon there are better,
cheaper and lighter jackets out there. But if toughness is a
necessity for you and you can live with the cuff design and general
stiffness, take a look. Oh, it's available in blue too, for the shy
and retiring big wall climber :-)
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