Berghaus Paclite Smock Tested

Berghaus Paclite Smock Tested

Price: £120.00

Weight: 275 grammes (men's large) mesh stuff sac: 23 grammes

Features: Gore-Tex Paclite Helium fabric, hood with volume adjuster and wired visor, mesh chest pocket with accessory D-ring, smock design with half-length zip with double storm flap, adjustable cuffs (hook and eyelet), adjustable shock-corded hem.

Light, small packing, highly breathable Loose stuff sac easily lost

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The Concept Dead simple really: very light, very small packing and very breathable with no unnecessary frills. Part of the new Extrem Light collection, this is intended as a fully waterproof top that can sit in your pack without you noticing the weight, but do teh job when needed. It also uses the New Paclite fabric that's significantly better than the old, spotty version and - we reckon - more breathable than XCR too. More on that fabric's performance in the articles linked to below, but it's one of the best we've ever used.

The Berghaus verison is called 'Helium' and is the result of cooperation with a leading fabric manufacturer to bond an ultra-lightweight but still strong face fabric to the Paclite membrane. Somehow, although it's very light, it manages to do it without feeling either fragile or overly 'crisp packety'. A good trick if you can pull it off.

All up weight is just 275 grammes, claimed and measured and pack size is around a half-pint glass size. All pretty impressive. Bear in mind though that Paclite's not intended for heavy duty all round use or extended backpacking with heavy packs, more for the sort of days when your soft shell won't quite cope with what's coming down, or you're not really expecting rain at all.

Last but not least, the first Berghaus Paclite Jacket weighed around twice what this scores on the scales and cost around £240. Remarkably, the retail for the Smock is only £120...

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Features Like we said, it's simple, but not deprived. You get a volume-adjustable wired hood, half-zip with double storm flap and adjustable cuffs and drop hem.Cut is reasonably close and big boys may need to look elsewhere. It's not restrictive though allowing free movement.

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In Action We're already gone on record to say how much we like the new Paclite fabric, but in case you missed out, here's a recap: it's a very breathable material with an inner protective layer that seems to act as a buffering zone - you can rub a drop of water into the liner and watch it soak in.

Simple design suits simple wearer...

Most people will find breathability excellent for walking, though we've found that high intensity activities like mountain biking or running will overwhelm the fabric after around 25 minutes. Then again the same is true of many windproofs and Lowe's excellent eVENT fabric too. Gore says it's '40 per-cent more breathable' than normal Gore-Tex, but we also think it's significantly better than XCR, though not as tough and durable.

We can't fault the Paclite Smock for pack size and weight - it's brilliant, though the stuff sac does weigh an extra 23 grammes - that's slightly more than a fountain pen by the way. Nor when used as intended is there anything much wrong with the minimalist design and features.

The adjusters all work as advertised and the wired hood, though not a full mountain item, is still adequate. If you want to wear it over a helmet though, forget it and take a look at the Paclite Pro jacket or the ME Firefly or Haglöfs LIM Ultimate.

The sleeves are mildly articulated for ease of use and the drop tail comes in handy when mountain biking. Some users will miss a map-sized pocket, but for occasional use, we felt it wasn't a major omission.

If we had to quibble, we'd prefer the stuff sac to be built in, though in fact you can simply use the mesh-lined chest pocket and save a little weight. You'll probably have to once you've lost the one supplied... Call us pessimistic, but the hills must be littered with mesh stuff bags by now. Otherwise though, it's hard to fault.

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Verdict

If you're in the market for a very light, fully waterproof but highly breathable top that packs down to next to nothing and is still relatively affordable, this should be high on your list.

The design of the garment itself is frill-free and functional and we've no complaints, though storage junkies might prefer a few more pockets. The hood is fine for three-season use with a wired peak that works well enough and the cut is good. The fabric feels tough for such a light material, but bear in mind that it's not intended for heavy duty climbing or backpacking use.

We're very impressed with New Paclite too. It will still succumb eventually in the face of high intensity activities, but will keep you comfortable for longer than most and for general walking use, most people will find it a revelation. We reckon fast movers and anyone who's switched to soft shell but still needs to use a waterproof occasionally when it really buckets down should, erm, buy one . Top kit.

Performance
Value

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Berghaus web site

Pushed for time: It's very light, it's very small, it's very breathable, it won't like being rubbed hard on rough rock or worn with heavy pack for day after day and it's waterproof too. If that's what you're looking for in a waterproof, we can't really think of a good reason not to buy one. Oh, except that it doesn't have many pockets and the hood won't go over a helmet. Top kit.

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