Waterproof Jacket: Berghaus Acolyte
19th Mar 2009
Berghaus Acolyte Jacket
I love the YELLOW colour of this jacket. It certainly makes you easy to spot in a crowd. Designed for climbing Big Walls I rather suspect that the vast majority of these jackets will never get more than a few feet of the ground. That is a real coup in design terms – it means that it’s at home in its native environment on El Cap, and also on the high street. It is basically an insulated waterproof that has proved to be much more versatile than the ubiquitous down jacket – I reckon I’ve worn this more times this winter than I’ve ever worn my down simply because I don’t have to worry about the prospect of getting it wet. Sure you can buy waterproof down jackets, but let’s face it, they are some of the bulkiest clothing items known to man. The Acolyte has a fully taped waterproof shell and a 60gm Primaloft insulation layer inside. It has a decent selection of pockets (inner map, two low and one high on the outside), decent Velcro cuff closures, a voluminous, but adjustable hood plenty big enough to accommodate a climbing helmet, reinforced shoulders so that rucksack carrying won’t wear it thin. It retails at £200 and I would say is worth every penny.
Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear