Berghaus Micro Jacket

Berghaus Micro Jacket

Price: £100

Weight: 440g

Features: DryAqua hydrophylic coated ripstop waterproof, breathable material with mesh lining, single stormflap over main zip, roll-down hood, twin handwarmer pockets with mesh inner, drawcord at hem.

A hundred quid is an awful lot of money to pay for what is really a pretty basic jacket, Berghaus badge or not. It packs as small and light as the rest of them for sure, but you can find a lot more for your money. For a start, the rip-stop pattern DryAqua fabric feels insubstantial with a soft, silky feel and a metallic sheen that you'll either love or hate, but doesn't feel like £100-worth. The flimsiness is apparent rather than real, at least so far, but it doesn't inspire confidence and you wouldn't want to, say, hurl yourself from a mountain bike wearing it. It is, however, very light, and the overall weight is low at 440 grammes, despite a mesh drop liner.

We didn't like the hood either. It's floppy and shapeless, but the main problem is that the lack of a rear volume adjuster makes it impossible to snug up around your head without pulling the soft peak down over your head and obstructing vision. Not only that but the cordgrip adjusters need stronger springs as they slide along the adjustment cord under the slghtest load.

Otherwise the Micro's okay rather than stunning. As with the top of the range PacLite jacket, there's a single storm flap over the main zip and the cut is on the short side to make it suitable for multi-activity use. Cut and mobility are both good and the mesh pocket liners save weight. Breathability is adequate, viz, like any other waterproof fabric, it's okay with for low to medium use but can't cope with medium to high intensity activities. Some more advanced venting provisions might have justified the highish price, but there aren't any.

Take me to the Berghaus web site at the speed of a hyperlink

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