Berghaus head of marketing Caroline Smith stands beside some of the Hydroshell range at the launch
Leading outdoor brand Berghaus is aiming to bridge the gap between its budget AQ waterproofs and its top-of-the-range Gore-Tex jackets with the launch of a new set of clothing next year.
Its Hydroshell range will include an updated version of its ultra-lightweight VapourLight Hyper Smock, which will see its already featherlight specification reduced a further 30 per cent to just 76g for a fully waterproof top.
The price will also be shaved from the present £120 to £100. The women’s version will tip the scales at an even more impressive 67g for a size 12 – little more than the weight of a Mars bar.
Hydroshell is Berghaus’s in-house waterproof hydrophilic membrane which it hopes will fill a middle sector of the waterproof market twice as big as that enjoyed by Gore-Tex-based garments.
Launching the new products at a base near the Lake District, which its researchers said has the most invasive rain in the world due to the nature of its water droplets, Berghaus pointed out Gore-Tex waterproofs have seen a reduced market share as the average price of a jacket using the membrane has increased £40 in the last 10 years compared to just £10 for non-Gore-Tex waterproofs.
Yet research by the Sunderland-based brand showed half of people who bought Gore-Tex clothing were unaware of the performance credentials of alternative waterproof fabrics.
Berghaus will continue to offer Gore-Tex jackets and overtrousers but is pinning hopes of a continuing increase in its market share of the waterproof market on its new Hydroshell technology.
It will come in three versions: Elite Pro, with a waterproof hydrostatic head of 20,000mm and breathability of 20,000g/m2/24 hours; Hyper will have figures of 15,000mm and 10,000 respectively; and Elite 15,000mm and 20,000.
The Mount Asgard Hydroshell jacket features Elite Pro, will weigh 210g and sell at £220 – compared to a typical similar Gore-Tex-based jacket retailing at £280. It uses 15 denier face fabric.
The Berghaus Hyper Smock 2
The VapourLight Hyper Smock mentioned above uses the Hyper version and has managed to lose weight despite its face fabric thickness being increased from 7 denier to 10 denier.
Berghaus said it will use nylon face fabrics throughout the range, in preference to polyester, for durability.
The clothing also uses performance durable water resistant coatings based on C6 chemistry which it believes is the best option, cutting down on the need for frequent retreatment. The brand said two-thirds of environmental impact comes from consumer use. The range also has odour-resistant technology to reduce the frequency of washing.
The Light Trek Hydroshell Jacket, selling at £170, uses the Elite version of Hydroshell, with 55D face fabric and tips the scales at 391g.
Aimed at the ‘everyday outdoors’ user, the Light Hike Hydroshell also uses 55D nylon and Elite waterproofing, weighs 317g and will sell for £130.
Berghaus makes the boast it is confident it can convert 92 per cent of its waterproof customers to Hydroshell, and there is a $10m (£5.5m) opportunity for it to increase sales.
It is also confident of its quality, and will introduce its Adventure Guarantee across its whole range. This, it said, is a lifetime guarantee – meaning the length of time any piece of kit can be reasonably expected to deliver performance. Though if you decide to use your jacket as a paragliding sail, don’t expect too positive a response.
The Hydroshell range all come in women’s versions too, and will appear in shops for the spring-summer season next year. It also includes a Light Hike Hydroshell overtrouser weighing 228g.
