New to Berghaus' line-up this winter is the Ridgemaster jacket, available in both men's and women's versions. This four season waterproof hiking jacket is designed to pack a performance punch at an accessible price, if that sounds like it might suit you then read on!
The Ridgemaster is a classic Berghaus jacket with storm level protection from a 2L Gore-Tex fabric and a robust face fabric.
The Ridgemaster is a good size allowing for layering underneath without being too baggy, it also has a nice long hem cut, something I always appreciate when I'm out walking in sustained rain as it offers superior protection around the midriff area.
With both the hood and main zip up the material siting around the chin is a bit too tight, some more contouring would have been good here. Having said that the snug fitting hood has a good effective peak and moves well with your head thanks to a good range of adjustment points.
The face fabric is stiff and crinkly but beads water off exceptionally well, delaying the onset of wetting out at vulnerable points like the shoulders and cuffs. The thick outer fabric also makes for a great defence against the wind, and the mesh liner gives the jacket a hint of warmth even though it isn't insulated. The pay-off is less breathability, it performs reasonably well in this respect but don't expect to be hiking up steep hills on wet and humid days without working up a sweat.
The Ridgemaster foregoes chest pockets for standard hand pockets with waterproof zips and waterproof inners - rather than mesh venting inners. We'd have preferred mesh inners in this instance as there are no venting options elsewhere on the Ridgemaster apart from at the main zip.
There's a roomy internal map pocket but we generally don't use this for a map as it means unzipping the jacket to get to it which can be a pain if your path isn't well waymarked. It is a decent pocket for storing phone, wallet and other bits and pieces in though.
This isn't the lightest jacket at 557g but not being aimed at the ultralight backpacker it doesn't need to be. At this weight and size, it's easy enough to stash in a daypack and competes with other four season jackets on the market.
Overall, this is a jacket you can rely on in the worst weather these great British Isles can throw at you. Okay, it's not the most breathable or the best designed jacket out there but at £195 we can forgive those sins.
