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Berghaus ACL Top Tested

Simple but effective baselayer top from the guys and girls at the big B


Posted: 25 January 2002
by Jon

Berghaus ACL Long Sleeved Top

Price: £30.00 (also available as short-sleeved crew for £25)

Weight: 200 grammes (men's M)

Features: Long sleeves,crew neck, Advanced Comfort Layer 1000 fabric, flat-locked seams with clean shoulder design for comfort under rucksac straps

All conditions base layer
Shrinks with abuse


Berghaus ACL - Advanced Comfort Layer - is another of the baselayers which use mechanical wicking with thicker fibres on the inside and thinner on the outer and like other similar fabrics works pretty well.

Subjectively we'd say the wicking performance isn't quite as good as PowerDry or Lowe's DryFlo, but that's nit-picking and it's a more than adequate baselayer which works well as part of a layering system. Or 'worked' well until it snuck into a higher temperature wash and assumed midget-like proportions as a result. Our fault rather than the material's but a lesson for us all. We're sending it to Geri Halliwell as a gift.

The design is simple, with no seams running over the top of the shoulder, though for general use we'd have preferred a zip-neck and collar style for ventilation and sun protection and comfort. Unfortunately Berghaus only produce ACL in long or short-sleeved crew neck versions, which means although it's a decent material, we'd choose others first.

Oh, it also tended to pong a little more than average with use, though it wasn't exatraordinarily offensive and certainly not in the same league as the original Helly Lifa before it was fixed.

Verdict: Decent mechanical wicking fabric using the same principles as DryFlo, PowerDry etc and well constructed shoulders and seams, however we'd have preferred it in a zip-neck, long-sleeved version, which isn't an option from Berghaus. If you want a simple design though, it's in the ball park.

Performance

Value


Berghaus web site

Pushed for time: Reasonable wicking performance from the material won't disappoint, but not as versatile as it might be in a different style. Simple, dependable design, but we'd prefer a collar and zip for general, year-round use.

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