Berghaus Attrition II Jacket Review

5 out of 5 stars.

   

The Berghaus Attrition II is an all round rugged mountain jacket, designed for more extreme conditions and specifically for climbers. Berghaus have created a stylish design whilst giving you all you need from a mountain jacket.
 At 564 grams this is the lightest jacket that I've owned. I bought mine in a small size, which leaves more than enough room to still wear a fleece underneath, this is a reliable companion on a hike at any time of year in any weather...

The front of the jacket is designed slightly higher than the rear to allow freedom of flow when climbing.

 

The jacket is constructed from Modica 3 layer GORE-TEX Pro Shell, meaning this is pretty much as waterproof as you can get whilst maintaining breath-ability, the black areas under the arms are stretch panels constructed from Stretch 3 layer GORE-TEX Proshell.  

 The jacket to the touch feels quite tough, this will take any scrapes from cliff sides and certainly rucksack straps.

 The Raptor fixed hood is huge! It is well designed to take any climbing helmet, whilst being a fantastic hood when wearing it without a helmet. Easily the finest hood I've seen on any jacket - this is luxury when it comes to outdoor gear...

  

The hood is fully adjustable to be able to cope with strong mountain winds as well as having a big enough peak to shield your face from driving rain, snow or whatever the weather wants to throw at you. The peak is also wired so you can adjust it to your preference. 

The two-way zip is water resistant with an internal storm baffle for extra protection from the elements, the front zip is also off-set meaning it closes away from where your mouth is.

One of the other interesting features of the hood is the venting face mask, a good feature that prevents the build up of condensation around your mouth area when the jacket is done right up, also note the PrimaLoft  inner spin drift collar for added comfort... 

The jacket has 3 zipped external pockets, 1 internal water bottle holder (to prevent your water from freezing on cold hikes). And 1 internal zipped pocket that is ideal for storing a wallet or mobile phone. Another interesting feature that was new to me when I bought this jacket are the pit-zips. These are great when on long up hills sections, especially when you need a waterproof on warmer days, the pit-zips are a great way of venting the jacket effectively, the jacket however for a GORE-TEX lined product is highly breathable.
 As you would expect the jacket has elasticated and fully adjustable hem drawcords and the wrists have Velcro attachments...

 This jacket is about as good as it gets at this level. Berghaus in my view have attempted to shrug off the older design image and have moved on successfully to deliver a modern looking jacket that is practical as well as functional. The only real draw back is the price, the jacket usually retails for around £300. I bought mine in a sale, I certainly wouldn't have paid that much for it. But you are getting a top of the range mountain jacket that looks frankly awesome what ever your outdoor activity.
 Available from Berghaus.com,
http://store.berghaus.com/p/mens/men-s-attrition-ii-gore-tex-pro-shell-jacket/434188