Berghaus

For people who actually get outdoors, Berghaus tends to justify its price. The brand has a long reputation for durable, high-performing waterproofs that hold up in harsh conditions, and you are partly paying for that name and track record. If you mainly need light weather protection for the school run, a cheaper jacket may do; if you want kit that lasts seasons of real use, Berghaus is a sound investment.

Berghaus is a British outdoor clothing and equipment brand, and it's best known for technical waterproof jackets, fleeces, and rucksacks built for the mountains. Two milestones define its reputation: pioneering the use of Gore-Tex fabric in Europe in 1977, and the Yeti Gaiter from 1979, whose distinctive rubber rands were originally made from old tractor inner tubes.

Berghaus is British, founded in Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England in 1966 and now headquartered in nearby Sunderland. It began life through climbers and mountaineers Peter Lockey and Gordon Davison, whose Newcastle outdoor shop, the LD Mountain Centre, became the seedbed for the brand.

Berghaus is a German word that translates as 'mountain house.' Founders Peter Lockey and Gordon Davison chose it deliberately when they began designing and manufacturing their own products in 1972, giving a North East England company a name that nodded to the alpine traditions of the sport.

The Yeti Gaiter, developed in 1979, is one of Berghaus's most iconic pieces of mountaineering kit, designed to seal the gap between boot and trouser in serious conditions. Its distinctive rubber rands were initially made from old tractor inner tubes, a wonderfully resourceful detail from the brand's early years that became part of its legend.

Berghaus was founded in 1966 by climbers and mountaineers Peter Lockey and Gordon Davison. They started out importing and distributing outdoor products through their Newcastle store, the LD Mountain Centre, and in 1972 began designing and manufacturing their own gear, the moment the Berghaus brand as we know it truly began.

Yes, and it was an early champion of it. In 1977 Berghaus became one of Europe's pioneer users of Gore-Tex, the waterproof and breathable fabric, putting it at the forefront of technical outerwear. It later helped popularize lighter, packable options, introducing Gore-Tex Paclite outerwear in 1999.

The Gemini, introduced in the 1980s, is a Berghaus classic that's still in production today. Its clever idea was to let a walking jacket carry a zip-in fleece, giving you a waterproof shell and an insulating layer in one versatile system, an approach that has aged remarkably well.

They do. In the early 1980s the celebrated mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington 'officially' wore Berghaus, and around the same time Alan Hinkes, who would become the UK's most successful extreme altitude mountaineer, began working with the company. That athlete connection continues through the brand's MtnHaus team, which develops kit with sponsored climbers like Leo Houlding and Mick Fowler.