Chris Townsend awarded the Berghaus Athunder ‘Best Buy’ in his review of waterproof jackets for October 2020’s issue of The Great Outdoors. Here’s how the jacket performed on the hill.
The Berghaus Athunder is a new jacket from Berghaus with an old-fashioned look. Instead of an exposed water-resistant front zip it has a standard zip protected by double flaps. This was the normal design before water-resistant zips came along and I reckon it’s still the most waterproof. I’m pleased to see it return. The Athunder also has chest pockets big enough for maps and angled so they can be used for your hands. Again, the zips are standard ones with flaps over them. The pockets are waterproof anyway so if any rain does get in it won’t pass through to inner layers.
The hood is a big helmet compatible one. There are no front drawcords just two at the back that run through the same cordlock. I usually find this design doesn’t work very well in waterproof jackets but on the Athunder it’s fine and I can tighten the hood round my face for good protection. The hood still moves with the head too and so doesn’t restrict side vision. The high volume does mean there are folds of fabric at the back, but I don’t find these annoying.
The Berghaus Athunder also has articulated sleeves for ease of movement and fairly wide cuffs. There are no underarm zips which I don’t mind as I rarely use these but which some people might miss.
The fabric is three-layer Gore-Tex polyester with a matt look and a soft feel. The fabrics are bluesign approved and part of Berghaus’s MadeKind commitment.
The price and weight are both reasonable for a jacket suitable for year-round use in the harshest conditions. The Berghaus Athunder doesn’t look flashy or hi-tech. It just works.
Read more: The best waterproof jackets
