AT

The Great Escape Jacket is the beast of the test, coming in at 651g on our scales for a women’s size M. It’s by no means too heavy or big for me to consider packing it in a rucksack – the word I’d use to describe it is robust – although I do think it has some unnecessary features.

The jacket’s outer material is Jack Wolfskin’s Texapore, which as well as being water and wind proof is extremely hard wearing, and there’s a mesh lining to help wick sweat away. This material combination is mostly what makes the jacket heavy, but the extra add-ons contribute too.

The Bowscale Jacket we have on test is the worst shade of pink you can imagine – reminiscent of the 1990s’ shell suit was the opinion in the Adventure Travel HQ, and not in a good way (just in case there is a good way). But don’t fear – the jacket will also come in red (pictured), navy or black. And if you don’t remember the shell suit days, you might like the pink anyway.

The Bowscale is new for Berghaus’s autumn/winter 2011 range, but despite it being new, once I got past the colour, putting it on was like coming home to an old friend. If I had to define a waterproof walking jacket, especially for walking in the UK, this would be it.

The Kinetic Jacket stands out from all the others on test because of its light weight – it comes in at 239g on our scales for a women’s size 12, which is about 80g lighter than the next lightest jacket in this test, the Montane Atomic.

I found this light weight superb. I tested the jacket climbing on a blustery weekend in the Lakes, and not only did it barely add any weight or bulk to my already heavy and full bag on the walk-in, while wearing it climbing I could barely notice it was there yet it did a grand job of keeping the wind out.