The Hyper 100 Jacket was one of the two products in the adventure review we did together with Berghaus. We were lucky enough to be able to give away one of the Hyper 100 Jackets in our #shareyouradventure contest. The winner was Jeffrey Whitter, new GearLimits friend and featured contributor today. He is quite an accomplished alpinist, climbing the Mont Blanc, Zugspitze and the Dome Des Neiges just recently. This is his own review of the jacket he won.
I tested the jacket for a few months before writing this review. Although the jacket always went with me, I only had to use it on a few occasions.
I used the Hyper 100 on some 4 thousand-meter peaks in the Alps, of which one was the Mont Blanc. Besides testing it on snowy mountains I also took it with me on more technical alpine/rock routes. Because I used it as an alpine jacket, some benefits/downsides may not be applicable to your specific sport.
Because you hardly notice it in your pack you never have to take it out and you can always take it with you. So when shit suddenly hits the fan, you are always prepared.
The first thing I noticed when I got the jacket was how compact and light it was. Stuffed in its little sack it’s not bigger than your fist. It’s also very easy to stuff the jacket into the stuff-sack, you don’t need to apply any force in order to keep the jacket in. With the weight being around 100grams, depending on your size, the jacket is ridiculously light.
Because you hardly notice it in your pack you never have to take it out and you can always take it with you. So when shit suddenly hits the fan, you are always prepared. A few weeks ago, I wore the jacket on the Dome des Neiges (4015m), the forecast was perfect, some clouds and low winds. The reality, however, turned out different. High winds and snow. The jacket offered great protection from rain wind and snow. And dried fast when we were hit by some sunshine on our way down. Although the material breathes better than all hard-shells I have worn in the past, it does create some additional warmth.
The material is thin but very tough. I did a few belly slides on the granite in Chamonix, not even a scratch. When you wear it as a wind stopper while climbing it’s easy to strip up your sleeves for additional ventilation.
How can it be improved upon?
There are only 2 minor downsides to the jacket. Because Berghaus wanted to keep the jacket as light as possible they only put in one (internal)pocket, this is where you can put the stuff-sack or an energy bar. There is no place for your Phone/camera or more snacks. I stored my bars in the pockets of my pants and my camera is strapped to my rucksack. So it’s not a showstopper.
The other point for possible improvement is the hood. It barely fit over my helmet, and because of the snug fit of the jacket it gets lifted too much. In contrary to the first point of improvement this point is very important for me as a climber. When the rain/snow comes you want to be able to close the hatches and not be hindered by them. I fixed this by not closing the zipper to the end. It also depends on the type of helmet you have, mine is the Black Diamond half dome and is fairly bulky. Before you buy, take your helmet to the store and test it out.
To end this review in a positive way I have to give credits to Berghaus for making a hard-shell jacket which is also very stretchy. Because of this you can easily fit 3 layers underneath it. If you want to go fast and light in the mountains on the trails or to work, this is a piece you can’t leave camp without.
