In my quest for a new pair of waterproof over-trousers, I eventually turned to the Berghaus Light Hike Hydroshell model.

I hadn’t even come across these trousers before making the purchase. At Cotswold Outdoor in Bristol, I tried on the Berghaus Deluge trousers (Small waist, Long leg) and found they fitted me very well without feeling too heavy. I was also aware of the Berghaus Paclite Gore-Tex trousers, which are a lightweight (and more expensive) version but, I’d read a number of concerning reviews online, suggesting that they lack physical durability.

So, these Light Hike waterproof trousers come with Berghaus’ Hydroshell technology to make them 100% waterproof. Their also covered by the company’s ‘Lifetime’ guarantee, which excludes fair wear and tear.

I know a few other people who own waterproof trousers from Berghaus and none of them have complained.

As with the Vaude trousers that went back, I found that the Small waist and Long leg combination works quite well with my 32in waist and inside leg measurements. I did find that the elasticated waist was slightly tighter than on the Deluge trousers I tried. They’re not uncomfortable, just slightly tricky to get on and pull on. But they’re perfect, for me, otherwise.

If ever you buy waterproof trousers online, I’d advise you to buy two sizes with the option of returning one. In my situation, I could’ve added the Medium waist option to my shopping basket.

These trousers don’t appear to have the inner lining as found on many others. This helps to reduce the overall weight and, I think, makes them a good choice for warm and humid conditions.

One of my favourite features (as with the other Berghaus trousers) is that there are two zip pulls, running up to three-quarters of the way along each leg. This means that it is easier to lower the top zip and allow air to ventilate when the rain has stopped but you don’t wish to remove the trousers straight away.

 

There’s no flap of material to shield these zips. However, I wore them very recently for a wet eleven miles across the Mendip Hills and my shorts and legs beneath remained dry.

Toggles can be tightened to secure the fit of the cuffs around your ankles.

A mesh stuff sack with a draw-cord toggle closure fitting is included.

Above, you can see the pack size (right) compared with my £15 waterproof trousers (left). It’s approximately one-third smaller. Every little helps!

Most waterproof over-trousers weigh in at around 400g. As you can see above, These are incredibly light and packable in the ‘Small waist, Long leg’ fitting. I would imagine the grams increase with the growth in waist sizing but, whichever size you might require, they’re still going to weight considerably less than a cheaper pair.

I fear this may be an older model of trousers that Berghaus are looking to discontinue, if they haven’t already done so. This may also explain why I paid only £60 for them. But I hope this post has been useful for you.

Thanks for reading.