Berghaus Paclite Pants Tested

Berghaus Paclite Pants Tested

Price: £100.00

Weight: 198 grammes (medium)

Features: Gore-Tex Paclite Helium fabric, water-resistant, double-ended full-length side zip with flap, elasticated waist, press-stud fastening at knee and ankle, mesh stuff sac.

Very light, very small, very breathable. Side-zips aren't genuine full length items.

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The Concept Another one of the new Berghaus Extrem Light family, the Paclite Pants are simply minimalist, ultra lightweight and highly breathable waterproof pants. Simple. You stick 'em in the stuff sac, plonk them in the lid pocket of your pack and when it rains, you take them out and they stop your legs getting wet.

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Features They are actually quite simple. The fabric is the latest Paclite Helium as used in the Berghaus Paclite Smock and appreciably more breathable than virtually any other waterproof fabric on the market bar eVENT. Cut is simple with no knee articulation or ankle cuffs, just an elasticated, shock cord adjustable waist and long, double-ended, water-resistant leg zips with a narrow overflap for extra protection against leakage.

The side-zips run from hip to ankle, which is fine for most use, but will disappoint anyone wanting to don them over crampons or skis or trying to take them off while wearing a climbing harness. You also get a tiny mesh stuff sac which we promptly lost.

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In Action Very light - check. Pack small - like a tennis ball, check. Waterproof and breathable - check...

To keep the price to £100 Berghaus has ignored refinements like flies, articulated knees and adjustable ankle cuffs in favour of a simple, straight-legged design. The good news is that on the OM test legs at any rate, the lack of articulation didn't seem a problem as the very light fabric and reasonable cut allowed easy high steps. The slick material slides easily over underlayers as well.

The water-resistant leg zips aren't quite full length and this won't matter for most people, though as we've said above, you won't be using them with crampons as a result. One plus of the longer than average zips though is that on typically British showery days, you can open up your thighs for added ventilation during dry interludes, then zip up for the rainy bits.

In our testing the zips stayed watertight as well, even when things got pretty damp. This is a good things as the zips help save weight by eliminating flaps, though you still get a reassuring mini overflap for peace of mind.

We didn't mind the untethered ankles either, though some will prefer an overtrouser which they can cinch down around the boot cuff. If you have short legs, this might be a problem, with overlong trousers flapping around.

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Verdict

As a pair of very light, very packable, highly breathable overtrousers for lightweight backpacking and walking use at a reasonable price, these are hard to beat. Yes, it'd be nice to have refinements like a fly, adjustable ankles, proper full-length zips and articulated knees, but they'd up the price and probably the weight too. Try carefully before buying though as some users - those with massively powerful thighs we'd guess, may find the lack of knee articulation restrictive.

As things stand the pants work well enough anyway and we like the ability to vent that the long zips allow. We did have some quibbles: we lost the mesh sac pretty fast and would have preferred an integrated stuff pocket for that reason and the inner layer of the Paclite fabric suffered a few small nicks courtesty of boot hooks we think, but with no effect on performance at all.

Overall these are great pants that you can carry without really noticing the weight or bulk and that once on are comfortable, non-restrictive - for us - waterproof and impressively breathable. The £100 price tag certainly isn't cheap, but we reckon it's decent value for what you're getting.

Performance
Value

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Berghaus web site

Pushed for time: Very light, very packable, highly breathable waterproof overtrousers that barely make a dent in your pack. The New Paclite fabric is as impressive as ever and the cut and design are uncomplicated. Long zips, but not full length though they allow for venting in warmer conditions. Some users may find the lack of knee articulation restrictive so try before buying.

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