Berghaus, Women’s Vorlich 3L GTX Jacket Review

The Vorlich 3L GTX is both the lightest and the least expensive of the jackets that I tested for our guide to The best waterproof jackets for 2024, and it certainly hits all the necessary points for a hardshell suitable for year round use.

Price: £300 | Weight: 417g (size uk 12) | Materials: Gore-Tex 3L, 100% polyamide with ePTFE membrane | Hood: wired peak with rear adjuster | Front closure: water resistant two way YKK zip with rear storm flap | Underarm/side zips: no | Pockets: two external hand pockets and one external chest pocket | Hem: elastic drawcord | Cuffs: hook and loop fastening | Sizes: 8-20 | Mens version: yes

I stayed consistently dry and happy wearing it during an unprecedented period of storms over the festive season. With a Gore-Tex membrane, and a tough face fabric and backer, it is reliably waterproof and hard wearing. The hood is large enough to pull over a climbing helmet, and features a conformable wired brim.

There’s only one point of adjustment for the hood- at the back, which allows the volume to be reduced but is less effective at pulling the hood in around the face.  I found this a drawback in when the wind was blowing in my face. There are hit and miss points on the pockets too- the hand pockets are large enough for a laminated OS map, which is excellent, but they are located quite far back, and low, which makes them hard to access, especially when wearing a rucksack.

My final niggle is that I’d like the cuffs to be a bit wider to fit over insulated gloves. However, the Vorlich 3L GTX is great value for a tough three layer Gore-Tex shell and will do the job in all but the foulest of weather, whilst also light enough to carry in my rucksack in summer. Bonus points to Berghaus for making it in a realistic size range too.