The Berghaus Hyper Hydroshell Jacket...

[marmottungsten]

The Berghaus Mens Hyper Hydroshell jacket is the model their new Hyper 100 Extrem Shell replaced in 2017.
Berghaus are advertising the newer model as "the world’s lightest 3 layer mountain jacket", but this is actually false advertising, as the older model, which is also 3 layer, is actually lighter!
A medium size Hyper Hydroshell jacket only weighs 89g (3oz) (icluding the stuff sack) but a Medium size Hyper 100 Extrem weighs 97g (3.28oz).
OK, so you might not notice the 8g (0.27oz) difference when wearing one, but Berghaus should try to get their facts straight.
They both pack down to something like the size of flattened tennis ball, which is one of their major Pros.
Apart from the weight difference, there are two other main differences...Firstly, whilst both offer a rain protection of 20,000mm Head, which is excellent when you factor in how light they both are, their breatheability ratings are noticably different.
The Hyper Hydroshell manages a very respectable 10,000g/m2 MVTR (between 2000-5000g/m2 MVTR rating is the typical breatheability range for most ultralight rain jackets), but the Hyper 100 Extrem manages an amazing 50,000g/m2 MVTR!
This world-beating breatheability comes at a cost though...The RRP of the Hyper 100 Extrem is £250 ($325) here in the UK, which is twice as much as the RRP for the Hyper Hydroshell it replaced (although you can buy the Hyper 100 Extrem for about £211 ($274) if you shop about (From Ultralight Outdoor Gear).
However, I recently managed to find a medium size Hyper Hydroshell, in two-tone blue, on the Sale rack at a local camping store, reduced to £91 ($118). I managed to get them to price match it to the cheapest price I could find online (£76 or $98) and then they gave me a further discount...So I paid just £70 ($91) for it!
As a comparison, my previous rain shell, a Gelert rain smock, in woodland camo (from Sports Direct) has a rain protection of 5,000mm Head, a breatheability of 5000g/m2 MVTR, weighs a whopping 240g (8.47oz), packs about six times larger, and cost about £25 ($32.6), so I am overjoyed at having the Hyper Hydroshell now, as it is truely both ultralight and pocket size.
Here is a review for the Berghaus Hyper Hydroshell:


https://outdoorsmagic.com/reviews/berghaus-hyper-hydroshell/

And here is one for the Berghaus Hyper 100 Extrem:


https://outdoorsmagic.com/reviews/waterproof-jackets/berghaus-hyper-100-waterproof-jacket-review/

[richardh1905]

I took a look a the review; useful in case you get caught in a summer shower on the South Downs Way, or maybe cross country running perhaps, but I suspect -not- fit for horizontal winter rain on an Orkney cliff top. Or for heavy regular use, for that matter.

I tend not to take much notice of hydrostatic head figures - how will it perform after it has been worn a bit (or a lot) and repeatedly stuffed inside that small stuff sac is what counts. Likewise breathability figures.

Thanks for posting, all the same - I like to know about new products.




Edit - just out of interest, I weighed my excellent Mountain Equipment Gore Tex Pro jacket - about 530g (but to be fair it may have been slightly damp after walking the dog yesterday evening). Not comparing like with like, I know.

[Troggy]

Yep! It's a fantastic material, or combination of them, but it does appear from the review that the jackets are for "just in case" occasional showers. I'd wonder how the material would stand up to wearing a rucksack on a day walk in the rain. It's very dear, which is fair enough if it does a job but it seems to be for specialised activities. I think I'd rather have a more robust rainproof that would stand up to prolonged rain better and what would take the abrasions due to casrrying a rucksack. I might be doing them a disservice; but they're very expensive and they look a bit too flimsy for mygeneral plodding about.

[jimbob]

Ponchos are lighter, more waterproof, highly "breathable", can cover your rucksack,  can be used as emergency shelters, groundsheets etc.It all depends which one you buy of course. If the aim of the ultralight crowd is multi use as well as weight then clearly ponchos are the way to go. The best ones are a huge amount cheaper than that short pacamac.

