Berghaus "Everyday Outdoors" Jackets feedback thread - now with final feedback questions

[AnnMumsnet]

Dear Berghaus tester

Many thanks for taking part in the Berghaus product test.

We'd be grateful if you could add feedback at least a couple of times over the next month or so - for now, your first impressions and then after a month or so we'll post some more detailed questions.

Everyone who is part of the test and who adds feedback here will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will win £150 of Berghaus products.

So, generally speaking, what are your first impressions? Was it as expected? Anything you particularly liked or disliked? How is the colour/ size etc? (any major problems which mean you want to exchange it, please do let us know)

You are more than welcome to add other comments/ feedback to this thread over the next month.

In your response please state which jacket you are testing.

Many thanks

MNHQ

No now here but still very cold. Was -3 according to my car this morning, and I was on break duty today - stayed toasty warm in my coat. I wear it constantly when out and about now. I am converted and I am already considering buying the smarter verson after Christmas so I could use it when out and about socially. I love the one I have as so warm, but not as smart as the others.

CerealOffender - I have the Akka and have no feather loss at all. Not sure that should happen.

-2 here this orning, and I was out de-icing the car wearing a long sleeved t shirt and my Richmond coat

It really is unbelievably warm, yet I don't get all sweaty and stuffy-over heated if I wear it in the car as well.

it has totally converted me to coat wearing. very light and breathable.

cereal, I have had a few feathers escaping too. Is very amusing as my slightly dippy/hippy colleague believes in signs and portents and thinks every time she sees a white feather, it is a message from her guardian angel....

I haven't had any feather loss from my Akka, either.

I'm still being kept toasty warm by mine and am getting a bit more converted to the larger sizing as at least it means the sleeves are good and long (I have long arms). I really am most enormously grateful for it - it's just a lovely coat.

Mine shed feathers the first couple of times I wore it, but it seems to have settled down now.

With the latest really cold weather, I've found the akka not as warm as my NF coat. However, that is not a bad thing - I think it is great to have an in-between coat. Because of this, however, I think it is actually good that the coat is a little roomier than I first expected - it means you'll have a coat that can be used just before, during and after the coldest months, with the ability to adjust the warmth with layering, a fleecy top, etc.

My coat has probably shed 3 or 4 feathers, but seems to have settled now. Nothing major, I think it probably goes with down coats, as I've seen similar in other coats before.

My parka's been keeping me lovely and warm in the snow. I had to undo it, walking home with the kids, yesterday. Pushing DS2's buggy was hard going on the compacted snow and slush and I was getting quite a sweat on, despite temperatures barely above freezing!

well i wore the akka in freak snow storm in ne scotland and it did the job. thunder and lighting and snow but nothing could touch the akka wearer! sadly my wellies are not so warm, i was fantasizing about an akka babygro .

also passed the all important sledging test. the double zip came into its own again as i careered down a hill with dd between my legs.

Wore my Akka at the farm today. DD was singing carols at the Chrostmas Fayre in an outside barn and it was truely freezing cold, some -5 or similar. Had a t shirt and hoodie underneath and the my Akka - toasty warm yet again, even when the wind picked up at the top of the farm. I am very impressed.

I'm now starting to think I'm a whimp! Am glad that it's roomy enough to add a fleece though - there must be other sensitive souls like me out there.

If I were a very suggestible person, still sulking from not getting a testing sample, where could I buy this range and, crucially, try them on in person?

I have been wearing my Akka with two very chunky jumpers underneath for the last few days and am now sorry I moaned about it being so big. Well, a bit sorry.

Dilys, I have no idea, sorry. Someone earlier in the thread had tried one on in a shop but I can't remember her name. If you can spot the message, maybe you could PM her?

has anyone done a review on the website yet?

Are we supposed to do reviews on website already? I was still waiting for the detailed questionnaire...

Oh, I had no idea we were meant to do reviews on the website. And I can't remember the instructions at all.

review on their site? can MN clarify please, happy to do it but was waiting for questionnaire as well
afaik it was first impressions followed by more detailed views after wearing and aren't they lucky its the weather for it?

Akka doing a fine job

I think it is very clever of Berghaus to have arranged this weather so we can give such thorough testing....

(neccesity forced me to wear the hood up on the Akka yesterday. I may have looked like a prat but I was a warm and dry prat.)

Oh, btw Berghaus, I think it's very good that the fake fur around the hood is removable. I took it off as I don't normally like it. I am, however, going to put it back on this week as, in this weather, every little helps - even if only in my head! :)

Yes, the hood on the Akka is NOT flattering. But it's a good hood. It stays on, it keeps you warm and it keeps the wind off your ears. Am slightly jealous of the peaked hood referred to by some of the other coat testers as that sounds like a fantastic idea and much more stylish than the slightly spoddy Akka hood. It also sounds like it might keep the rain off my glasses.

Can I have the award for most vigorous testing of the Akka please?

Went to the Royal Welsh Winter Fair today. It is an annual livestock/produce etc fair which is mainly outside. When we arrived there was 6-8" of snow on the ground and the temperature was -11

I wore my Akka (over a lamswool polo neck, and with a thermal hat and gloves and snow boots) and stayed suprisingly warm all day!

Fair play, when it arrived I was a bit that it was worth £150, but it has proved itself today.

Oh good grief, I am an idiot. The fake fur I removed wasn't the Akka's, so Berghaus, please ignore my post above! Uhm, backtracking, I guess I could say good on you for not adding fake fur, as I would have hated that!

Hi testers - you're welcome to add a review to the Berghaus website when you like. I believe you'll need to register with them first but I believe you could leave if you wanted to.

We're planning on adding the next slightly more detailed questions around the 2nd week of December, once you've been using them for about a month.

Thanks

Hello all
I've FINALLY been able to test my coat (parka) in the snow. Very impressed - totally toasty!
Having been using it for a few weeks now, I can't fault the performance really - water runs off it, the hood stays up beautifully, the pockets are lovely and toasty, all good.

But, I have to say I haven't fallen in love with its looks. Partly I think this is because it's too big (didn't even think about exchanging it until I saw a few people had- don't look a gift horse in the mouth & all that ) - it just means it doesn't have a flattering shape (unlike my unpadded, non Berghaus parka, which is much more flattering/cooler looking tbh.)

Well the snow has finally reached us here,was going to wear my TNF nuptse today(after all it's a down coat!)
but wore the Richmond instead.
Appearances are v.deceptive...didn't think that it could provide the same amount of warmth but it more than coped and the hood(and yes again I am not a hood person!)was v.welcome too
Still only slumming it in jeans tho...will have to see how it looks with smarter clothes over the festive period!