Berghaus Ridge Seeker Waterproof Trousers
23rd Apr 2025
A decent pair of medium weight (360g), hard wearing Goretex waterproof trousers from a brand you can trust. Berghaus have been a leading maker of waterproof clothing since 1966 so you'd expect they know what they're doing.
These are a medium weight black pair of trousers with full length waterproof zips on the outside of each leg making getting in and out of them in crampons, skis or snow shoes a doddle. There is a popper fastening at the base of each leg which can be set to hold the zipper in place or can pull in the slack material around your ankle for a tight fit on a second proper. It has a decent number of belt loops, but thankfully no elastic in the waistband. Other brands I've had in the past have dispensed with belt loops in favour of elastic which just doesn't cut the mustard on a very wet day as a material becomes waterlogged. There are three poppers to hold them closed around your waist and a hanging loop for the drying room. There is no adjustment in the waist so a belt is essential.
Berghaus have the following to say about the trousers:
Boasting three layers of GORE-TEX ePE fabric, you get GORE-TEX performance with a lighter weight. Comfier, less bulky and easier to pack. Handy for those rainy bike-to-work days, long hikes or mountain escapades, right? But we know things can get tough out there. Which is why we use heavier GORE-TEX around the knees and butt – high-wear places that crave reinforcement. Max durability. Minimal weight. For many adventures.
It's hard to comment on the thickness of these layers as they are pretty much invisible to the eye, suffice to say that they perform very well in the wet. The front of the shins is clearly a harder wearing material for knocks and scrapes when scrambling or wading through vegetation. Essentially everything you want in a pair of waterproof trousers. They retail at £280 which is a princely sum to pay, but decent kit costs money.