I have a great poncho AND I have a rain jacket. I carry both on long walks.

[gunwharfman]

I use a poncho more and more. Mine is made by Vaude, it does the job well, except one. When its raining and the hood is tightly drawn to my face, if I'm perspiring, the build up condensation inside the poncho can get to the point where I feel as wet inside as its wet outside. Almost a bad as my Paramo Alta 2 which I now only wear in the colder months. If its really windy I just put a lightweight elastic belt around my waist. One benefit of a poncho (the same as my rain skirt) is that I stay cool around my lower waist area, that why I dislike waterproof trousers so much, Ugh!

I'd would like to buy another but better one, a) without the racksack cover bit on the back (I prefer an ordinary elasticated rucksack cover) B) with some kind of vent at the head area to let my 'steam' out and C) maybe better material?

Does anyone know of any better ones out there?

[marmottungsten]

Yep! It's a fantastic material, or combination of them, but it does appear from the review that the jackets are for "just in case" occasional showers. I'd wonder how the material would stand up to wearing a rucksack on a day walk in the rain. It's very dear, which is fair enough if it does a job but it seems to be for specialised activities. I think I'd rather have a more robust rainproof that would stand up to prolonged rain better and what would take the abrasions due to casrrying a rucksack. I might be doing them a disservice; but they're very expensive and they look a bit too flimsy for mygeneral plodding about.

I also wondered about this too as I plan to use it with my rucksack when or if I am caught in a sudden downpour whilst out walking/hiking...There is no doubt that a heavier jacket, made with thicker material, will offer more comfortable padding under the shoulder straps of your rucksack, and resist wear and tear better, but then you are sacrificing the benefits of ultra low weight, tiny pack size and probably breatheabilty too.  A simple solution that wouldn't add too much extra weight would be to add extra padding to the rucksacks shoulder straps, rather than something to the jacket itself...I was thinking something like those pads that slip over a car seat belt, as they will take a strap of similar width to most shoulder straps.  If the base weight of your ruscksack is low and you adjust it properly so it doesn't move around too much this may not be necessary though...I guess time will tell.

[jimbob]

Those car safety belt pads really work well.I bought a cheap rucksack  from Lidl as a day bag. The bag is OK, a wee bit short for my back but the waist belt is too thin and cuts into my hip bone. I used a couple of those pads and it is now really comfy on the hips.  No doubt they would be just as good on shoulders.

[marmottungsten]

Those car safety belt pads really work well.I bought a cheap rucksack  from Lidl as a day bag. The bag is OK, a wee bit short for my back but the waist belt is too thin and cuts into my hip bone. I used a couple of those pads and it is now really comfy on the hips.  No doubt they would be just as good on shoulders.

Question is where can I get some good quality pads because I bought a pair from Poundland and after a year or so of daily use the foam padding inside had all but disintergrated, leaving just the fabric shell!

[jimbob]

E-Bog??

[Mel]

A year's worth of daily use from a Poundland bargain is pretty good going if you ask me. 

[NeilC]

That's insanely light. I got a light windproof recently which is just one layer of uncoated polysester and even that was over 100g.


Whilst you want a more robust jacket for days out in outright bad weather (well constructed hood, pockets, adjustable cuffs, thicker fabric to hold the elements away from your skin etc) if you're just carrying it to deal with patches of rain then all that is much less important and lightness comes to the fore. I'd baulk at the RRP but at £70 it's a good deal.

[richardh1905]

Question is where can I get some good quality pads because I bought a pair from Poundland and after a year or so of daily use the foam padding inside had all but disintergrated, leaving just the fabric shell!

Why not just buy another pair from Poundland?

[jimbob]

Deleted

[Ronin83]

If it's just for patches of Rain/light rain then a £15/20 cheapo packaway does the job nicely.
I wore a Peter storm one all throughout winter at work, treated it like [censored] and it still works.
£70 for a bit of drizzle? No thanks