GoreTex gained its dominant market position through a combination of being first with the membrane technology and offering a famous/notorious guarantee; a guarantee that people believe in and a guarantee which still sells the product long after the rest of the industry has caught up with their own membrane based technology. With Berghaus entering the guarantee market, but without the premium price, that dominance is starting to look more vulnerable than it ever has.

Price is the first thing that you notice about the Light Trek Jacket, before you've even taken it off the hangar. When it comes to waterproofs there's a low end, sub £100, where the weather protection is based on a surface coating keeping out the rain, and a top end traditionally the preserve of Gore and usually over-specced and over priced for 3/4 season use in the UK. The Light Trek, however sits in the middle, offering a high end membrane based solution designed for UK conditions. The 55D face fabric is durable enough for regular and prolonged use, despite appearances, and has been beefed up with additional reinforced zones at problem "rub points" where straps and harnesses may cause friction.

The hood is a typical Berghaus hood, though redesigned for the Hydroshell series, both fully adjustable and wired with a decent diameter wire that proves sturdy even strong wind. Rolling away when not in use relies on a velcro strap rather than a zipped compartment in the collar, making it quick and simple but not quite as comfortable as it could be but also helping keep the weight down to a very respectable 389g on our scales.

A simple velcro faced tab holds the seam sealed hood in place when not in use.

You get a full compliment of 2 hand warmer pockets and 2 Napolean pockets, and surprisingly they're all a decent size, each capable of accomodating a map and the hand warmer pockets in particular, capable of carrying much more.

Napolean Pockets will accomodate an OS, or BMC, map

While the handwarmer pockets provide even more room.

Adjustment to firmly seal the elements on the outside include the traditional hem cord and velcro fastened sleeves, while core body vents on either side give good ventilation on the move. In tests the combination of the Hydroshell Elite membrane and core body vents gave breathability comparable to Gore's Active Shell and Polartec's NeoShell but without suffering the same design restrictions required for Active Shell. The result being a comparable level of breathability despite large areas being taken up by pockets.

Core body vents allow for ventilation.

In terms of specification the Light Trek isn't quite a game changer but it may have to be a perception changer. For generations people have become accustomed to thick and substantial equating to durability, but the Light Trek feels very light and held up to the light you can almost see through it! Berghaus is by no means alone in looking at ever thinner and lighter fabrics but public perception takes time to change and Gore's not going away anytime soon. Lightweight has become the buzz word over recent years but it's been seen as a niche market for the elite, or would be elite, and seen as less than durable to the point that a saying has built up that you can pick any 2 from durable, lightweight and cheap but you can't have all three at once. While £170 isn't "cheap" it's inexpensive compared to the Himalayan specced shells we're accustomed to. Once people accept that durable doesn't have to mean heavy, thick and inflexible the lines between mid and high-end will become increasingly blurred and if the marketing people at Pentland get their Adventure Guarantee message out thier loud enough and often enough the Light Trek could well be the jacket that takes the middle ground.