BERGHAUS Sella Windstopper Vest

I love this vest. It is very lightweight windproof and sturdy at the same time. It completely replaced an older heavier Arcteryx Gamma SV Vest I've been wearing since 2006. At $60 (on sale from $150) it was cheaper and is lighter at 7 ounces than the over priced Arcteryx vest.

My favorite feature is the chest pocket. A lot of vest (fleece and softshell) delete the chest pocket for weight saving purposes. However I find it useful since most backpackers use vest as an outer layer and having an extra zippered pocket above the hipbelt but under the sternum strap is very useful.

PROS: Light, Durable and windproof. Tailored to fit over a lot of layers but at the same time there is no overuse of fabric nor is the cut too generous. Price was really good. You can also find a lot of Berghaus products on sale at great discounts overseas at many webstores that ship worldwide. i got the bright green color and was worried about it picking up dirt and neck grease easily but Berghaus uses a coating on their windstopper that make the fabric smooth and dirt repellant. I have been wearing this vest for about 6 months before the pictures were taken and I only washed it once or twice in that time. So I expect it to last a long time as it is definitely a quality piece

CONS: The logo zipper pulls that come on this vest are excessive, bulky and get in the way. I cut off ALL the zipper pulls and I think I reduced about 25% of the total weight by doing so. No Belay (2-way) main zipper so you have to wear harnesses and hipbelts over the vest. Hand pockets are too low down and get covered over by a hipbelt or climbing harness. Also they are NOT hand warming pockets but ventilation pockets. Over all I did not find this vest to be very breathable and any strenuous hiking is weather that is sunny and above 70 degrees and you will be sweating. This is mainly a result of the use of Gore windstopper and not a flaw in the design of the vest.